If I asked you "how many computing devices do you own?" your mind will probably first jump to your PCs and laptops at home, and then to your smartphones and tablets. The more tech savvy might include smartwatches, TVs, and video game systems. But there's one computing device that not many people think about as a computing device: the car infotainment system.
Like everything else, infotainment systems are computers with processors, operating systems, and applications, but you won't find much material out there that treats them as such. Microsoft, Apple, Google, Samsung, and others hold big press conferences about their new hardware and software, touting ever-larger spec sheets, new features, and universally known sub-brands like iPhone, Surface, and Galaxy.
But you'll almost never see car companies announce how much RAM is in their new car infotainment systems, though; most won't speak a word about specs or even say what software they're running. Sure, the main purpose of a car is to drive it, so horsepower, safety, and comfort are top-of-mind. But after the steering wheel, pedals, and (for some drivers) the turn signal, the infotainment system is one of the most-used interfaces of a car. If it sucks, you're probably going to be unhappy.
So today we're going to treat car computers like every other kind of computer and see how car companies are adapting to the age of the smartphone. Consumers are demanding ever-more-complicated tech packages in their cars, and some members of the 100-year-old car industry are adapting to it better than others.
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