GM Sees a Market For $5/Day Dedicated In-Car Internet 216
An anonymous reader writes "$5 doesn't sound like much for a day of internet service in some contexts: it's less than you might pay for it in-flight, and less than a few espresso drinks if you're lured in by a coffee shop's Wi-Fi service. But not all internet service is created equal; would you pay $5 for a month of in-car internet service if it meant a 200-meg cap, which is (only) 'enough to stream more than 6.5 hours of music?' That's where a new dedicated Internet service from GM starts (also at the WSJ, paywalled), and it's $10 for drivers who aren't also OnStar subscribers. Probably a more likely option for the occasional road trip, though, is $5 per day service (no OnStar requirement) for 250MB of data. Why wouldn't someone just use a smartphone with a data plan, or a dedicated hotspot device? GM thinks they'll be drawn to 'a powerful antenna that's stronger than that of a smartphone, along with a Wi-Fi hotspot that operates without draining a mobile device's battery. That hotspot is on any time the car is on.'"
Re:"GM thinks" there's your problem. (Score:2, Funny)
How about this: They provide BOTH options and we'll see which one is more popular in 2 years.
Whichever car company makes it easy for my phone to be the brains of the entertainment system, and their screen just be a dumb terminal for my phone's data will get to sell me a new car.
Yeah. Fuck all that advanced air bag and self-parking bullshit. Who needs safety when we can bolt our texting while driving device right into the car for maximum distraction.
Good luck. We're gonna need it with people like you on the road demanding those killer features.