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I certainly see no reason to grasp hold of GM's current range. The difference is that cars are a extremely competitive market, and the "no connected" version w

by urthor 4y ago

I certainly see no reason to grasp hold of GM's current range. The difference is that cars are a extremely competitive market, and the "no connected" version will always be offered.

Nextgrid 4y ago
> The difference is that cars are a extremely competitive market, and the "no connected" version will always be offered. Are they? Cars are an extremely difficult market to break into, much more so than laptops/etc. All mainstream manufacturers are already on the way to do the whole "connected" thing (the hardware has been there for a decade, it's just a matter of software) and the vast majority of people don't seem to mind. Starting a car manufacturer is already a huge expense, even more so if your only customer base is the small percentage of the population who understands the downsides of connected cars. More likely we'll see reverse-engineered aftermarket replacement controllers that behave just like the original but don't have any connected/DRM crap in them - that market is much easier to break into and you may not even need to make any hardware - just refurbish & reflash the original ones.
Kon-Peki 4y ago
It’s definitely an extremely competitive market. But… Can you name a currently-produced car that doesn’t have the SOS button on it? It’s been mandatory in the EU since 2018. I can’t find proof that it’s mandatory in the US, so maybe you can find one that doesn’t have it. Anyway, it if has that button (technically named eCall), it has the hardware in place to be fully connected. So the manufacturers figure they might as well use it for other data collection and get some money out of being forced to include that hardware. Such is life
Spooky23 4y ago
Cars are insanely competitive, to a point. But it’s a dying market with a captive supply chain that’s been spun off over the years. Everyone is trying to milk the cow for as long as possible. The little companies that make knobs or whatever AND deal with the bullshit associated with car companies are investing zero. One of the reasons why cars now look the same.

by urthor 4y ago

I certainly see no reason to grasp hold of GM's current range. The difference is that cars are a extremely competitive market, and the "no connected" version will always be offered.

Nextgrid 4y ago

> The difference is that cars are a extremely competitive market, and the "no connected" version will always be offered. Are they? Cars are an extremely difficult market to break into, much more so than laptops/etc. All mainstream manufacturers are already on the way to do the whole "connected" thing (the hardware has been there for a decade, it's just a matter of software) and the vast majority of people don't seem to mind. Starting a car manufacturer is already a huge expense, even more so if your only customer base is the small percentage of the population who understands the downsides of connected cars. More likely we'll see reverse-engineered aftermarket replacement controllers that behave just like the original but don't have any connected/DRM crap in them - that market is much easier to break into and you may not even need to make any hardware - just refurbish & reflash the original ones.

Kon-Peki 4y ago

It’s definitely an extremely competitive market. But… Can you name a currently-produced car that doesn’t have the SOS button on it? It’s been mandatory in the EU since 2018. I can’t find proof that it’s mandatory in the US, so maybe you can find one that doesn’t have it. Anyway, it if has that button (technically named eCall), it has the hardware in place to be fully connected. So the manufacturers figure they might as well use it for other data collection and get some money out of being forced to include that hardware. Such is life

Spooky23 4y ago

Cars are insanely competitive, to a point. But it’s a dying market with a captive supply chain that’s been spun off over the years. Everyone is trying to milk the cow for as long as possible. The little companies that make knobs or whatever AND deal with the bullshit associated with car companies are investing zero. One of the reasons why cars now look the same.