Before you rush to the comments section to accuse me of calling Spotify’s failed experiment a “CarPlay killer,” hear me out.
Spotify launched Car Thing with one simple goal: It wanted to bring its service to cars where the app wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
The Car Thing was a device whose sole role was to give users access to Spotify, displaying a user interface that closely resembled the mobile app running on Android Auto and CarPlay. It featured intuitive buttons, a simple design, and a small form factor to fit most cars.
Spotify targeted older vehicles where functionality like Android Auto and CarPlay weren’t available, with the company hoping its customers would buy the Car Thing as an alternative to getting a more expensive aftermarket head unit.
Photo: Spotify
It was a way to compete with Android Auto and CarPlay, and Spotify believed the price factor would make a big difference. An Android Auto and CarPlay receiver typically costs at least $200 for a base model, and paying half the price to get access to Spotify made sense. At least in Spotify’s mind, as the strategy failed in the most obvious way.
Customers weren’t exactly interested in a device that only offered access to one app. Paying extra for access to Android Auto and CarPlay, where they could get a significantly upgraded experience, makes more sense from an investment perspective.
Car Thing didn’t make sense to most users. The logical and more convenient choice was to use their mobile phones, on which the app already worked, with a Bluetooth connection to the car’s speakers.
The Car Thing ultimately failed, and worst of all, Spotify chose the most horrible way to retire the device. The company won’t be offering refunds, so as of December, Car Thing is gone for good. Spotify also doesn’t want to open source the device, even though users want that approach, as they will continue to support Car Thing with community support.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Here’s the weird part.
With Car Thing biting the dust, many people are looking for ways to get their money back. Some say Spotify offered them a free month of premium service, which is ridiculous considering they spent $90 on Car Thing.
Normally, you’d expect Car Thing buyers to be outraged by Spotify’s handling of the product’s demise, but that’s not exactly what’s happening.
Scalpers are trying to get rid of the device online, asking ridiculous prices that go up to $200. This means that anyone can still get the failed device, albeit not from Spotify, but they have to pay almost double the launch price.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Ask anyone you know and they’ll tell you that doesn’t make any sense, especially considering that Spotify has already pulled Car Thing and recently announced a complete shutdown of the product. As a reminder, starting in December, the Car Thing will be as useful as a rock, as the device will no longer connect to Spotify (despite the company’s initial claim that its product will remain functional after the end of support).
Still, people online are jumping at the chance to buy Car Thing. Several eBay listings attracted dozens of bidders, with consumers willing to pay up to $100 to get factory-sealed units. One listing has 23 bids, with the price already over $70 and two days left in the auction.
It’s hard to find a reason to pick up a Car Thing today, especially since the device is going dark soon, but customers seem to have a very strong desire to get their hands on it. One possible explanation is the effort to bring Android to the Car Thing, which will essentially breathe new life into the device.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
One thing is clear, however: Spotify’s experiment failed, but customer interest was there to some extent. The company has never shared sales figures, but says slow demand and supply chain challenges have made it difficult to keep the Car Thing in the market.
The company tried all sorts of approaches to make Car Thing a success, including even pulling the car-optimized interface included in the mobile app. Nothing worked as customers initially expressed strong resistance, but now that Car Thing is no longer a thing, the device is in high demand.
The best Spotify can do now is to open source the device and let the community improve it. It’s a failed product and the company has acknowledged it, but recalling a $90 device and not even having a refund or finding a way to make it up to your customers could hurt sales in the long run.
Have you bought Car Thing? What are your thoughts on this device and how should Spotify handle its death? Let me know what you think in the comments box after the jump, and maybe we can help Spotify find the right way to overcome the failed experiment.
