GM automaker Chevrolet announced over the weekend that Beats Music will be included in selected 2015 model cars, via the Chevrolet AppShop. AppShop is an in-car download service that works similarly to Apple’s App Store and Google Play for Android apps. Other music apps with AppStore spots include iHeartRadio, Slacker, NPR, and TuneIn.
The announcement was made at SXSWi (the Interactive portion of the South by Southwest annual conference in Austin, TX).
The Chevrolet AppShop, introduced at this year’s CES in January, operates in essentially the same manner as a smartphone’s app-download experience. As with Apple’s store, and Google Play, available apps are developed specifically for the platform, using Chevrolet’s “developer kit.” Developing a mobile music app (or any kind of mobile app) for a particular operating system (like Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, or Chevrolet’s AppShop) requires time, resources, and effort. For that reason, Chevrolet’s selection of music apps is currently slim, but could grow in the future.
The connected-car strategy of offering Chevrolet-specific entertainment apps contrasts with lightweight solutions such as Ford’s AppLink. AppLink requires app developers to place a bit of extra code in their existing applications. When so enhanced, those apps can be transferred from the driver’s smartphone to the larger dashboard interface, where they can be more easily and safely operated while driving. Chevrolet’s solution also creates easy and safe app controls, but only for audio brands willing to develop for that platform.
Chevrolet’s app system will be enabled by Internet high-speed (4G LTE) connectivity in the car, using OnStar.