Spotify says Car Thing is now on sale for $90, after being announced in April 2021; a future software update will add Audible support and more
Two million raced onto a waitlist for Spotify's first hardware. Now that it's on sale, Spotify's real road test must prove Car Thing's more than a goofy name.
Context & Ripple Effects
Spotify moved Car Thing from a limited Premium-user car assistant test in 2019 to a free, select-user launch in 2021. The $90 retail launch turns that experiment into a consumer hardware product.
The planned Audible integration departs from the initial Spotify-only device positioning, making software support central to Car Thing's value after purchase.
First-order effects
- Spotify begins selling Car Thing directly for $90, shifting the device from controlled distribution to a product that must earn demand at retail.
- Audible gains a planned in-car access point on Car Thing once Spotify delivers the promised software update.
Second-order effects
- Car Thing buyers receive a broader audio proposition than the original Spotify-only pitch, while Spotify takes on the continuing obligation to expand and maintain the device's software.
- Spotify's hardware strategy is tested against whether added services such as Audible make a dedicated dashboard controller more compelling than using the phone connection Car Thing relies on.
Third-order effects
- If Spotify continues adding outside audio services through updates, Car Thing's role shifts from a single-service accessory toward a software-defined in-car audio interface.
- The progression from trial to retail sale makes post-sale software breadth, rather than the initial hardware release alone, the durable measure of Spotify's car-device strategy.
The trend: Streaming services are testing dedicated in-car hardware whose utility is extended through software integrations beyond the originating service.