This past February, Spotify created multiple job listings for "hardware production" positions. We initially speculated that the streaming service could be working on a smart speaker to go against the Amazon Echos and Google Homes of the world, but new information suggests that the company will be taking a rather different approach.
On Reddit and Spotify's own support forums, multiple users have claimed to receive a pop-up in the Spotify app for some sort of music player or controller that goes in your car. The device in question looks like a puck and you'll find green lighting around the edge and what's likely a touchscreen display in the middle.
There are two physical buttons on the left for shuffling a playlist and going back a track, and that's about it. Some users apparently saw different variations of the ad, with one saying Amazon Alexa functionality was touted while others report that Spotify was promoting 4G LTE connectivity so the device could work without a connection to your phone's data. These pop-ups were noticed at some point in February, but they've been nowhere to be seen since.
The image of the gadget was accompanied by a pre-order button and a note that the device and a subscription to Spotify's music service would cost $12.99/month with a 12-month commitment for a total of $155. On that same note, however, another user was apparently shown a price of $14.99/month.
Right now, there's still a lot that's unknown about this thing. Will it have a built-in speaker, or will it simply tap into your car's existing audio system? How will it work with older cars that don't have Bluetooth? If it has 4G LTE, will that be another monthly fee users have to pay for?
Although we may have a lot of questions, we likely won't have to wait too much longer before they're answered. On April 6, Spotify announced that it'll be holding a "news announcement" on April 24 in New York City. Is this where we'll get more info on this mystery car dohickey? If I were a betting man, I'd say there's a pretty good chance that's exactly what happens.
