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Microsoft Wants To Power Self-Driving Cars With Software, Not Build One (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft's Peggy Johnson said at the Converge conference (Warning: WSJ source paywalled) in Hong Kong this week that the company is not interested in manufacturing its own self-driving cars, but instead is interested in building software for cars. "We won't be building our own autonomous vehicle but we would like to enable autonomous vehicles and assisted driving as well," said Johnson, head of business development at Microsoft. "We in different ways enabled a variety of different partners and you'll see us continuing to do that." Microsoft is open to partners requesting an operating system for cars. The company has partnered with Harman to integrate Microsoft Office 365 into its infotainment systems, bringing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to cars for the first time. "You're sitting in the car for many, many minutes a day. Can that be part of your new office, can it be your new desk, a place where you actually get work done?" asked Johnson. "We believe it can." Two years ago, Microsoft unveiled their "Windows in the car" initiative to compete against Apple's CarPlay.
...to blue screen of death! :: CRASH ::
I've been a systems engineer since 1995, and before that worked networks and as a technician.
Based on my experience with the reliability of Microsoft products: I will never EVER put my life in the hands of Microsoft.
If the car runs Windows (or a Microsoft product) I won't own it or ride in it. Simple self preservation.
Another consultant who stuck it out.
"We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx..."
I'm very pro-self driving cars, but the thought of Microsoft, with their unenviable record on security and stability, running the thing? Oh, hell no. I'd walk first.
Microsoft will have difficulty being successful in this area, for several reasons:
1. They would be entering this market very late. Many car companies are already in bed with software partners.
2. They have no expertise in developing high reliability software.
3. They have no expertise in developing real time control software
4. They have a poor track record with UIs anywhere but the desktop.
My impression is that Ms Johnson was just ad libbing, and not really expressing Microsoft corporate policy. The only examples she gave were that people might want to view Powerpoint slides on their dashboard computer, or use it to update Excel spreadsheets while they are stuck in traffic. I don't think she would have said something that stupid if she was prepared and had time to think about what she was going to say.
My prediction is that Microsoft will only get involved in the human facing entertainment side of car software. If they do get involved in actual control software, I predict they will fail.
You're sitting in the car for many, many minutes a day. Can that be part of your new office, can it be your new desk, a place where you actually get work done?
Or, how about our employers stop finding new and increasingly intrusive ways to gain from us our endeavours, and we just read a book in the car instead?
These are the steps, in order, Microsoft will go through:
Microsoft will work on a self-driving car for a very short time and figure out they cannot do it fast enough to compete.
They'll partner with another company. There will be lots of hoopla, but nothing will come of it, and the partnership will dissolve.
They'll buy a company which is well-respected and doing well/poised to succeed. It will rapidly go down the toilet and they'll sell it.
[ optional step ] They'll come out with their own product too late.
They'll partner with successful companies to get hooks into cars which link to their other products. This will be marginally profitable. They will attempt to use this to gain as much leverage as possible. This may or may not be successful, but will anger people.