We reported on Spotify’s financial results yesterday, but another piece of news has emerged since then. The company has stopped making Car Thing, the in-car speaker that was the streaming service’s first hardware product.
Spotify took a €31m charge in its accounts from the decision, later explaining its reasons for axing a product that only launched commercially in February this year.
“Based on several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues, we have decided to stop further production of Car Thing units,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Existing devices will perform as intended. This initiative has unlocked helpful learnings, and we remain focused on the car as an important place for audio.”
In truth, Car Thing struggled to carve out a place for itself in vehicles, where it’s become increasingly easy to connect smartphones to the existing in-car entertainment system.
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