Apple And Microsoft Dashboards: Coming To A Car Near You (aapl, Msft)

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That would have left Microsoft out of the dashboard game, but the "Windows in the Car" announcement indicates the company still intends to offer Apple future competition, albeit in a different format. Investors appeared uncertain by this back-and-forth development. After rising 6.4% thus far in 2014, Microsoft's share price fell 0.18% on the news, down to $39.80, and then eased down to hover around $39.40 in early April. Spoiled for choice While developers are busy snapping up separate car brands for their first market movements, the future of dashboard software is likely to be all-inclusive. Ford's global technologist John Ellis acknowledged this when he told The New York Times , "Ford sells cars... and it would not be in our best interest to limit ourselves." As Fool Daniel Kline noted , Microsoft, Apple, and perhaps Google are invested in the auto sector because they see it as a way to win long-term customers. If you buy a car with CarPlay, you are committing to using Apple phones for years down the road. Automakers approach the scenario from the opposite direction: It is in their interest to offer buyers as many choices as possible. As car tech evolves, brands will probably move from picking sides to offering customers a choice to install Apple, Microsoft, or Google software. It makes sense, encourages dashboard competition, and gives the buyer more power. Automakers who try to form an exclusive relationship with a tech company may regret the move in a couple of years. Investing in the digital future Let's face it: Every investor wants to get in on revolutionary ideasbeforethey hit it big. Like buying PC maker Dell in the late 1980s,beforethe consumer computing boom. Or purchasing stock in e-commerce pioneer Amazon.com in the late 1990s, when it was nothing more than an upstart online bookstore. The problem is, most investors don't understand the key to investing in hyper-growth markets . The real trick is to find a small-cap "pure play" and then watch as it grows in EXPLOSIVE lockstep with its industry. Our expert team of equity analysts has identified one stock that's poised to produce rocket-ship returns with the next $14.4 TRILLION industry. Click here to get the full story in this eye-opening report. Tyler Lacoma has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days .
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