If anyone wanted proof that Spotify is doubling down on hardware, then its registration with the Federal Communications Commission is just the thing.
The hardware game isn't easy to get into (read: Snap Spectacles), but despite that, it seems that the music streaming company is going to tap into the market in the foreseeable future.
Spotify Hardware
As Variety spotted, Spotify has made an official registration with the FCC, and it has been given a grantee code, specifically 2AP3D. What this means is that it can now have products approved by the commission.
There's more to it than that, though. As CNET explains, companies have to register with the FCC only when they're making wireless devices to sell to consumers in the United States. In other words, the company could be preparing to launch hardware soon.
The Mounting Evidence
Spotify building its own hardware isn't unheard of. Back in 2017, a job listing for a hardware team made rounds online, where candidates are expected to work on a product similar to the Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo, and Snap Spectacles.
In addition to that, there was also another job listing that popped up in February. It says that it's "creating its first physical products," which is a clear sign that something is in the works.
Potential Product
Going by the aforementioned job listings, Spotify could be building a smart speaker or a wearable device. They may very well be in the pipeline, but the first one to roll out might be an in-car device, which is evidenced by users' reports that they've been offered to preorder such a gadget upon opening Spotify.
One user said that the device had built-in Amazon Alexa and supported 4G and cost $14.99 a month. A screenshot of the offer soon surfaced, with the price set at $12.99 a month on a 12-month commitment. Based on the image, the device is a small circular display with two physical buttons on the side, and if the quote is anything to go by, it'll also have voice control support.
Regardless of what Spotify is up to, the important thing to note is that it isn't "ruling out" hardware and that it isn't shifting the focus of its core business, which is its music streaming service.
"If we do things, it is to enable that service. It isn't to be in the hardware [business] selling these things," Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO, tells Recode during the recent Code Conference.
