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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Last month, Chevrolet announced that its 2013 Sonic and Spark had become the first cars to offer support for Siri's "Eyes Free" mode. The feature integrates Apple's personal assistant with the vehicle's entertainment system, allowing the driver to access information while keeping his or her eyes on the road.

chevy_sonic_siri_ad.jpg
Chevrolet has now begun a national advertising campaign touting the feature on the 2013 Sonic, launching a new television ad called "Buttons".

iSpot.tv founder and CEO Sean Muller tells us that the ad first aired last Thursday on VH1's morning Jump Start block, with the site's tracking showing that the ad has already aired 82 times on national TV networks.

Chevrolet is not the only company to be making plans to support Siri's Eyes Free mode, with Honda working to roll out the feature to the Accord as well as the Acura RDX and ILX. Hyundai has also publicly stated that it will be bringing Eyes Free support to some of its vehicles, while Apple also highlighted partnerships with BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, and Chrysler at its introduction of the feature alongside iOS 6.

Article Link: Chevrolet Promoting Siri 'Eyes Free' Integration for 2013 Sonic in New TV Ad
 

Klae17

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2011
1,226
1,576
Good to see someone pushing this useless feature. I put my phone face down in my crotch and wait for the phone calls to come.

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Slooooow day I see.

Write an article and submit it then.
 

OafTobark

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2011
349
94
Good to see someone pushing this useless feature. I put my phone face down in my crotch and wait for the phone calls to come.

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Write an article and submit it then.

Brilliant idea! Gold star for you.
 

eekcat

macrumors 65816
Apr 5, 2010
1,021
211
A lot of cars already have this functionality, no? For mine, I just press down on the phone's home button and Siri comes on and works through the car's speakers and microphone. What's the difference here, the steering wheel button?
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,666
5,879
A lot of cars already have this functionality, no? For mine, I just press down on the phone's home button and Siri comes on and works through the car's speakers and microphone. What's the difference here, the steering wheel button?

likewise.
 

Madmic23

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2004
892
972
Is there any technical reason why my 2011 GMC with Bluetooth integration couldn't be upgraded to be Siri compatible? I've had "software updates" applied before when taking my vehicle in for service.

However, I'm sure the feature won't be coming to older models.
 

BornAgainMac

macrumors 604
Feb 4, 2004
7,275
5,212
Florida Resident
A lot of cars already have this functionality, no? For mine, I just press down on the phone's home button and Siri comes on and works through the car's speakers and microphone. What's the difference here, the steering wheel button?

Mine works the same way. I am guessing it is the steering wheel button.
 

Yvan256

macrumors 603
Jul 5, 2004
5,080
991
Canada
A lot of cars already have this functionality, no? For mine, I just press down on the phone's home button and Siri comes on and works through the car's speakers and microphone. What's the difference here, the steering wheel button?

You can't understand the difference between these two scenarios?

- Using your two hands to drive, Siri button on the steering wheel.

- Having to look away from the road in front of you while driving to locate your iPhone, pick it up with one hand and then press the home button while still driving with only one hand, then having to put the iPhone back somewhere else after you're done.

edit: sorry, I totally misread that. But it still applies for those without iPhone integration AND without an iPhone holder (on the dashboard or something).

But yeah, you're right in that it's just a home button on the steering wheel.
 

Meandmunch

macrumors 6502
Jan 3, 2002
496
143
I am curious to know what this does for Apple from a marketing standpoint. Does this help you sell phones? Is Siri considered a piece of software now? Is there essentially an iPhone built into the cars computer? Do you even need an iPhone, you barely see one sticking out of the center council.

All this does is confuse.
 

bearda

macrumors 6502a
Dec 2, 2005
502
175
Roanoke, VA
A lot of cars already have this functionality, no? For mine, I just press down on the phone's home button and Siri comes on and works through the car's speakers and microphone. What's the difference here, the steering wheel button?

2 differences:
- Steering wheel button, so you don't have to touch the phone.
- All the results come via voice, so you don't have to look at the phone.

Not a big deal, but it's nice to have. Not going to sell any cars specifically for the feature, but if it reduces the number of people reaching for the phones while driving I'm happy.

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must be plugged into cable? Chevy FAIL.

No, it'll do it over Bluetooth on my wife's Sonic.
 

rei101

macrumors 6502a
Dec 24, 2011
976
1
Siri is not reliable at all for driving. It will make you more frustrated, probably collaborating to road rage.
 

kemal

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2001
1,821
2,174
Nebraska
2+ hours in a car on a highway where the driver had one hand on the wheel and the other on an iPhone. Siri worked for her. Wished she had both hands on the wheel tho.
 

ep2002

macrumors member
Jul 16, 2008
41
25
Does anyone else see a strong resemblance between this Chevy commercial and all the Progressive Auto Insurance ones?
Not much thought went into this I guess...
 

bearda

macrumors 6502a
Dec 2, 2005
502
175
Roanoke, VA
I am curious to know what this does for Apple from a marketing standpoint. Does this help you sell phones? Is Siri considered a piece of software now? Is there essentially an iPhone built into the cars computer? Do you even need an iPhone, you barely see one sticking out of the center council.

All this does is confuse.

Honestly I think it's a liability reduction more than anything else. It's hard to pimp Siri for all it's worth and say it's great for use in the car when it pops up dialogs and confirmations on the screen. Now they can say that it's not a distraction.

The car itself does very little, it just activates Siri on the phone and connects the mic up. The BlueAnt gizmo I've had attached to the sun visor of my Mazda3 forever and a day can do almost the same thing. There I have to hold the call button for a few seconds and the phone still displays most of the results onscreen, though.

On a side note it works pretty well for activating Google Now on my Nexus 4 as well.
 
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