There are millions of vehicles on the road that are older than 2018. And just because a car has a screen and a backup camera doesn’t mean they’re CarPlay/ Android Auto enabled.
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Add Wireless CarPlay to Your Vehicle With Alpine's New 11-Inch Screen That Hovers Over the Dashboard
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Yeah, I can see how leaving it in a hot car might not be the best. Hadn't thought of that! I would hate to find myself taking my iPad out of the car all the time so it doesn't get cooked alive in the summer.
I have a 2011 Scion tC and installed a CarPlay head unit in it. Cheaper and less hassle than getting a new car, especially recently. With all the parts and accessories, I was still under two months of car payments and I didn’t have to deal with everything that comes with getting a new car.
I’m not sure about in the US, but certainly in Europe a big part of the market is motorhome conversions. People and companies buying a commercial vehicle, then converting it to a house on wheels. The conversions often cost more than the van itself, so adding another £1,000 for the infotainment is a drop in the ocean.
It is economies of scale - especially given supply chain constraints now. Automotive qualified LCDs are only a tiny fraction of LCDs made, therefore there is a price premium.
Same here. I've been really happy with my CarlinKit Wireless CarPlay Adapter. Works majority of time (a quick power cycle fixes any issues) and got it for $80 on Black Friday. Makes short trips convenient not having to plug in my phone.
Most aftermarket entertainment units usually end up looking terrible (unless you go fully custom with a new dash) since almost no manufacturers use double din sizing for their infotainment anymore.
Welcome to supply and demand. Demand is low enough for this, that they have higher costs during both manufacture and R&D. When you can create something that sells 100k+, cost can easily go down to $300, especially with low license costs and using off the shelf software. When you’re selling probably under 10,000 units with higher licensing costs and manufacturing costs, you need the higher price point.
Boy, I wish Musk would grow up and enable CarPlay in Teslas
Well, it’s not a screen, it’s a touch-enabled full AV receiver. And I certainly wouldn’t enjoy a $300 50” 4K television.
Millennials are about 27 - 42 years old now. Most started driving before push to start was a thing (especially since most teens don't get new cars). I think your coworker might just be an idiot.
Actually, the pure supply/demand relationship is the opposite. When demand is low, it exerts downward pressure on prices because vendors adjust to stimulate more demand. A vendor choosing to keep prices high are responding to other market dynamics.
They should have said economies of scale. It costs more per unit to produce 1 of something as opposed to 100 of something.
I'd rather hot glue a used iPad to my dash than spend that kind of money. 
This is probably built and sold in a tiny number of units compared to that 50" TV. The only reason that TV can be so cheap is that it is sold in massive numbers. And they may be making money on the side by selling your usage data.
As far as target markets, that would be me. I have a 5 year old 4Runner that came with a horrid factory system.
Currently I have a Kenwood system in it that sucks, gives me CarPlay, but reboots itself every 5 to 10 hours of use. And between it or the Maestro only picks up the reverse lamp signal about 1 in 20 times I actually go in revers.
A much bigger screen would be nice. And consider I plan on owning this trickster for another 5 years, I'll probably get either the 11 or 9" version of this puppy.
This unit strikes me as a little expensive.
But to those not understanding the market: there's a HUGE market! For me personally, I put an aftermarket Pioneer unit with wireless CarPlay into my 2017 Subaru WRX. I bought it new, but I always hated the stereo. One reason I chose Subaru was because they make it pretty easy to fit an aftermarket unit though, so I knew I'd be able to upgrade to better tech when I was ready. No reason to replace a whole car just because one component sucks. Plus, it was a lot of fun bothering the sales guys trying to get me to trade up — "does the 2019 WRX have wireless CarPlay? No? My 2017 does..."
That said, here's another segment that's missed: ever use CarPlay in a newerGM Stellantis / Chrysler vehicle? It SUCKS. They crippled it to the point that it's less usable and I'd even argue unsafe. Just because a newer car has CarPlay standard doesn't mean it's a good implementation and doesn't mean it's wireless. I'd think MOST cars on the road in the US could benefit from aftermarket units like this, factory CarPlay or not.
Will also say: I'll pass on anything with an incredibly proprietary head unit. Volvo, BMW, Tesla, Honda, etc. No thanks. What're you gonna do with that Tesla in 10 years when the factory head unit is slower than molasses and the main battery gives out? My Subaru will still be going strong with aftermarket electronics and regular maintenance...
EDIT: Said GM. Meant Chrysler, which is now Stellantis.
But to those not understanding the market: there's a HUGE market! For me personally, I put an aftermarket Pioneer unit with wireless CarPlay into my 2017 Subaru WRX. I bought it new, but I always hated the stereo. One reason I chose Subaru was because they make it pretty easy to fit an aftermarket unit though, so I knew I'd be able to upgrade to better tech when I was ready. No reason to replace a whole car just because one component sucks. Plus, it was a lot of fun bothering the sales guys trying to get me to trade up — "does the 2019 WRX have wireless CarPlay? No? My 2017 does..."
That said, here's another segment that's missed: ever use CarPlay in a newer
Will also say: I'll pass on anything with an incredibly proprietary head unit. Volvo, BMW, Tesla, Honda, etc. No thanks. What're you gonna do with that Tesla in 10 years when the factory head unit is slower than molasses and the main battery gives out? My Subaru will still be going strong with aftermarket electronics and regular maintenance...
EDIT: Said GM. Meant Chrysler, which is now Stellantis.
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Through the Maestro they have access to the ODB and CanBuses, depending on the car and head unit you can do a lot.
I know with Kenwood decks and several automakers you can control HVAC and so on. List ODB codes and all that as well. On my 4Runner and the Kenwood I have right now I can setup car defaults, like holding down the unlock button on the remote control causes the windows to roll down.
Yeah, I'm not even interested in these products anymore. Too pricey, too crappy. 720p screen for 11"? That's going to look terrible! I just use a wireless charging mount for my iPhone Pro connected through BT and use Siri to do stuff. Works fine. Since working from home became permanent I don't drive much anyway. We sold our second car because it was never getting used and the battery kept dying.
People spending more than their cars value on stereo equipment have existed since time immemorial, and I don't think they've disappeared yet. People lose more than $1000 driving their new car off the dealer's lot before depreciation is even considered (destination charge). Who's to say what's actually a better use of that cash? Built in stereos have improved and aftermarket stereos have gotten harder to install, so the market has certainly shrunk, but unless you know Alpine's sales targets for this model (or the sales figures for their current high end models), it's really hard to call it DOA.
Yup, head units on cars varies A LOT, my wife has a last generation VW AllTrack, and I am shocked at how well VW did the CarPlay on that generation of their head unit.
Seriously shocked. The only complaint I have with the entertainment system is the lack of a pause button.
With that said, the system has a scroll wheel that allows you to scroll through all of the buttons on the current screen, and you can press it to press the button that has the "cursor" focus.
For apps like Castro, it is awesome for hitting the button you want without really focusing on the screen.
2 big thumbs up for that!
Average consumers have never been the target customers for aftermarket electronics. Car electronics have always been pricey upscale items. When I looked at adding CarPlay a few years ago, all the solutions were $$$$. But there’s a small group of people (mostly men, I think) who love their cars and want to buy them expensive presents.
I wonder how easy this is to detach? It looks like bait for smash-and-grab thieves. Like the old car phones.
Agree, with the exception that CarPlay brings in new utility. The ability to put your dang maps on the touch screen in front of your right hand (or left hand, country dependent) is huge!
That is why my wife's old GTI got the upgrade. CarPlay is great for music, podcasts, and the fore mentioned maps!