Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

BMW Plans to Turn CarPlay Into Subscription-Based Service Next Year

I agree making CarPlay a sub isn't ideal. However, I can also see more people using it when it's only $80 instead of $300 upfront plus the first year free to get you going for nothing.

I think they're trying to get more people to use it by offering it free for a year and only $80 per year?

It seems they're taking the risk that you will only use the free year when they have to pay Apple?
 
powerbook911 said:
I agree making CarPlay a sub isn't ideal. However, I can also see more people using it when it's only $80 instead of $300 upfront plus the first year free to get you going for nothing.

I think they're trying to get more people to use it by offering it free for a year and only $80 per year?

It seems they're taking the risk that you will only use the free year when they have to pay Apple?
Click to expand...

“They’re trying to get more people to use it?” Why would they want that? Why would they care? They’re not apple.
 
I'm having a real hard time understanding the need to pay for CarPlay or Android Auto. Why would someone be required to pay one time for a CarPlay unit. Even more questionable, why would someone need to pay a yearly subscription to use CarPlay? As far as I understand it, CarPlay is essentially mirroring your iOS device. And if I'm not mistaken, you can buy an after market unit with CarPlay. So why does it make sense for someone to pay an additional fee for a car with CarPlay built in? Shouldn't the cost of the car already be established when you buy the vehicle? This is really confusing.
 
No surprise. Hell, BMW still doesn't make a simple backup camera std in all of their models. You must purchase a $700 package on the 530e, a $55,000 car, to get backup camera. At a time when even the most basic econoboxes come with this safety feature standard.

And if the AGM battery in your 5 series goes to hell in 2.5 years, that will be $500 please for a new one. Not available at the parts store either and needs to be "registered" with the car by the BMW dealership.
 
August West said:
No surprise. Hell, BMW still doesn't make a simple backup camera std in all of their models. You must purchase a $700 package on the 530e, a $55,000 car, to get backup camera. At a time when even the most basic econoboxes come with this safety feature standard.

And if the AGM battery in your 5 series goes to hell in 2.5 years, that will be $500 please for a new one. Not available at the parts store either and needs to be "registered" with the car by the BMW dealership.
Click to expand...

False, every 2018 car MUST come with a backup camera as standard. You are thinking of parking sensors, those are $700 extra.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Primejimbo
August West said:
No surprise. Hell, BMW still doesn't make a simple backup camera std in all of their models. You must purchase a $700 package on the 530e, a $55,000 car, to get backup camera. At a time when even the most basic econoboxes come with this safety feature standard.

And if the AGM battery in your 5 series goes to hell in 2.5 years, that will be $500 please for a new one. Not available at the parts store either and needs to be "registered" with the car by the BMW dealership.
Click to expand...

The battery story is what the dealers tell you, in reality you can buy direct Bosch (oem supplier with a different case) replacements for BMW's at Pep Boy's and they register the battery with installation. Half the price. Anyone can register the battery you need a sensor and an app, it's not exclusive to BMW.
 
Last edited:
What a joke this is. You could install your own CarPlay reciever into any car these days for $300. BMW knows their buyers have money and they’re trying to skim more. Hopefully no one falls for it.
 
sputnikv said:
This is a lawsuit waiting to happen
Click to expand...
On what grounds? It doesn’t sound like they have any intention of forcing people who already paid the $300 to start subscribing. It may be a poor business choice if it is really a feature a lot of people want, but I bet they ran their numbers to make sure it would work out.
 
seanmcbay said:
What a joke this is. You could install your own CarPlay reciever into any car these days for $300. BMW knows their buyers have money and they’re trying to skim more. Hopefully no one falls for it.
Click to expand...
I’m thinking of doing this when I get s new Tacoma. The only thing that won’t work is the navigation in the instrument cluster area (information area?). Now it seems harder and harder to put aftermarket radios in. I was listening to a podcast and one guy said his seat adjustments (or was it the heated seats switch?) are on his touch screen of his radio. How do you do aftermarket with that?
 
tobefirst said:
Here's my #hottake: I don't really care. I will likely never own a BMW. Their cars are fine, but I just bought a new car, and I'm guessing I don't have that many more cars in my future. And even if this spreads to other automakers, again, I probably won't own too many more cars.

CarPlay was a must have for the car I bought 6 months ago and it's good, but it's not amazing. Not as important as I thought it was before I bought the car. Nice to have, but not a necessity.
Click to expand...

This. Underwhelmed with CarPlay. I'm sorry I opted for the $300 option last month on the car I purchased. If subscription based, I would cancel it and have saved that money.
 
**** BMW. Seriously they are a ****ing cesspool of ******** charges. I own one and literally everything is engineered for them to maximize profits.

I called this week about properly re-aiming my headlights. I was quoted $172 per hour and they said it's at least a 2 hour job. Granted I have a CPO and Maintenance Warranty, but it wasn't "covered". It's actually something I can do on my own in an hour, granted it'll be my first time doing it and I'll have to setup the parameters at home. They can do it in 15 minutes.

They are not worth the maintenance hassle.
 
What a great misdirection... First, arbitrarily charge $300 for a feature, then charge $80 a year for that same feature and talk about how much cheaper and more flexible it is.

Uh, why were they charging $300 in the first place? Nobody else seems to be. $80 a year might be cheaper than $300 if you think you might not use it for more than 3 years, but how is it cheaper than free forever? Free sounds pretty flexible to me...
[doublepost=1516247479][/doublepost]
centauratlas said:
3 years * $80/year = $320.
Click to expand...
Uh...

/Applications/Calculator.app
 
  • Like
Reactions: SRLMJ23
nofear1az said:
lol, I have a 2016 CX-5, i'm really curious how you would slap an aftermarket head unit into one of these since there is no square head unit in the first place - it's just a display on the dash and a jog dial with a couple buttons by the arm rest. Not going to happen.
Click to expand...

Well, obviously it is different if you have an infotainment center. I am assuming you have the Bose system? They are so heavily integrated into your CAN bus and Bose is notorious for doing odd things like running balanced lines to an amp in the left muffler tip that powers all speakers except one. Real odd crap like that.

I was talking about if you do not have an infotainment center. I even said in an earlier post that people should just not get the infotainment center (if possible) and then install an aftermarket stereo.

:apple:
 
I have a 2017 BMW with Carplay already, I guess I won't have to pay $80/ year.
 
August West said:
No surprise. Hell, BMW still doesn't make a simple backup camera std in all of their models. You must purchase a $700 package on the 530e, a $55,000 car, to get backup camera. At a time when even the most basic econoboxes come with this safety feature standard.

And if the AGM battery in your 5 series goes to hell in 2.5 years, that will be $500 please for a new one. Not available at the parts store either and needs to be "registered" with the car by the BMW dealership.
Click to expand...

Anyway to stop you from being able to work on YOUR car yourself, and to get you into the dealership where of course it is more overpriced than if you did it or even took it to your mechanic. In the near future we basically will not be able to do anything to our cars because everything will be integrated and like you said parts will have to be registered or synced to the car.

I am still waiting for an answer if it is BMW or Mercedes-Benz that you cannot change your own oil because it has to be sucked out with a machine that only the dealer has.

:apple:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back