I think Toyota is sticking with it's Entune platform. You might be in for a long wait.
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CarPlay Helping Some GM Dealers Close Deals on New Vehicles
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I think Toyota is sticking with it's Entune platform. You might be in for a long wait.
Porsche doesn't because of privacy issues with Android Auto.
Most of that is not true based on my experience. I purchased and aftermarket head unit and didn't have to get a new antenna. Still had the controls on my steering wheel, Bluetooth, etc...and that was in 2008....
That's a bummer. I'm pretty interested in the new Volt. Keep us updated on your experiences.
The Volt is great -- well worth it even with the buggy CarPlay. But again -- I don't mind the bugs in large part because Apple Maps is so much worse than Google that we tend to use the phone stand-alone with Google Maps rather than use Apple. In order of importance, relative to Google, Apple Maps:
- often doesn't offer the best route (based on prior experience)
- makes many more mistakes in finding (or failing to find) destinations
- has poor and older traffic info, and rarely or never updates its route based on changing traffic conditions
- doesn't give lane guidance for complicated intersections
- has a less-readable maps (all cross streets are in low-contrast gray with street names that obscure the map)
- has worse timing in announcing upcoming turns
Given all this, and that maps are 90% of what we would use CarPlay for, that's why I'm going to try to set up Android Auto when it appears, even apart from the bugs issue. But the car is awesome! Silent, fast, well-designed, and pure EV for everything but road trips. Terrible rear visibility, but that's the only serious drawback.
And for my money, (a) Apple is more likely to blame than GM for the bugs, since CarPlay is mainly just screen mirroring; and (b) even if it's GM's fault, Apple should have worked with them to get the bugs out before allowing their name on the product. These aren't subtle bugs, after all. Android is delayed until March, presumably to work the bugs out, which Apple should have done as well.
I looked at it for my wife's 2012 Beetle, and she would lose the heads-up display functionality, navigation, Sirius, native Bluetooth (though the Pioneer unit had it's own Bluetooth, but wouldn't use the car's built-in mic), and would have to run a new Sirius antenna if she wanted to pony up the $200 for the optional Sirius module for the Pioneer headunit that already costs north of $600. The steering wheel controls would work, but only if we bought yet another optional module. Navi is possible, but you'll have to run a new antenna and buy yet another module for the Pioneer head unit. All of a sudden this $600 new head unit with CarPlay is costing almost $2k after all the modules and installation, plus the extra antennas and mics in/on the car, plus the lost functionality.
Maybe that's only true with VW/German cars...I don't know.
I don't think you would lose all the stuff you mentioned. There are adapters that could still feed the info to the HUD, and other factory things.
I am positive, but it would be worth checking out.
BTW, I just bought a Pioneer App Radio4 head unit with Carplay shipped for $364. So, this won't be a cheap addition, but it probably will not come close to $2k if you want Carplay.
That might be the case for Mac Rumor members, but this is a tech forum and not an automotive enthusiast forum.
That said, I think the "bells and whistles" have been closing deals on car sales for a while. This is just the latest one.
I am sure there were people 20 years ago saying their next car had to have a CD player.
I still find it hard to believe Apple would involve themselves with such a complicated, intensive endeavor that developing and building this car would entail. I wish them good luck if they're actually doing it.
Really? The most complicated part of any car is the computer inside it. Add to this the fact that an Apple car is highly unlikely to be using an internal combustion engine and you've got a much simpler design from the start. Electric motors not only last longer, but they have no need for transmissions, belts, hoses, air filters, oil filters, oil, carburetors or fuel injection systems, exhaust pipes, mufflers, catalytic converters, etc.
The design of an Apple car would likely be more about software than anything else, just as it was with the original iPhone. I'm not saying this would be a trivial endeavor, but it's not as large a leap as some believe.
We recently bought a car and, wile we were shopping, the salespeople were always jumping right into the cameras, the bluetooth, the voice activcated features, etc.
Not once did they even bring up MPG, SAFETY, reliability, service, etc. This was true fro Toyota, KIA, Nissan and Honda (though the Kia Honda was one big dealer, to be fair).
I said what I said based on my experience. Never have I bought a car where the entertainment package was front and center of the sales pitch. While I don't think you are wrong that people "had to have CD players" 20 years ago, people obviously care more about the creature comforts inside the car (likely because there are many more available) than they ever did in the past.
Maybe I am old fashioned. What I NEED in a car is reliability, not getting stuck in the snow, and being able to easily get my kid in and out. All that other stuff is relatively cheap to add. Doesn't make sense to me to choose a car based on carplay when I can add it myself for $500.
Absolutely! The proprietary system Cadillac had in my CTS Coupe was awful. Sometimes it even glitched so it would crash on startup and leave you with a blank screen and non-functional system until you shut off the ignition and restarted the car. Really classy ..... not.
The "high end" navigation/stereo in my 2014 Jeep Wrangler is pathetic too. Cost over $2,000 and for what? A UI that looks like it was designed in the late 80's or very early 90's at best, and completely unable to properly look up addresses or locations by voice command, despite that being a key feature of the unit. (They lock out using the touchpad while driving so you're supposed to enter navigation info by voice.) It can't even handle playback of some bitrates/compression settings of MP3 files without abruptly chopping off the ends of the songs.
The "high end" navigation/stereo in my 2014 Jeep Wrangler is pathetic too. Cost over $2,000 and for what? A UI that looks like it was designed in the late 80's or very early 90's at best, and completely unable to properly look up addresses or locations by voice command, despite that being a key feature of the unit. (They lock out using the touchpad while driving so you're supposed to enter navigation info by voice.) It can't even handle playback of some bitrates/compression settings of MP3 files without abruptly chopping off the ends of the songs.
I doubt it will change anything, really? I remember witnessing accidents as far back as the 1970's where someone was looking at their AM radio and not paying attention to a light changing in front of them. If you're going to put ANYTHING in a car that makes you look down from the windshield, you're going to increase the chance of accidents. That's why the best UIs for cars and trucks are ones that take the least time to adjust whatever setting the driver wants to adjust, OR lets him/her do it without looking (voice commands, for example).
CarPlay made its wider debut in a range of 2016 vehicles from over a dozen U.S. carmakers this month, including General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and others, and Apple's in-dash software appears to be paying early dividends for at least one of those major auto manufacturers.
General Motors said it has "anecdotal evidence" that CarPlay, available in over two dozen 2016 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC models, is helping sell new vehicles to customers, according to The Wall Street Journal. A pair of GM dealers confirmed CarPlay is "helping to close the deal" on purchases.GM experienced sales growth during October and November, but the spurt cannot decisively be attributed to CarPlay. At the very least, GM's early adoption of CarPlay is helping draw some customers away from automakers that have yet to commit to the software platform, including the world's best-selling automaker Toyota.Chevrolet supports CarPlay on all vehicles with 7-inch or 8-inch MyLink screens, including the 2016 Camaro, Colorado, Corvette Z06, Corvette Stingray, Cruze, Impala, Malibu, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500HD, Silverado 3500HD, Suburban, Tahoe and Volt. Our list of 2016 U.S. CarPlay vehicles covers Buick, Cadillac and GMC models.
Article Link: CarPlay Helping Some GM Dealers Close Deals on New Vehicles
"General Motors said it has "anecdotal evidence" that CarPlay, available in over two dozen 2016 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC models, is helping sell new vehicles to customers."
Oh right!
"anecdotal evidence"?
That's a stretch for sure.
Anything that GM can do to crawl into the sun for attention, like linking themselves to Apple they'll do.
Just wait till innocent young buyers sign the contract buying a Chevy with no clue how bad, how sketchy GM safety and reliability is.
Oh right!
"anecdotal evidence"?
That's a stretch for sure.
Anything that GM can do to crawl into the sun for attention, like linking themselves to Apple they'll do.
Just wait till innocent young buyers sign the contract buying a Chevy with no clue how bad, how sketchy GM safety and reliability is.
I've got a 10 year old car that I've installed 3 radios in over the years to get new features. Original was CD and radio only. First upgrade added an FM transmitter so I could play my IPOD shuffle. Then a head unit with remote and control over IPOD. Last upgrade was a Pioneer with SIRI eyes free and Bluetooth. I'm old and can remember when cars were unreliable and started to fall apart and rust after 2 years. Today, most cars are pretty reliable and they all have A/C and power windows/locks which were luxury features in the past. With the car part being fairly consistent, it's the features that are counting more and more. I stumbled on CARPLAY at a VW dealer and decided the next car has to have it. I then started to search around and see the newly redesigned 2016 CIVIC has it in the EX and it looks great. I like being able to plug in the phone and see an interface that I recognize. I'm tired of different interfaces - something common is very nice for these old eyes. I think as radios are updated they will support both Carplay and Android Auto. That's the way to go. IT will be nice when I can rent a car and the audio interface will be standard across all of them!
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I always thought rope with any smart phone would want Aaple Car Play or Android Auto just so they would have up to date maps that traditional car dealers would charge extra for your first born to get up todate maps.
Plus truthfully how many people with in car maps are those maps out to date when you first drive your new car off the lot?
Plus truthfully how many people with in car maps are those maps out to date when you first drive your new car off the lot?