Chevrolet's Upcoming 2016 Volt Plug-in Hybrid Spotted With CarPlay Integration

[Small White Car]

Again, good for you. Maybe it's a game of chance?

If you type "Dulles Airport" and hit enter it shows a variety of options and, yes, the airport is not first. That limo place is.

If, however, as you're typing "Dulles Airport" you look at the auto-suggestions below, the second one is "Dulles International Airport." If you select that, it shows a single pin in the airport.

I award HobeSoundDarryl 1 point for suggesting that Apple should probably get its act together and treat "Dulles Airport" and "Dulles International Airport" as the same search.

But I also award 1 points to all of the Macrumor Posters who apparently figured out how to click the autocomplete suggestion since that really does seem to be the best option.

 

[Tech198]

Stylish... and i'm still driving my 1993 rust-bucket...

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If, however, as you're typing "Dulles Airport" you look at the auto-suggestions below, the second one is "Dulles International Airport." If you select that, it shows a single pin in the airport.

On which Apple device? On my iPad Mini, the auto-suggestions it offers is just "Dulles Airport" and "Dulles Airport Washington DC". I just tried clicking both and both pointed me to the cab company.

On the Mac (computer), it does offer more options. However, the first 2 for me both point to the taxi company. Only "Dulles Airport Virginia" got me to the right place. As I referenced in a latter reply, I first tried "Washington Airport" which did point to an airport but I caught that it was not Dulles before going to Maryland (far from Dulles). The second try was the taxi cab company. Switch to Google and try either "Dulles Airport" or "Dulles Airport Washington DC" and it gets it right either way.

Think about the international traveler or the one that doesn't know that D.C. has THREE airports considered major. And again this is just ONE example relative to "it's much better now" and "I never have an issue with Apple Maps".

Try "Reagan Airport". I just did on the iPad and it dropped the pin at "Martin Airport" near Waco, TX. Then I tried "Reagan Airport Washington DC" and another miss (pinning close to Saint Paul, MN!!!! I'm not making this up). Try "Ronald Reagan Airport Washington DC" = "No Results Found". Dropping "Washington DC" and it found the right airport. Google with the same searches: 1) got it right 2) ditto 3) ditto 4) ditto. Try it yourselves right now.

No love for Google here (I'm still trying to get a "just works" experience on all my Apple tech) but I don't think the implication of Apple fans spinning "never have any problems" means it works great. I want it to work great too. But spinning that it does doesn't mean it does. For those that genuinely never have a problem, you are either very lucky or perfectly aligned with Apple's choices of Maps search terms... or selectively forgive (and forget!) when Maps lets you down.

 

[skellener]

We all know how slow car manufacturers move as far as car features and integration goes. Understandable since car take a long time to design. Being able to use your smartphone as the navigation/media center for cars is great since you will probably keep your car much longer than your phone. So you update your phone, you get new features that you didn't have before without having to buy a new car.

So you get a car that has CarPlay. Your iPhone works perfectly with it.

My question is this, How long before Apple decides to update something on your phone that breaks your wonderful connection between your car and phone?

Oh, you don't have CarPlay 2...you'll need a new car for that feature to work. Or can the system in the car be updated as well? I'm just curious. It always seems like these things sound great, but in the end, you always wind up needing new tech because your old tech just won't work with the new stuff after awhile.

 

[Small White Car]

On which Apple device?

My iPhone and my Mac Pro both behaved in the way my post described.

I dunno

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Your ID tags you as living in Washington DC. Maybe if you use those airports regularly, your devices remember them as your own favorites. I'm from Florida so I was just visiting your city. Maybe that's the difference?

Try those Reagan airport examples I just added. I bet it works for you (if you've used Reagan or maybe because you live in D.C.). But I just manually did each of those searches on my up-to-date iOS 8 iPad Mini and posted each result. Others who don't live in/near D.C. and haven't used Dulles or Reagan could give it a try and see if it's unique to my iDevices or something that can be replicated by others. Post #17 implies it won't be just my Apple devices.

 

[happydude]

If you type "Dulles Airport" and hit enter it shows a variety of options and, yes, the airport is not first. That limo place is.

If, however, as you're typing "Dulles Airport" you look at the auto-suggestions below, the second one is "Dulles International Airport." If you select that, it shows a single pin in the airport.

I award HobeSoundDarryl 1 point for suggesting that Apple should probably get its act together and treat "Dulles Airport" and "Dulles International Airport" as the same search.

But I also award 1 points to all of the Macrumor Posters who apparently figured out how to click the autocomplete suggestion since that really does seem to be the best option.

some internet search common sense needs to come in to play for a lot of people it seems. where i live, if i type in "apple store" i get an apple orchard as the closest result. if i were to be looking for directions to go buy macbook as opposed to locally grown honeycrisp apples, i'd probably take a look at that pin and see it's in the middle of the country side, not at the nearest mall.

as with almost any map search, if you get a pin drop, click on the pin to see if it is indeed what you wanted. for most people, this is a "duh" but i guess not for all. if you're looking for something as important as an airport, you'd think a natural intuition would be to click on the pin drop and confirm that's where you are actually headed...

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

First search was "Washington Airport". I was looking for the airport near Washington. It found one. Purple with runways to feed my "common sense". But that wasn't the right airport near Washington.

I appreciate the point but I think "Dulles Airport Washington DC" is much more specific than 2 generic terms "Apple" and "Store". IMO, it's much easier to imagine a search for "Apple Store" pointing to an Apple orchard than "Dulles Airport Washington DC" pointing to a cab company. And if I'm delayed getting to the Apple store or Apple orchard, it's not as much of an issue vs.- say- missing a flight.

If I was searching for "Dulles Airport," I would certainly assume a Map would take me to an airport instead of a cab company. In that case, I could see that it lacked "purple runways." However, the first search- "Washington Airport" had them. Fortunately, I happened to know Dulles was not in Maryland but I wonder if the average traveler would always know that. Had I gone to Washington Airport, I would have probably lost about 2+ hours of total time going to the wrong purple airport and then correcting the mistake. That would probably lead to missing the flight.

 

[AustinIllini]

I didn't know they still made Volts. I never see one on the road.

GM needs a new entry level brand. Leave Chevy for trucks an vettes.

The rest is trash at the point and the badge is a problem.

 

[AlecZ]

CarPlay is worthless if you can only use Apple Maps.

Nah, I pretty much only use it, and it's fine. Maybe slightly less efficient than Waze if I'm dealing with traffic. Waze is very good but not as clean as I'd like it to be.

I gave up on Google Maps. I'd get lost in Yucca Valley if I were to use Google Maps, I'd be forced to use a Google account just to see recent destinations (seriously WTF), and my phone would charge less quickly because it's so much more power-hungry. Also, I don't know if they've fixed it, but the voice navigator used to pause so long between sentence clauses that this would happen: "In 200 feet......... " *misses turn* "........turn right".

----------

GM needs a new entry level brand. Leave Chevy for trucks an vettes.

The rest is trash at the point and the badge is a problem.

The Chevy Malibu seems good, and the Cobalt is trash. They've got a bad reputation, but they don't seem that different in most ways from Japanese cars nowadays. I normally drive a 2010 (?) Honda Accord, and it seems overrated. For one, the front wheel drive sucks. Not sure why Honda and Toyota are so obsessed with it. Chevy cars are mostly RWD.

----------

We all know how slow car manufacturers move as far as car features and integration goes. Understandable since car take a long time to design. Being able to use your smartphone as the navigation/media center for cars is great since you will probably keep your car much longer than your phone. So you update your phone, you get new features that you didn't have before without having to buy a new car.

So you get a car that has CarPlay. Your iPhone works perfectly with it.

My question is this, How long before Apple decides to update something on your phone that breaks your wonderful connection between your car and phone?

Oh, you don't have CarPlay 2...you'll need a new car for that feature to work. Or can the system in the car be updated as well? I'm just curious. It always seems like these things sound great, but in the end, you always wind up needing new tech because your old tech just won't work with the new stuff after awhile.

Apple doesn't tend to intentionally break backwards compatibility on iPhones with other devices, only they leave out forwards compatibility. Uh, I think those terms are still ambiguous. What I mean is that the latest iPhone will probably work with the oldest CarPlay, but the newest CarPlay probably won't work with an older iPhone.

Even the oldest AirPlay and AirTunes servers have worked with new devices, for example. You can still use an iPhone 6 to play music to a circa-2003 Airport Express. But you can't do AirPlay video to an ATV unless you have a fairly new device.

 

[Shaggymax]

Just got a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX installed yesterday...I updated the firmware to enable CarPlay...worked instantly. Will be testing this for the next few weeks!

 

[pcharles]

Just a few days ago, we had a very typical need for map guidance- a high school "away game" sporting event. Punched in "Inlet Grove High School, Riviera Beach, FL"

Recently in D.C., I wanted a map to Dulles Airport so I typed in Dulles Airport Washington DC.

They must have fixed the Florida one because it is working for me. As you said, the Dulles Airport does take you to Dulles Taxi, but that is probably because Dulles is in Virginia, not Washington DC. If you just type "Dulles Airport" it takes you to the right place.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

But again, the whole point of the example was offering counterpoint to several posts about how Maps works fine now and never makes errors. Try all of the searches I referenced with the benchmark (Google's Map App) and they get it right. Apple Maps misses most of the searches. Google doesn't need me to guess the perfect words or combination of words but Apple Maps does seem to need very specific wording to get it right (in this and other cases).

If I miss the flight because I went to "Washington Airport" per my common sense validating purple runways on the Map, I don't forgive Apple because of the implication (here) of user error (that I didn't choose the select search terms that will get me to the right place). Instead, I fault myself for trying to go with the default app instead of checking the more reliable maps app.

Does Google get it right every time? No. But if I had to depend on one of the other, it's easy to guess which I would choose. Unfortunately, I just keep wanting the Apple one to be as reliable... I want it to work as well... and it just keeps letting me down.

I wish someone would code a Maps app that would take a search term and plot the pins based on a number of Maps databases: show me where Google thinks it is, show me where Apple thinks it is, TomTom, Nokia, etc. That way if 4 out of 5 drops the pins in Virginia and 1 out of 5 pins the Cab Company, I'd at least know to be cautious on just trusting the default. Instead, I have to approximate that by checking a location in Apple's app and then cross-checking it in Google's app when I need to be more confident about any given location while traveling.

Or I'd be happy with just a discrepancy Maps app- show me where Apple thinks it is vs. where Google thinks it is. When both are pretty near each other, great. When there is distance between pins, let me pick the one I want to use. One step with 2 map overlays = hot app (IMO).

 

[batchtaster]

Unfortunately, I just keep wanting the Apple one to be as reliable... I want it to work as well... and it just keeps letting me down.

Did you bother to "Report a Problem"? Or are you just complaining to a bunch of people who can't do anything and hoping that Apple intuits your concern through their industry-leading clairvoyance?

 

[appleweek]

But again, the whole point of the example was offering counterpoint to several posts about how Maps works fine now and never makes errors. Try all of the searches I referenced with the benchmark (Google's Map App) and they get it right. Apple Maps misses most of the searches. Google doesn't need me to guess the perfect words or combination of words but Apple Maps does seem to need very specific wording to get it right (in this and other cases).

HobeSoundDarryl, sorry that you have to find out this way, but you're an idiot.

You're searching for the WRONG thing, and Apple Maps (rightly so) is giving you what you search for. When you searched for "dulles airport washington dc", Apple Maps is searching for a "dulles airport" in "Washington DC". But there is NOOO Dulles Airport in Washington DC! Hence you see the "Dulles Airport TAXI" which IS IN Washington DC. Dulles Airport is CORRECTLY located in the State of Virginia NOT D.C.!!

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Dulles_International_Airport
Address: Dulles, Virginia, U.S.

Don't blame Apple Maps when the USER is asking for the WRONG thing. Also, as everyone pointed out to you, if you simply search for "Dulles Airport", the FIRST result is the correct results for Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

BTW, same thing for your Reagan National Airport: It is NOT located in Washington DC!
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan_Washington_National_Airport
Location: Arlington County, Virginia

By simply omitting the "Washington DC" from your search, Apple Maps will give you the correct result for ALL 3. You are searching for physical airports IN Washington DC, of which none literally exist.

And the third "Washington DC airport" you want?
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore–Washington_International_Airport
True Location: Anne Arundel County, near Glen Burnie, Maryland

Stop making a fool of yourself already. You love Google, why not use it to find our where the airport really is.... And don't say Apple Maps has any kind of secret syntax either, because Apple correctly points you the the appropriate airport, even if similarly named airports exist.

 

[s2mikey]

This is all great until the GM, aka general malfunction vehicle crashes for unknown reasons and kills people. Why would Apple partner with the worst car company ever?

Barf.

 

[burgman]

really? i was critical of apple maps on rollout like most everyone, but haven't had an issue for quite a while now. what makes apple maps useless?

For me the realtime traffic joke on Apple maps vs Google's and lack of terrain on 2D map is enough to not use Apple's, full stop. Everything else is pretty much the same. They have fixed a lot of the melted bridges and such.

 

[awer25]

Erm, you should have a look at the map first, you know, an airport has at least 1 or more runways.
Easy to see that on a map.


(Just had a look at that airport, it has 4 runways)

The point is that it shows the wrong place when searching for popular locations. It isn't much of a consolation that you can zoom out, find the right place, drop a pin, and then navigate there. It should work right the first time.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Did you bother to "Report a Problem"? Or are you just complaining to a bunch of people who can't do anything and hoping that Apple intuits your concern through their industry-leading clairvoyance?

Have on many such issues. Don't see very many corrections. And I'm not encouraged by http://9to5mac.com/2014/12/04/apple-maps-crowdsourcing-siri-passbook-feedback/ which sounds like crowd sourced input has been ignored for some time. Thankfully, that may be finally changing per that same article.

Appleweek, this "idiot" won't even bother to reply to that load of...

 

[appleweek]

Appleweek, this "idiot" won't even bother to reply to that load of...

Hmmmm..... Let me plan a little road trip to the Grand Canyon.

Lets pop open Apple Maps and search for "Grand Canyon Florida" and expect Apple to read my mind.....

If you can search in the wrong State, why can't I?

 

[EdT]

I've posted this before, on a number of web sites, and it probably will not change any minds, but here goes:

Both I and my wife have an iPhone, and our car, a 2012 Camry has built in navigation. After the Apple Maps debacle a few years ago, my wife started using only Google Maps on her phone. After 6 months or so, I started trying Apple Maps again. Whenever we had to use an App to get directions to some location, I would use Apple Maps and she would use Google. Both usually gave both the same directions, and the few times they didn't it was either a slight difference in paths or some road change that one knew and the other didn't. Both systems had about the same number of road closed errors. A few times both systems missed a change or closure.

The biggest difference I can see is that Google Maps can and does use satellite images, which can help because you see the buildings and streets you are on. But the images probably use more data than just computer graphics, so it can cost you if you use it a lot (think a driving vacation) and you exceed your data plan.

Finally, I mentioned that we have a 2012 Camry, with the Navigation package. It also has Entune, which is Toyota's entertainment package. Entune is a joke. 6 total apps, a voice recognition system that works, at best, 1/3 of the time and all sorts of features that are locked out if you are not in park. Oh, and the navigation? Its DVD based, out of date before you even buy the car, and it costs $450 to update to a newer, still already obsolete disk. This is the map and entertainment system on Toyotas. Ford and GM were no better, although both of them have or will ditch their Microsoft based entertainment and navigation systems, OnStar and MySync. Entune is also a Microsoft based program, and despite being harder to use than IOS or Android phone, it still needs to use your phone for its wireless connection so you get to use your data trying to get your phone to recognize that you want to play a specific song or album. It's funny the first few times to see what the car thinks you said, which may or may not have ANYTHING to do with playing music.

I have tried to find out if there is an Apple Carplay stereo that I can put into our car, because the money we spent on the Nav and Stereo system was a complete waste. So far, I can't find information on stereos that fit in my car model, but if one is available, I will be installing it.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Yea Appleweek, that's just like searching for Washington area airports (something just about all other travel software can handle). Again

 

[quagmire]

The Chevy Malibu seems good, and the Cobalt is trash. They've got a bad reputation, but they don't seem that different in most ways from Japanese cars nowadays. I normally drive a 2010 (?) Honda Accord, and it seems overrated. For one, the front wheel drive sucks. Not sure why Honda and Toyota are so obsessed with it. Chevy cars are mostly RWD.

The Cobalt was trash, but has been replaced by the Chevy Cruze which isn't a bad vehicle. And most of Chevy's cars are FWD. Spark, Sonic, Cruze, Malibu, Impala, Equinox, and Traverse. Only the trucks, Tahoe/Suburban, Camaro, and 'Vette are RWD.

 

[AlecZ]

The Cobalt was trash, but has been replaced by the Chevy Cruze which isn't a bad vehicle. And most of Chevy's cars are FWD. Spark, Sonic, Cruze, Malibu, Impala, Equinox, and Traverse. Only the trucks, Tahoe/Suburban, Camaro, and 'Vette are RWD.

What?! Could have sworn they were RWD. Yeah, you're right. I still think they handle a little better than comparable Hondas and especially Toyotas.

 

[dysamoria]

I'm actually seriously against the concept of touch screens in cars. Physical controls are the only kinds of controls you can operate blind. There should be no distracting slick surfaces to force drivers to look to operate. It's rather gross negligence that this stuff is legal while states are banning use of cell phones while driving.

As a person facing the need for car replacement (because mass transit sucks in the USA, thanks to ford and GM back in the day of the rail services' prime), I'm actively avoiding any car package that has touch screens in place of physical controls for audio or anything else.

Plus, software isn't warranted and such devices are all about the software. Only hardware gets warranty in this business. Software is exempt (stupidly, and the industry has succeeded in convincing people this is acceptable). Without software, computer hardware is useless. So what's the point of such a hollow warranty? None. I want no such thing in my car.

While I'm ranting... It sucks that car packages are all monolithic these days. I know they want to minimize individual variation in models, but it's gotten ridiculous.