Early Apple CarPlay Reviews Cite Ease of Use, Excellent Siri Voice Integration

[rcouter]

What about my backup camera?

So let's say I was to purchase one of the 3rd party CarPlay head units, would it still display my backup camera? All of the environmental controls also appear to integrated into my "Entertainment Unit". Would I lose functionality?

 

[winston1236]

Ok I know what you're talking about now, but I incorrectly assumed you were saying one needed to cut up factory wiring. For all intents and purposes, I consider even the pig tailed Scosche adapters to be plug and play simply because the wire colors are standardized and all you need is butt connectors. I guess it's splicing technically, but hell it's so second nature to me I don't consider it work, you know?

I don't know where the true plug and play adapters can be had. Crutchfield maybe. I can imagine they won't be cheap though, would be best just to get the Scosche adapter and wire it up. Too easy.

Yea they really didn't cost much either, I think they were like 25 bucks for both back then. Oh well, I agree that now pig tailed adapters are the way to go.

 

[koigirl]

At least Apple Maps is now literally being updated every single day with corrections, I find Apple Maps to be pretty solid for me

The other day, Google Maps (my go-to navigator) guided me to a completely wrong location in Chapel Hill. I was lost on a dead-end road. I then switched to Apple Maps and it took me straight to my correct destination. I may have to rethink my mapping allegiance....

 

[aajeevlin]

Actually...just click overview and you can zoom in and out wherever you want during travel. I keep it there for road trips but snap it back to street view when I'm in cities.

I see thanks for the advice. Will give it a try.

 

[stesch]

Android Auto is lost

In my car is one place I don't want Google Maps tracking my every move.

So glad this uses Apple Maps.

This may be useful for you: http://www.android.com/auto/

In the photo on the main page http://www.android.com/new/images/banners/auto1-2200.jpg, Android Auto shows the car in Golden Gate Park in SF, which is not where those people are.

 

[ipedro]

CarPlay App on iOS

It's too bad Apple doesn't simply release a CarPlay app that would do all of this without needing an expensive car stereo. More and more people are using car sharing in cities and so don't own cars or have time to set it up with a short term rental. Wouldn't it be cool if you could simply pin your iPhone to the dashboard with one of the many holders on the market, launch the CarPlay app and have it on your iPhone screen?

 

[darkslide29]

The other day, Google Maps (my go-to navigator) guided me to a completely wrong location in Chapel Hill. I was lost on a dead-end road. I then switched to Apple Maps and it took me straight to my correct destination. I may have to rethink my mapping allegiance....

lol, you got scroogled.

 

[Macboy Pro]

Siri better get a lot smarter and fast!

The dictation recognition in iOS 8 is near perfect. I am very happy with it.

 

[lincolntran]

Too bad CarPlay doesn't work at all...

Proof?

 

[fithian]

That doesn't make alot of since to me. Why would I want my car nav's system to require that I use a certain phone?

Next we will have android or iOS cars?

If my next car does not fully support my iPhone, I won't buy that car. Simple.

 

[scr1968]

So let's say I was to purchase one of the 3rd party CarPlay head units, would it still display my backup camera? All of the environmental controls also appear to integrated into my "Entertainment Unit". Would I lose functionality?

The answer is "Maybe"

I am sure it is technically possible but there might be a cost to it integrating with a stock backup camera.

I installed my 4000NEX into a car that had an existing NAV system that was having issues. The NAV screen also doubled as my backup camera. When I had my NEX installed my installer said he could probably repurpose my existing backup camera BUT it would be likely cheaper to go with a license plate mounted one which is what I ultimately ended up doing. The after marker backup camera is much nicer that the one that came with my car.

 

[RooooG]

I would much rather use a mounted iPhone than Carplay.

1. Non-retina displays look disgusting
2. The Carplay interface looks laggy as hell compared to a snappy iPhone. It feels like you're using Android.
3. You're limited to Carplay enabled navigation apps, whereas the iPhone can use any app you want, like Waze.
4. Even if you're okay with using Apple Maps via Carplay, the non-retina display and laggy interface would make it awful to use.
5. Can you call w/ Facetime Audio on Carplay? It seems like the calls are all normal audio, which sounds awful compared to FT audio.

The display and user interface response are part of the implementation, and Apple has only specified the way that the head unit will interface with the phone.

This is simply passing H.264 video output from the phone onto the display and sending/receiving control between the two.

So, you can have CarPlay with a crappy screen and an under-powered application processor running unoptimized software, or you can have CarPlay running with a magnificent screen and a processor that's just overkill. Sure, there may be lag on the iPhone side, but *you don't know that.*

The main thing is that this is a 3rd party device that wasn't designed at birth to handle this...maybe there was some forethought but it's very possible that they're stretching the ability of the hardware here.

Or maybe the iPhone is struggling to keep up, and that is also possible, but that remains to be seen. The point is that you will see different implementations of this same interface, and some are going to be better than others.

 

[Parasprite]

The intention is to have the numbers as close to the driver as possible to avoid distraction. Centered might look prettier, but would be far more difficult to operate whilst driving.

Funny that the steering wheel looks to be on the right then, eh?

 

[thatisme]

I have the AVIC-5000NEX in my wife's Sienna, and we updated the firmware last night, and I have to say that the carplay experience is very nice. It's very responsive, and uses the screen pretty well. There are, however, a few things that are drawbacks:

• Using the Maps application, the directions take too much space on the screen. I would prefer more realestate to be allocated to the Map.
• Moving from one screen to the next is not as intuitive as I would have expected. This may just take some time, but it doesn't have the overall Apple polish to it
• Must have the phone plugged in to use carplay. Would be nice if there was a way for them to drive this tech with bluetooth only
• Album art is not easily seen. It presents behind the song controls, and at the angle the Pioneer HU is mounted in the car, the album art gets washed out and is not recognizable due to the viewing angle.

Controls are responsive, map is fluid. It's integration with the music app on the phone is top notch, and it does allow direct access to iTunes radio.

 

[xanadeath]

Funny that the steering wheel looks to be on the right then, eh?

Image

I believe there is a setting in the NEX settings menu to change CarPlay from left drive to right drive. I may be wrong on the effect that changing that setting will have though. If it does work though, post a pic showing the interface switched around... I'm curious to see exactly what it would look like!

 

[sentiblue]

Device/Vehicle Compatibility List?

I am particularly interested in the aftermarket devices because I won't be able to buy a new car with integrated support for CarPlay....

So my question is ... for the Pioneer devices, is there a list of compatibility between the devices and vehicles?

My car is old and I'm looking to buy something like a 2010 Civic/Accord/Camry... It would be nice to know ahead so that I can choose the car ....

Anybody knows?

 

[Toccata81]

No album art. No thanks.

The "Now Playing" display only shows text and a giant pause button. No album art. This is what I found from seeing the demos on YouTube. I'm not interested.

I just want a car stereo that prominently displays album art from mp3s read from a USB stick, similar to how Front Row/Apple TV displays music. Are there any products that do that? Maybe Apple will satisfy this in an update.

 

[xanadeath]

I am particularly interested in the aftermarket devices because I won't be able to buy a new car with integrated support for CarPlay....

So my question is ... for the Pioneer devices, is there a list of compatibility between the devices and vehicles?

My car is old and I'm looking to buy something like a 2010 Civic/Accord/Camry... It would be nice to know ahead so that I can choose the car ....

Anybody knows?

I would recommend talking with your local car audio shop regarding your options for installing double din stereo units on specific models of cars. If you want to get a vague idea when you're car shopping, take a look around google for a "double din dash kit" for your specific model year, make, and model of car. With newer cars, chances are that in order to install any kind of aftermarket unit some modification is going to be required. When searching for a double din kit for a 2010 Civic, for example, I came across this:

http://www.carid.com/2010-honda-civic-stereo-installation/metra-stereo-dash-kit-4479572.html

I have a Metra kit installed in my car and it looks factory OEM. Matches exactly and it's high quality. You can search all dash kits made by any company here by make, model, and year:

http://www.carid.com/stereo-installation.html

I use this is my 2005 Accord Coupe and it's fantastic:

http://metraonline.com/part/99-7803G

 

[thatisme]

The "Now Playing" display only shows text and a giant pause button. No album art. This is what I found from seeing the demos on YouTube. I'm not interested.

I just want a car stereo that prominently displays album art from mp3s read from a USB stick, similar to how Front Row/Apple TV displays music. Are there any products that do that? Maybe Apple will satisfy this in an update.

Album art is there, but it's masked by transparent gray, and depending on your viewing angle, you may not even see it... but it IS there.

----------

I am particularly interested in the aftermarket devices because I won't be able to buy a new car with integrated support for CarPlay....

So my question is ... for the Pioneer devices, is there a list of compatibility between the devices and vehicles?

My car is old and I'm looking to buy something like a 2010 Civic/Accord/Camry... It would be nice to know ahead so that I can choose the car ....

Anybody knows?

Crutchfield.com has a guide. Plug in your car model, and they will tell you if the stereo will fit.

 

[grahamwright1]

I am particularly interested in the aftermarket devices because I won't be able to buy a new car with integrated support for CarPlay....

So my question is ... for the Pioneer devices, is there a list of compatibility between the devices and vehicles?

My car is old and I'm looking to buy something like a 2010 Civic/Accord/Camry... It would be nice to know ahead so that I can choose the car ....

Anybody knows?

Third party stereo's like the Panasonic are not designed to be compatible with a few specific models - they come in industry stars sizes (1 DIN and 2 DIN) and their 2 DIN units are compatible with any vehicle that uses 12 volts and has a 2 DIN space on the dashboard.

Some cars only have space for a 1 DIN stereo unit, and in that case the replacement stereo must be a 1 DIN format unit. You can also install a 1 DIN stereo into a 2 DIN space through the use of third-party plastic adapters, leaving you with a space for glasses, keys, coins, etc.

Many car companies have a 2 DIN space, but use shaped plastic cover panels to hide much of the stereo unit. For some cars you will purchase a 'face plate' or plastic adapter that mimics the lines of the car' supplied plastic panel.

Simply do a Google search on your model and year with 'stereo upgrade' appended and you will see lots of people talking about what they have installed, whether a specific wiring harness adapter was required, and whether a custom face plate was required. There are lots of sources for these parts, and Crutchfield is a great place to start your research.

Upgrading your stereo generally means upgrading your factory speakers, and the process is the same - research your car model and year with 'replace speakers' appended and you will get lots of URL's to video's that show you how to remove the door panels and get at the speakers. If this scares you, many local stereo stores can provide installation assistance.

 

[bbplayer5]

Too bad it uses Apple Maps...

Are they still that bad???

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

I've always found Siri to be virtually unusable in my car, as it uses my car's bluetooth hands-free system which has one microphone with no noise cancellation. The hands-free aspect of CarPlay almost mandates a quiet car (don't try this in a Jeep Wrangler).

 

[Pan321]

Siri is NOT less distracting ...

Personally I find Siri MUCH more distracting to use in the car than just texting. You have to not just think about what to say ... with Siri you have to also think about how you need to say it in a way that Siri will understand.

This for me is much worse at the end of the day than just texting it. Until the speech recognition becomes almost perfect ... it is worse than nothing at all.

It seems to work for me in a totally controlled environment. Sitting alone at my desk with the door shut and no ambient noise. At which point you don't really need it.


I worry about Siri for Apple TV for that reason.

 

[robjulo]

I assume you didn't try to zoom in quickly on the map to see where you were going or scroll ahead to see where it was taking you then.

The interface still needs work. The stupid rotation and "overview" rather than a basic scroll function is a mind boggling dumb design decision.

Apple Maps is way better now. I used it on a trip across the country recently and it was perfect.

 

[xanadeath]

Personally I find Siri MUCH more distracting to use in the car than just texting. You have to not just think about what to say ... with Siri you have to also think about how you need to say it in a way that Siri will understand.

This for me is much worse at the end of the day than just texting it. Until the speech recognition becomes almost perfect ... it is worse than nothing at all.

It seems to work for me in a totally controlled environment. Sitting alone at my desk with the door shut and no ambient noise. At which point you don't really need it.


I worry about Siri for Apple TV for that reason.

I have never had this problem with Siri. I just talk... I don't need to "think about how I need to say something." Let's pretend I'm driving.

*Holds steering wheel button*

Siri: "ding ding"
Me: "I'd like to send a message"
Siri: "Alright, to whom shall I send it"
Me: "person's name"
Siri: "What would you like to say to person's name"
Me: "Hello I am sending a text message via Siri"
Siri: "Your message says......." she reads message ... "Would you like to send it?"
Me: "Yes"
Siri: "Alright, I'll send it"

This is as intuitive as any normal conversation. You can also just ask her to tell someone you'll be late or say "tell *whoever* *whatever*." It's pretty intuitive. This is WAYYYYYYYY WAYYYYYYY less distracting than picking up my ****ing phone and typing on it lmfao.