Pioneer Talks CarPlay: Working with Apple, Pricing, and the Future

[jayducharme]

Why not just put a retina iPad mini in the centre console, and use Siri for voice commands. An iPhone could also be used as a wireless hotspot while driving for the iPad.

Not to mention an iPad Mini would be a heck of a lot cheaper. As long as you already have an amp with USB connectivity, that setup could work fine.

I'm not sure why there's an obsession with getting WiFi connectivity to work. Wouldn't Bluetooth accomplish the same thing? I have a Bluetooth stereo in my current car and it works fine with my iPhone (though its interface sucks).

 

[melbri]

Not to mention an iPad Mini would be a heck of a lot cheaper. As long as you already have an amp with USB connectivity, that setup could work fine.

I'm not sure why there's an obsession with getting WiFi connectivity to work. Wouldn't Bluetooth accomplish the same thing? I have a Bluetooth stereo in my current car and it works fine with my iPhone (though its interface sucks).

As long as there is something to allow iPad to connect to radio, GPS, DVD player, rear seat monitor and anything else head units do, then an iPad would be great. I want these things and i do not want to pay for cellular air time or piggy back off my iPhone. If your ok not having the above mentioned functionallity, then an iPad is the way to go and there are numerous sites on the internet that show you how to do it.

 

[poppe]

I get that it can't be the cheapest, but how is what's basically a glorified iPhone mirror more expensive than the top-end iPhone??

You mean $649, 749, and 849 for an unlocked iPhone and the NEX systems start at 700 and range to 1400 and include a whole lot more hardware.

 

[melbri]

You mean $649, 749, and 849 for an unlocked iPhone and the NEX systems start at 700 and range to 1400 and include a whole lot more hardware.

Agreed, it is much more than an iPhone. CarPlay is just an App on the NEX unit, it is not just mirroring.

 

[brendu]

Okay I love apple but this interface looks ugly as sin

Car companies should be allowed to skin the icons or do something

Ugh so ugly

I completely disagree. These things need to be extremely simple and clean and most of all consistent across devices and car models. When driving, the last thing you should be doing is fumbling around looking at a screen. By making is so simple and forcing all manufacturers to adopt the same deisgn it means whatever car I get into that has CarPlay, I get the same experience and can focus on driving rather than searching on a screen. Imagine renting a car and being told it has CarPlay which you may have in your car and then you go to use it and it looks completely different. That would suck and push people away from using it IMO.

 

[Menel]

Lower cost systems will be coming in the future.

Pioneer just shoehorned it into their Navigation Systems because they had the capability to. Carplay is just a little bonus unexpected icing on the cake on top of what they already offered.

 

[LastQuadrant]

Does Apple get any kind of royalty or money from each car sold with Carplay? If so, does anyone know how much Apple gets? It would be nice to know.

 

[b-dogg]

Why not just put a retina iPad mini in the centre console, and use Siri for voice commands. An iPhone could also be used as a wireless hotspot while driving for the iPad.

Getting this job done on my car next week! This is one they did last week on the same car as my one.
You need a cellular capable ipad mini though as there is no gps chip on the non-cellular model and hence no ability to use google maps or apple maps. You can put a separate SIM into the ipad or use your phone as a hotspot if you don't want to fork out on another data plan.

Carplay has the slight advantage over this as it has phone integration. I'll sit Carplay aftermarket out for 12-24 months and see how the bugs play out (if any) with pioneer and alpine. I'd imagine it may take a while for the 3rd party equipment people to get the units up to spec / firmware bugs squashed.

 

[Iconoclysm]

I get that it can't be the cheapest, but how is what's basically a glorified iPhone mirror more expensive than the top-end iPhone??

These stereos are more expensive than a top end iPhone even without carplay.

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And stick the WiFi radio where? Obvious answer of being directly inside the unit is going to lead to very poor performance because of all the metal around it.

And the obvious answer to that is using an external antenna...like the one that is attached to every stereo in every car in the world ever made.

 

[winston1236]

Getting this job done on my car next week! This is one they did last week on the same car as my one.
You need a cellular ipad mini though with 3g/4g as there is no gps chip on the non-cellular model and hence no ability to use google maps or apple maps.

Image

Just make sure they put the steering wheel back on the correct side

 

[Iconoclysm]

Yes, CarPlay is basically iPhone mirroring.

Yet it's not, if it were mirroring you could use every iPhone app out of the box. You might call it a sort of dumb terminal but it's doing a bit more than that, running its own apps that use the iPhone to serve up the data.

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Not to mention an iPad Mini would be a heck of a lot cheaper. As long as you already have an amp with USB connectivity, that setup could work fine.

I'm not sure why there's an obsession with getting WiFi connectivity to work. Wouldn't Bluetooth accomplish the same thing? I have a Bluetooth stereo in my current car and it works fine with my iPhone (though its interface sucks).

AirPlay maybe?

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Does Apple get any kind of royalty or money from each car sold with Carplay? If so, does anyone know how much Apple gets? It would be nice to know.

Likely no more than $10-15

 

[kyjaotkb]

But in Europe, most cars don't have DIN slots anymore... and they all come with a sound system already installed...

 

[Krevnik]

These stereos are more expensive than a top end iPhone even without carplay.

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And the obvious answer to that is using an external antenna...like the one that is attached to every stereo in every car in the world ever made.

Two points:

1) They don't do just Carplay. The equivalent model there would be the AppRadio 3, which doesn't look like it will get CarPlay support, at least anytime soon. The NEX models are aimed more at the market end who wants built-in navigation and the like. I wouldn't buy one just for Carplay.

2) External antenna, yes. FM antenna, no. The antenna length is best when matched with the frequency range and AM/FM is off by a couple orders of magnitude. But there's room for a normal wifi antenna in the dash, like the DNN990 uses.

Would be much cheaper if they just used a "dumb" screen where the phone pushes video to the screen instead, kind of like apple tv but for cars. Then the apps could just do all the processing and what not on the phone and send it to the display. But no, that would be the logical choice. Then you could have other companies send their content to the screen in the same way so your no locked into a particular phone company. I am so disappointed by what the cell phone companies decided to do with the in car infotainment... just not what's best for the consumer.

You just described the goals of MirrorLink, but it isn't perfect. As part of their legal CYA, they require all app devs to certify the apps through them. CarPlay doesn't add a second certification, since you need to certify with Apple already to get on the AppStore. Less friction for devs once Apple opens the API a little more broadly. Also, Apple has done work to integrate into extra knobs/switches in the car as inputs that MirrorLink doesn't currently do. But in all cases (AppRadio, MirrorLink, CarPlay), they are run from the phone, and mirror some UI onto the car's touchscreen.

That said, the NEX will support AppRadio, MirrorLink, and CarPlay in a single unit. Their AppRadio models will eventually support all 3 too.

 

[b-dogg]

But in Europe, most cars don't have DIN slots anymore... and they all come with a sound system already installed...

You can buy double DIN adapters for most european cars that will allow you to have a blank double din into which you can install any aftermarket and retain the OEM look. They're relatively cheap. The wiring adapters tho... that's a different matter entirely. I'm looking at you audi.

 

[topmounter]

Yes, CarPlay is basically iPhone mirroring.

What if I don't have an iPhone? Surely these auto manufacturers aren't requiring everyone that buys a car from them have an iPhone to use the in-dash?

 

[melbri]

You can buy double DIN adapters for most european cars that will allow you to have a blank double din into which you can install any aftermarket and retain the OEM look. They're relatively cheap. The wiring adapters tho... that's a different matter entirely. I'm looking at you audi.

Late model vehicles are using thinner screens which eliminates any room behind it to install double din units. Not all vehicles will be able to install aftermarket units, at least not nicely. Case in point, my 2013 F-150, there is a $600 dash kit that allows for a double din unit, but it is failry low on the dash and not ideal, then you gotta by the stereo, pricey. Nor sure about other vehilces, but i was informed by an installer this is where the industry is headed.

 

[b-dogg]

Late model vehicles are using thinner screens which eliminates any room behind it to install double din units. Not all vehicles will be able to install aftermarket units, at least not nicely. Case in point, my 2013 F-150, there is a $600 dash kit that allows for a double din unit, but it is failry low on the dash and not ideal, then you gotta by the stereo, pricey. Nor sure about other vehilces, but i was informed by an installer this is where the industry is headed.

All that room in your car and no room for a stereo! Lol. I hear you tho. Same in mine - you need a small single din stereo to act as the brain for the ipad. In older cars you could mount this behind the ipad in the centre panel. In my TT it has to go in the glove box.

 

[paradox00]

What if I don't have an iPhone? Surely these auto manufacturers aren't requiring everyone that buys a car from them have an iPhone to use the in-dash?

I have no idea where this idea comes from. CarPlay is a feature, not an OS. It doesn't replace any other functions, including the standard indash UI and support of other devices through different means.

 

[Nozuka]

What if I don't have an iPhone? Surely these auto manufacturers aren't requiring everyone that buys a car from them have an iPhone to use the in-dash?

carplay is just an additional feature, it's not mandatory. you can completly ignore it on any system. most of them will also allow mirrorlink soon(tm)

 

[Menel]

Does Apple get any kind of royalty or money from each car sold with Carplay? If so, does anyone know how much Apple gets? It would be nice to know.

Considering people are already buying the NEX receivers... and it's just a firmware update.

I'd be logical to assume none. Or nothing more than Siri Eyes Free already costs.

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What if I don't have an iPhone? Surely these auto manufacturers aren't requiring everyone that buys a car from them have an iPhone to use the in-dash?

Then you won't use the CarPlay.

Just like if you don't have a Bluetooth enabled phone, you wouldn't be able to use the Bluetooth pairing.

What kind of question is that? These NEX receivers didn't even have CarPlay at launch and people still buy them for their core featureset.

 

[paradox00]

Yet it's not, if it were mirroring you could use every iPhone app out of the box. You might call it a sort of dumb terminal but it's doing a bit more than that, running its own apps that use the iPhone to serve up the data.

It's not running its own app. There is only one app, and it's running on the phone. Apps need to be updated to support the new APIs added for CarPlay, much like they have to be for AirPlay.

 

[topmounter]

Late model vehicles are using thinner screens which eliminates any room behind it to install double din units. Not all vehicles will be able to install aftermarket units, at least not nicely. Case in point, my 2013 F-150, there is a $600 dash kit that allows for a double din unit, but it is failry low on the dash and not ideal, then you gotta by the stereo, pricey. Nor sure about other vehilces, but i was informed by an installer this is where the industry is headed.

Not to mention vehicles with the climate control, nav and other controls integrated into the same panel as the radio.

Regardless I try to stay away from aftermarket head-units, even the high-dollar units always seem to look and feel cheesy.

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Considering people are already buying the NEX receivers... and it's just a firmware update.

I'd be logical to assume none. Or nothing more than Siri Eyes Free already costs.

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Then you won't use the CarPlay.

Just like if you don't have a Bluetooth enabled phone, you wouldn't be able to use the Bluetooth pairing.

What kind of question is that? These NEX receivers didn't even have CarPlay at launch and people still buy them for their core featureset.

That was my question... so the unit doesn't just support mirroring... you can still use it as a stand-alone in-dash.

 

[melbri]

All that room in your car and no room for a stereo! Lol. I hear you tho. Same in mine - you need a small single din stereo to act as the brain for the ipad. In older cars you could mount this behind the ipad in the centre panel. In my TT it has to go in the glove box.

Do you use the single din for blue tooth music only? Just wondering if there is anything that allows an iPad to act as the UI for all functions of a car stereo.

I ordered the following for my F-150,

http://radio-upgrade.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=267

If it is crap, i may opt for the iPad route.

 

[Menel]

Pioneer Talks CarPlay: Working with Apple, Pricing, and the Future

Not to mention vehicles with the climate control, nav and other controls integrated into the same panel as the radio.



Regardless I try to stay away from aftermarket head-units, even the high-dollar units always seem to look and feel cheesy.

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That was my question... so the unit doesn't just support mirroring... you can still use it as a stand-alone in-dash.

The NEX units have been on the market for a few months already.
The original macrumors article is about a firmware update to add a new feature.

 

[britboyj]

Pioneer I care less about - why the hell didn't VWAG have any presence or buy in with CarPlay whatsoever?