I have found CarPlay to be overrated. I’m in the minority where the lack of CarPlay would not stop me from buying a car.
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Report Examines GM's Controversial Move to Abandon Apple CarPlay
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Doesn't matter since I'll never buy a GM vehicle.
An in-depth Bloomberg report today resurfaced General Motors' decision to replace Apple CarPlay with its own software.
Last year, GM announced that it planned to forgo Apple CarPlay in its new electric vehicles, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV. Instead, the automaker introduced a proprietary infotainment platform, aiming to control and customize the digital experience within its vehicles. This transition is part of GM's strategic pivot toward enhancing its software capabilities and establishing a stronger digital services revenue stream. However, the change has not been without its hurdles, with numerous customers and automotive reviewers reporting technical issues and a steep learning curve associated with the new system.
CarPlay has become a staple of most new vehicles, offering drivers a familiar interface that mirrors their iPhone's functionality onto the vehicle's dashboard. Apple reported in 2022 that 79% of car buyers in the U.S. insisted on CarPlay support when considering a new vehicle purchase.
GM's new in-house system, Ultifi, is envisioned as a comprehensive digital platform that offers a range of services such as navigation and media streaming, enhanced by subscription-based add-ons to drive revenue. Despite these aspirations, the rollout of Ultifi has encountered significant obstacles such as software malfunctions that dealerships have struggled to resolve.
GM's move is driven by a wish to reclaim customer connections and data insights from third parties, but customer resistance to abandoning a familiar and popular system like CarPlay that directly integrates with their iPhone poses a significant challenge to GM's strategy.
The outcome of GM's decision could influence future industry practices significantly. If GM can refine Ultifi into a robust, user-friendly platform that rivals or surpasses CarPlay's functionality, it may set a precedent for other automakers to follow suit. Conversely, if consumers continue to prefer established systems like CarPlay, automakers may find themselves in a difficult position, needing to balance their corporate interests with consumer preferences.
See Bloomberg's full article for more insights into GM's move to abandon Apple CarPlay.
Article Link: Report Examines GM's Controversial Move to Abandon Apple CarPlay
The person to whom you responded didn't say CarPlay was the only thing important to them, but rather that it was a gating issue: they wouldn't choose a car that didn't have it. This seems entirely reasonable to me (and I'm the same way with this and other features: I wouldn't choose a car that doesn't have CarPlay, a heads-up display, or an adaptive suspension, to name just a few things I look for. That doesn't mean that any of these are among the most important features, but they are things I like and it's my money. Given how many models of new cars are available, why shouldn't CarPlay be a gating requirement?
I definitely miss CarPlay in our Tesla -- the navigation in Tesla is functional, but so generic compared to CarPlay. At least we have access to Apple Music and Podcasts. When we had a Ford Mach-E, the interaction between Ford and Apple rarely worked (the battery percentage was always off), but I still preferred it.
I think the control is with BMW, not Google. I think they do not want to cede control to Google or Apple. However, there is no other alternative for Google Maps, I guess. Even Tesla seems to be using Google Maps.
Here's another article with some more quotes and info from folks at GM-
9to5mac.com
The tl;dr is that Android Auto allows Car Manufacturers the ability to view more of your Location Data so that they can sell it for ad revenue, while Apple's "future OS" that no one wants to use does NOT allow Car Manufacturers the ability to peruse all of that sweet sweet location data to sell for ad revenue.
It helps to be informed as to WHY these decisions are being made.
An inside look at General Motors' massive gamble in ditching CarPlay
A little over a year ago, General Motors made what may well turn out to be one of its biggest...
9to5mac.com
The tl;dr is that Android Auto allows Car Manufacturers the ability to view more of your Location Data so that they can sell it for ad revenue, while Apple's "future OS" that no one wants to use does NOT allow Car Manufacturers the ability to peruse all of that sweet sweet location data to sell for ad revenue.
It helps to be informed as to WHY these decisions are being made.
I will never ever buy a car without CarPlay support. GM is shooting itself in the foot by not at least providing the option. It's not so much that I have to be married to CarPlay, it's that not providing options is a bad precedent. I'll vote with my wallet.
Dear GM: No Apple CarPlay, no sale. (I've only been buying Japanese & European cars for the last 40 years anyway).
Exactly. Also, Mercedes is an outlier because of their extremely high competence in the tech/user-interface aspect of car design. They are also one of the only ones I know of to have a native Apple Music app in their native system (i.e., if you are not using CarPlay). They still include CarPlay, unlike GM, but it is much less critical in a Mercedes than it would be in most other systems.
Google maps works just fine on Car Play. No idea why you’d stick with Apple Maps.
Tesla has a native Apple Music app as well as YouTube, Netflix and others.
I'd love a car with carplay, but my 2010 Mazda CX9 w/171K miles refuses to have any mechanical issues that would let me justify replacing it. Some day!
And let iPhone users choose their OS? I believe an OS and basic features is the actual core to many products nowadays. Cars are no different.
Knew it. GM want their own way of stalking you.Here's another article with some more quotes and info from folks at GM-
An inside look at General Motors' massive gamble in ditching CarPlay
A little over a year ago, General Motors made what may well turn out to be one of its biggest...
The tl;dr is that Android Auto allows Car Manufacturers the ability to view more of your Location Data so that they can sell it for ad revenue, while Apple's "future OS" that no one wants to use does NOT allow Car Manufacturers the ability to peruse all of that sweet sweet location data to sell for ad revenue.
It helps to be informed as to WHY these decisions are being made.
"If GM can refine Ultifi into a robust, user-friendly platform"
That If should be in 96pt font. One big reason CarPlay and Android Auto are so popular is simply because the automakers all totally failed to built a fast and user-friendly infotainment experience.
That If should be in 96pt font. One big reason CarPlay and Android Auto are so popular is simply because the automakers all totally failed to built a fast and user-friendly infotainment experience.
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Who would have guessed that a car company would have problems with technology integration? Oh wait, EVERYONE! Not only will I never buy a car without CarPlay, but I won't buy a car without wireless CarPlay. Good luck, GM. Telling customers that they don't want what they actually do want isn't a great business model.
Sure. "We build cars, these techs don't know cheat about car software".
Can't see how GM and the like can compete with companies seeing EV as phone-on-wheels. They're actually pulling the brakes on EV and maybe expect/help the next President to be more rust belt.
Plus it can't harm to grab user data first hand.
Case in point, thanks.
I feel the same way. Automakers such as Tesla and BMW, have a robust UI/infotainment that works excellently. Carplay honestly feels inferior to it and I don't particularly like how Carplay fully switches over when i get a text or call, which I might be able to prevent if i disable Carplay entirely.
I think it makes sense for those such as Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, who all invest significantly into creating a robust vehicle UI to either not support carplay or only support basic carplay. In general, the automaker is going to know better than Apple when it comes to fully integrating into the nuances of each vehicle - particularly when it comes to EVs and managing it's battery based on destination input into the NAV.
Carplay has its uses but it's not the end all be all. A benefit of having a robust vehicle UI and not needing Carplay is your phone isn't going to heat up or drain it's battery constantly.
Smart move by GM. They could see the writing on the wall. Apple will eventually control the whole car if left unchecked
EXACTLY. And Apple basically said, no, we DON'T want that to happen, and Car Manufacturers are sticking with Android because of it. So, yeah...
Let’s see how well this car sells compared to 2023 😂
Bought a 2023 Honda Accord a few months ago. Android Auto for base, with wireless CarPlay and a large, bright display. CarPlay also integrates with the driver display, with turn-by-turn directions and displaying current song. HVAC is all physical knobs and buttons, and should stay that way, off the touch screen.
The absolute necessity with CarPlay is the ecosystem (duh). I have a large music library on my phone. Audiobooks are on the phone. Hands-free phone using my contacts. Voice (Siri) search for map directions.
Honestly, this feels like a mature system that doesn't need a lot of enhancements. Anything that doesn't require the phone (HVAC!, cruise control) should stay on physical controls. The "ideal" infotainment system should minimize touch screen interaction while driving. GM, Mercedes, and others are starting from being years behind CarPlay, and will always be chasing a moving target.
The absolute necessity with CarPlay is the ecosystem (duh). I have a large music library on my phone. Audiobooks are on the phone. Hands-free phone using my contacts. Voice (Siri) search for map directions.
Honestly, this feels like a mature system that doesn't need a lot of enhancements. Anything that doesn't require the phone (HVAC!, cruise control) should stay on physical controls. The "ideal" infotainment system should minimize touch screen interaction while driving. GM, Mercedes, and others are starting from being years behind CarPlay, and will always be chasing a moving target.
If you actually listen to the interview instead of just reading the headline, Mercedes has no plan to stop offering carplay-- they're just not extending to the version that takes over all the screen in the car (cluster, passenger side screen, etc).Well, considering that Mercedes-Benz is also not going to let CarPlay in, due to reasons specified by CEO Ola Källenius in the following interview, I doubt others would let CarPlay in too. Their reasons will apply to all the others too.
Mercedes-Benz won’t let Apple CarPlay take over all its screens
No Apple screen takeover in Mercedes-Benz.www.theverge.com
Apple wanted to control core functions of the vehicle like HVAC, as well as the speedometer and odometer.
"But Mercedes doesn’t appear to be in any rush to follow its luxury vehicle peers in letting Apple dominate the in-car experience for its customers. Instead, Källenius said that the company is working closely with Apple’s main rival, Google, in designing a new navigation feature that will be built on Google Maps. The key difference there is that Mercedes’ own engineering team will be heavily involved in the process."
I consider myself a GM guy. I have owned a '79 Malibu, '81 Phoenix, '01 Blazer, '11 Impala, and '17 Bolt EV. Their products aren't always as reliable as their Japanese counterparts, but I drive them to support American manufacturing. This decision flies in the face of reality. You are sending a customer right into another showroom. Americans overwhelmingly carry iPhones. This is what happens when you ignore the voice of the customer.