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Rivian CEO Explains Why Apple CarPlay Won't Come to Its Vehicles
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This company isn’t doing that well. Why limit your consumer base because you want to control the devices that go with it. Those saying I have a Tesla and like the interface, great. Tesla did a great touch screen large buttons and it does just work. The maps sent me on a forest back road from umpquas to Eugene oregon once and had to turn around once the snow was larger than the car… so the maps is about the same as… I love car play it has its hiccups but while renting a bmw i3 I didn’t have to learn a new interface I just connected my phone and I was ready to go. I think the big clunker is actually the onboard interface not working coherently with car play. It’s honestly their (car manufacturers) horrific interface. I say take some of the price out of the vehicle and just have a display for my iPhone to mirror to and save me a few $1,000 in the process. Articles have said that cars are the next big or are the biggest data mining and privacy concern in the market.
Carplay is an app that runs in a car, it doesn't replace the car's OS. Android has one too. Both run on similar technologies. You can't force the companies to allow the app but it is incredibly shortsighted of them to remove the option when Carplay/Android Auto are in the top 5 most requested features in a car.
We don't need the government to come in and tell people how heated seats should be standardized or required, these are options.
Apple doesn't gain anything by you using CarPlay. There's no incentive for Apple to crush them, and Apple couldn't crush them in this area anyway. Apple created CarPlay to make its users happy and to sell more iPhones.
It's quite ironic to see people saying "no car play, no buy" on an Apple forum. Apple, famous for restricting users to use their stuff within a walled garden. No headphone jack, no buy; no swappable battery, no buy; no upgradeable ram, no buy; no free to install whatever app I want, no buy; etc. If you're not a fan of a company designing the ideal user experience and restricting you to using it their way, why in the world are you using an Apple product?
I wish I had an interest in buying an electric truck (and a driveway) to give this guy my money. I wish more companies (including Apple) gave half the attention he's giving to the user experience and were more restrictive with it. This mindset, that's been missing from products for a long time, is what attracted me to the Apple experience in the late 90s. Looking at iOS, as Apple has simply adopted existing Android gimmicks, it's lost the magic that's made it so brilliant and joyful to use.
Scaringe may very well screw up the UX but it seems like he's coming from the right place and I'm hopefully they succeed. Motor vehicles should be self contained systems that don't require software updates. The phone should be an additional dynamic accessory that seamlessly ingrates for some things (ICE) but not to operate the vehicle. The manufacturer is the expert in how the vehicle should be interacted with - not some third party software developer.
I wish I had an interest in buying an electric truck (and a driveway) to give this guy my money. I wish more companies (including Apple) gave half the attention he's giving to the user experience and were more restrictive with it. This mindset, that's been missing from products for a long time, is what attracted me to the Apple experience in the late 90s. Looking at iOS, as Apple has simply adopted existing Android gimmicks, it's lost the magic that's made it so brilliant and joyful to use.
Scaringe may very well screw up the UX but it seems like he's coming from the right place and I'm hopefully they succeed. Motor vehicles should be self contained systems that don't require software updates. The phone should be an additional dynamic accessory that seamlessly ingrates for some things (ICE) but not to operate the vehicle. The manufacturer is the expert in how the vehicle should be interacted with - not some third party software developer.
I don't think Apple's direction with this is as intrusive as you're making it out to be. Car functions are added to CarPlay by the manufacturer if they so choose. And in some cases, it does make a lot of sense to prevent the user from having to leave CarPlay to make a quick adjustment. CarPlay knowing the charge level of your EV means that iOS developers can access that data to assist in finding charging stations or other telemetry stuff that is usually limited to just the car's systems.
If it ever gets as bad as you say, I would probably agree, I just don't think that is the goal.
Then you’re cutting out a sizeable portion of your consumer base - me included.
Electric automaker Rivian has no plans to introduce support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, founder and CEO RJ Scaringe says.
The company's stance was explained in a recent interview with The Verge's Nilay Patel on the "Decoder" podcast. Scaringe emphasized that Rivian's desire to create a seamless and well-integrated digital experience is the primary reason for not adopting CarPlay. He likened the decision to Apple choosing to develop iOS and macOS instead of using Microsoft's Windows operating system, stating, "There is a reason that ironically is very consistent with Apple ethos for us to want to control the ecosystem."
Apple CarPlay was introduced in 2014 and allows iPhone users to mirror some of their phone's features on a car's infotainment system, providing access to Siri, navigation, and some apps in a familiar interface. It has become a popular feature in many vehicles, with a significant number of consumers considering it a critical factor in purchasing decisions.
Rivian's rejection of CarPlay stems from a desire to maintain control over the entire user experience within its vehicles. Scaringe highlighted that CarPlay's inability to "leverage other parts of the vehicle experience" would necessitate users to exit the app for certain functions, such as opening the front trunk. He explained, "We have taken the view of the digital experience in the vehicle wants to feel consistent and holistically harmonious across every touchpoint."
The decision to exclude CarPlay is seen as part of Rivian's broader strategy to control the "digital real estate" within its vehicles. Scaringe stated, "We just believe that it is such an important piece of real estate, the digital ecosystem, that it was something we want to retain."
He also acknowledged customer feedback regarding the current shortcomings in Rivian's mapping and navigation systems, an area where CarPlay excels. He noted that Rivian is actively working on improvements, facilitated by the company's acquisition of route planning app maker Iternio.
Despite not supporting CarPlay, Rivian plans to incorporate many of its desirable features on an "à la carte basis." The company has already integrated Apple Music with Spatial Audio support. Scaringe expressed his admiration for Apple's products and reiterated the strong relationship between the two companies. However, he emphasized the importance of consistency and control in delivering a "pure product experience" for Rivian customers.
The absence of CarPlay in Rivian's vehicles is not unique in the automotive industry. Tesla has never adopted the feature, and General Motors recently decided to drop support for CarPlay and Android Auto in its future electric vehicle models. In contrast, luxury brands like Porsche and Aston Martin are set to adopt the next-generation CarPlay experience.
Article Link: Rivian CEO Explains Why Apple CarPlay Won't Come to Its Vehicles
It’s going to be time to replace the hemi soon, it won’t be a Rivian with no CarPlay
"We want to control revenue from selling services and user data."
That makes it an easy pass for me on buying a Rivian. Our family has more than one car and I want a consistent experience and to be able to use my saved addresses across our cars. They are certainly allowed to make the decision they view is best for their product and I'm allowed to make my purchase decisions based on whether or not their product meets my needs.
Whether or not they would crush the competition, they would certainly introduce a competitor that carmakers didn’t have to contend with before. As for what Apple gains, first, you already answered part of that - they sell more iPhones. For the rest, you can just Google “ what does apple gain by using carplay,” since I don’t think macrumors will allow me to provide a link.
Wise choice. CarPlay is ok, BUT it can’t replace the car interface, for example: some cars allow you to speak speak commands to open a window, set the A/C, or customize different views of the car cameras, or record the surroundings of the car, or rotate the infotainments screen, or set the user profile, etc. soooo many things that CarPlay won’t support or will need years. Apple would have to have customized CarPlay versions for all car brands and models otherwise you will have the lowest common denominator CarPlay in your car.
I would argue that in the context of a moving one-to-three-ton hunk of metal: safety, consistency and predictability are more important attributes... so I'm actually okay with a little bit of "boring" now and again. I don't have a problem with cars having non-safety features that are unique, but consider seatbelts, brakes and rearview mirrors: all are fairly standardized, and for good reason.
That said... I'm also not in love with the "everything on the smart screen!!" approach that some newer cars implement. I actually view physical buttons for certain common features as a safety-first approach, as you can readily manage physical buttons without ever taking your eyes from the road. So, while I would stop short of agreeing with you about restricting the CarPlay interface to only infotainment, I would certainly agree that not every feature is necessarily conducive to a digital replacement.
These trucks are crazy expensive to repair:
www.theautopian.com
Here’s Why That Rivian R1T Repair Cost $42,000 After Just A Minor Fender-Bender - The Autopian
Last week, a pretty common and minor-looking fender-bender ended up going viral on the Rivian Owners’ Forum. The wreck, a relatively low-speed rear-end collision involving a Lexus RX330 bumping an electric Rivian R1T’s passenger side rear corner, resulted in what looked like minor damage. A bent...
www.theautopian.com
I think I agree with it. As long as you're made aware up front and you're not going against any legal agreement you made by using/purchasing/signing then fine.
Imagine that instead of simply pressing a button to open your window to the amount you want you have:
"Hello car, open the window"
"not that much, close it a little"
"close it a little more"
"too much, open it a little"
*sigh*
"Open the window 55%"
"Close it 7%"
"too much, open it 2%"
Rivian engineers could easily have CarPlay allocated only a portion of the screen display so the user could flip back and forth. Comparing this to the development of an operating system (iOS) versus using an existing one is absurd. CarPlay is application that runs in the cars OS.
It's a mistake to exclude. There are vehicles are overpriced for what they are. Tesla can pull it off due to their marketshare. GM will fold and add it when they realize their customers want it.
CarPlay and Android Auto are the only way one can ensure they are not tied to the OEM for navigation and apps. Everyone knows at some point OEM's stop supporting a vehicle or start charging for things such as navigation and other apps. Pure greed along the lines of we know what you need/want better than you do.
It's a mistake to exclude. There are vehicles are overpriced for what they are. Tesla can pull it off due to their marketshare. GM will fold and add it when they realize their customers want it.
CarPlay and Android Auto are the only way one can ensure they are not tied to the OEM for navigation and apps. Everyone knows at some point OEM's stop supporting a vehicle or start charging for things such as navigation and other apps. Pure greed along the lines of we know what you need/want better than you do.
It doesn't provide revenue for Apple, I don't need to "google" that. At this point, it's the manufacturer that suffers by not including it.
Re: Complaining to regulators. Yeah- I wonder how this will play out over on the EU.
I must admit, the “we’re doing what Apple did/would do” stance is kinda funny because it’s true. But in the end (yea GM, I’m looking at you too) Apple is doing the work for you. Just put a damn screen in the car and let Apple do the rest. It shouldn’t hurt your feelings to know that Apple can do it better.
At first, I thought Rivian was making a mistake. But then I read the article, and it makes perfect sense. My 2023 Volvo XC40 has CarPlay, but it's somewhat unnecessary, since all features of the car are accessible through built-in voice control. I'm sure a new Rivian truck is even more advanced on this front. Sounds like the beginning of a trend.
Here we go. Cue the "here we go, cue the .... posts" posts.
When I see things like this from Apple, I worry. I would balk at a car that looked this way! But agree with what you are saying.
