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Tesla Software Update Hints at Support for Apple Music
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Tesla should do all of the above: Apple Music, Amazon Music, Google Maps, Waze, an App Store, CarPlay, Android Auto. Give choices. I understand not wanting to use CarPlay or Android Auto. Not sure if you’ve ever been in a car that has the integration, but it’s a choice. If you don’t want to use it, don’t. It doesn’t require you to vehemently oppose the option for others.
The comments about the screen being too large isn’t a valid argument. Nor is the “but the screen controls everything” argument. Ever open the rear camera with a destination in the map? Can you see the map? How about when you open the climate controls? Or do a search on the media? Where did the map go? Oh, it’s behind the window I just opened up.
Tesla isn’t an entertainment company. They ostensibly make batteries with a car on top of it.
The only reason, and not a valid one, for not integrating CarPlay and Android Auto is that Tesla loses $10/month per car for “Premium Connectivity”.
In the meantime, we pay it to get substandard navigation with no real time alerts for traffic, road obstacles, accidents, police, etc. and we’re also crowd-sourcing with a fraction of the information on the road today. A pathetically poor internet streaming service a la LiveXLive (Slacker); video streaming (Hulu, Netflix, YouTube) which you already have on your phone (and assuming you binge-watch The Queen’s Gambit while charging for 20 minutes); Caraoke, which really requires no commentary on my part; and a dirt-slow internet browser (even the Chromium version) that really isn’t a good user experience because of the awkward keyboard position relative to the operator (i.e, people have gotten really good at typing with their thumbs on a device nestled in their hands, but not on a fixed screen in the middle of the car).
All of the above is to say that Tesla isn’t an entertainment software company. Even the “hot” holiday release Musk promised was: 1) not hot; and 2) so full of bugs that they had to patch it seven times and counting. And that was basically to release a software update that had three useless games and a way to program your fart noises on your horn.
Patience is wearing thin with Tesla. But help is on the way. The competition from other auto makers is growing faster than expected, particularly with GM’s announcement of an entirely electric offering in 15 years, and Apple’s open secret of producing a car.
As auto makers become more and more electric, Tesla loses the ability to sell their emissions credits, which is the only reason they aren’t still reporting losses. And when that happens, if Tesla hasn’t addressed issues like the ones above, it will be too late. Musk could quickly stay relevant, and keep his $10/month/car, by opening an App Store and letting the likes of Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. write the code for their own apps. Heck, if Tesla did it right, they’d open a revenue stream with developers in the process.
But if all of that isn’t enough, Musk came out again last week and said he’d have full self driving by the end of the year. Which is what he says every year. And every year he raises the price for it (I think it’s over $10K now). For a car that isn’t full self driving. And is so erratic, I only use it for a few minutes when needed to pick up something I dropped or pick a wedgie. That’s an expensive price to pay for little return.
Musk’s annual FSD proclamations are like Groundhog’s Day, except I have more trust in Punxsutawney Phil. No offense. To groundhogs.
And then there’s the well-documented drop in quality, with Tesla coming in 32nd out of 32 major brands. Which is well-deserved. But we overlook it because: 1) we want to be green; 2) we like technology; and 3) well, it’s under warranty and they’ll fix it. (Has anyone ever had a positive experience with Tesla’s service? It’s so notoriously bad that not only are you not able to speak with a person, when they bother to send you a text, they never give their name. Anonymity does not breed accountability, and Tesla service is a cautionary tale of just how true that is).
So, with all that said, if you don’t own a Tesla, hold off for a couple years for better options. Maybe that will be Tesla; maybe it won’t. But if you, like me, do own a Tesla (or two), don’t be an apologist for Musk. Demand better. You paid for it. And were promised it.
The comments about the screen being too large isn’t a valid argument. Nor is the “but the screen controls everything” argument. Ever open the rear camera with a destination in the map? Can you see the map? How about when you open the climate controls? Or do a search on the media? Where did the map go? Oh, it’s behind the window I just opened up.
Tesla isn’t an entertainment company. They ostensibly make batteries with a car on top of it.
The only reason, and not a valid one, for not integrating CarPlay and Android Auto is that Tesla loses $10/month per car for “Premium Connectivity”.
In the meantime, we pay it to get substandard navigation with no real time alerts for traffic, road obstacles, accidents, police, etc. and we’re also crowd-sourcing with a fraction of the information on the road today. A pathetically poor internet streaming service a la LiveXLive (Slacker); video streaming (Hulu, Netflix, YouTube) which you already have on your phone (and assuming you binge-watch The Queen’s Gambit while charging for 20 minutes); Caraoke, which really requires no commentary on my part; and a dirt-slow internet browser (even the Chromium version) that really isn’t a good user experience because of the awkward keyboard position relative to the operator (i.e, people have gotten really good at typing with their thumbs on a device nestled in their hands, but not on a fixed screen in the middle of the car).
All of the above is to say that Tesla isn’t an entertainment software company. Even the “hot” holiday release Musk promised was: 1) not hot; and 2) so full of bugs that they had to patch it seven times and counting. And that was basically to release a software update that had three useless games and a way to program your fart noises on your horn.
Patience is wearing thin with Tesla. But help is on the way. The competition from other auto makers is growing faster than expected, particularly with GM’s announcement of an entirely electric offering in 15 years, and Apple’s open secret of producing a car.
As auto makers become more and more electric, Tesla loses the ability to sell their emissions credits, which is the only reason they aren’t still reporting losses. And when that happens, if Tesla hasn’t addressed issues like the ones above, it will be too late. Musk could quickly stay relevant, and keep his $10/month/car, by opening an App Store and letting the likes of Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. write the code for their own apps. Heck, if Tesla did it right, they’d open a revenue stream with developers in the process.
But if all of that isn’t enough, Musk came out again last week and said he’d have full self driving by the end of the year. Which is what he says every year. And every year he raises the price for it (I think it’s over $10K now). For a car that isn’t full self driving. And is so erratic, I only use it for a few minutes when needed to pick up something I dropped or pick a wedgie. That’s an expensive price to pay for little return.
Musk’s annual FSD proclamations are like Groundhog’s Day, except I have more trust in Punxsutawney Phil. No offense. To groundhogs.
And then there’s the well-documented drop in quality, with Tesla coming in 32nd out of 32 major brands. Which is well-deserved. But we overlook it because: 1) we want to be green; 2) we like technology; and 3) well, it’s under warranty and they’ll fix it. (Has anyone ever had a positive experience with Tesla’s service? It’s so notoriously bad that not only are you not able to speak with a person, when they bother to send you a text, they never give their name. Anonymity does not breed accountability, and Tesla service is a cautionary tale of just how true that is).
So, with all that said, if you don’t own a Tesla, hold off for a couple years for better options. Maybe that will be Tesla; maybe it won’t. But if you, like me, do own a Tesla (or two), don’t be an apologist for Musk. Demand better. You paid for it. And were promised it.
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Once you actually drive a Tesla, *especially* with Apple Music coming onboard, you'll realize CarPlay is last-generation stuff. I don't miss it, not one little tiny iota.
I thought I wanted CarPlay too, but having owned my Tesla for four years, and using CarPlay on almost every rental car I've used during the same period, I changed my mind. CarPlay would be horrible in a Tesla and having Apple Music makes me very happy. Just my two cents.
Because CarPlay is one of my prerequisites to any car purchase, and if Tesla adopts it, I might test drive one for possible purchase.
I do think Tesla should incorporate either Waze and/or user feedback (crowdsourcing) on road conditions, but until they do so, I just have my iPhone mounted on the dash with Waze as additional feedback. Everything else needed in a car/phone integration, including text messaging works over Bluetooth. Since the vehicle integration with self-driving relies on Tesla's mapping and Nav, they will not implement CarPlay but... it's much better user experience and, as hansmoleman stated, "last-gen."
Not everyone should or will like what Tesla has to offer, but your argument to not give it a chance based on this CarPlay requirement seems short-sighted... and very similar to the reasoning why I said I will never switch from a PC to a Mac. (I need REGEDIT). Good thing I was convinced otherwise over 12 years ago or else I might still be using Windows.
Not everyone should or will like what Tesla has to offer, but your argument to not give it a chance based on this CarPlay requirement seems short-sighted... and very similar to the reasoning why I said I will never switch from a PC to a Mac. (I need REGEDIT). Good thing I was convinced otherwise over 12 years ago or else I might still be using Windows.
You could just go for the BMW i4 instead, looks like it would check all your boxes...
I feel this is also kind of the way moving forward. Rivian also opted to not include CarPlay (but that could be due to them being bankrolled by Amazon, because Alexa is all over that thing, and the Amazon fleet is now going to be a fleet of the box truck version). But now every car that is coming out in 2022 has actually a very nice proprietary interface, that you just don't even need CarPlay anymore, even Toyota's new system with built in Apple Music, BMW's latest iDrive, and Mercedes' latest MBUX/Comand thing.
Of course Apple is competing with that new CarPlay taking over the whole car thing now, so we will just have to wait and see...
What would someone “need” REGEDIT for, when you can accomplish the same thing with terminal commands etc?
This, the Tesla build quality is worse than my 11 years old AM but having had CP fitted to the AM, which is brilliant for an older car, the Tesla interface is miles ahead.
That was my point… I was clinging on to what I was used to, or what I thought I wanted, and hadn’t done due diligence to realize that Macs were powerful computers that could still be tweaked.