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GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

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Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#231

Post by b112 »

mlsu wrote: post #32

How does this business decision make sense? A car is a high-margin item, so the impact of even a handful of consumers choosing not to buy must be huge, right? Whereas, they would need to "monetize" (ugh) many many more units to turn back that lost profit. And as the shakeup due to EVs begins, even loyal consumers will be considering other makes. My girlfriend bought a car recently. CarPlay was not negotiable for her,…

What are they putting in the water over there GM?

Profit.

Probably their own app store, inline with Google Play. And also forcing you to login on their gear, so your paid apps are available, and thus they can better track you / monetize you.

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#232

Post by bombcar »

bborud wrote: post #226

Ideally, my car would look like a BT speaker, possibly with a microphone and some controls, to the phone. I don't want a dedicated satnav, I don't want an elaborate in-car entertainment system. The reason is twofold. The first is that all of these in-car systems are pretty dated even after a couple of years. The second is that they tend to be fairly low quality to begin with. The system in my car that integrates with…

All I've ever wanted is a head unit I can dock my phone into, either as a faceplate or just like it was a cassette, so it plays music and stays charged.

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#233

Post by bombcar »

crote wrote: post #78
criddell wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GM is expecting $20-25 billion in annual subscription revenue by 2030. Dropping CarPlay and Android Auto will definitely lose them many sales. They are betting the lost sales will be less than the new subscription revenue.

I genuinely wonder how they justify that figure. They could maybe justify a subscription if they offered a significant service, but they are by definition going to deliver a worse experience than CarPlay/Android Auto - simply due to it not being your own smartphone. Why would anyone buy an expensive car which is designed to last a decade while it has essential pre-installed features locked behind a subscription? If t…

They're going to turn what are currently add-ons/upgrades/options into subscriptions just like BWM or whoever it was did.

No more $3k package to add heated seats, just upgrade OnStar to OnStarPrime+ for $49.95/mo!

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#234

Post by pluc »

mlsu wrote: post #32

How does this business decision make sense? A car is a high-margin item, so the impact of even a handful of consumers choosing not to buy must be huge, right? Whereas, they would need to "monetize" (ugh) many many more units to turn back that lost profit. And as the shakeup due to EVs begins, even loyal consumers will be considering other makes. My girlfriend bought a car recently. CarPlay was not negotiable for her,…

It makes sense because they can create and roll out their own system. Hell, make it subscription-based, with a premium tier. They don't give a fuck, people will still buy their big ass SUVs and pick-up trucks.

How does it make sense to keep making cars bigger and bigger? It doesn't for us, but sure as shit does for them.

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#235

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

throwbadubadu wrote: post #188
shrx wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to elaborate? Are phones not supposed to be charged to 100%?

lmgtfy: Its the extremes (0% and 100%) that degrades LiIon the quickest, if you want the longest life ideally you'd keep it 30-70% the whole time, ymmv (and also thresholds). And it is a pity manufacturers don't support you in doing stop-charging-at-x if you wanted, e.g. a simple thing for software to do, but impossible without rooting on Android.

I can assure you you're mistaken.

Most Androids today have that charge limit function natively without the need to root or tinker with your phone.

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#236

Post by BobLaw »

xattt wrote: post #211
jojobas wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty of aftermarket head units for specific cars. It's not that hard for the manufacturers to make another plastic part. You shouldn't have to though, now that there is this dual communication standard.

How do headunits like that address changing settings that can only be changed from the infotainment?

I can't speak directly for these aftermarket infotainment replacements but implementations of aftermarket ECUs for example record CAN bus traffic to build a database of the various node IDs, messages, and values.

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#237

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

margorczynski wrote: post #225
goodluckchuck wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, from what I’ve seen, Ford sells their vehicles at cost and uses that line of business as a funnel to generates profits from via financing. Some higher trim models have a decent margin, but many lower trims are sold at a loss, resulting in essentially no profit from manufacturing. Moreover, EVs are shaping up to be a financial disaster for carmakers. Tesla is essentially the only company to turn a profit on EVs,…

Tesla has premium/luxury pricing and the clout. I'm not sure if your "average Joe" brand of car can make EVs work in their current state. There's a limit how much someone will pay for a Toyota or a Ford, less so for a Tesla or BMW.

Also Tesla customers will tolerate the bobby-car build quality that enables Tesla to have great margins.

Toyota and others actually bother with QA which eats some of their margins.

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#238

Post by GordonS »

sokoloff wrote: post #228
mgiampapa wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EVs are turning the service business on their head. It looks like the only real service on the Bolt is tire rotations and a cabin air filter change for example.

I have a Nissan LEAF. In 8.5 years, my expenses have included replacing wiper blades twice, cabin air filter twice, filling the washer fluid bottle several times and I’ve looked at the tires and brakes, rotating tires once. It’s been crazy nice. (As the family wrench-turner, even my wife’s CR-V, which is generally low maintenance, has felt like an inconvenient pig for maintenance demands by comparison.)

You... don't need to change brake pads with an EV? Wheel bearings?

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#239

Post by riffraff »

bborud wrote: post #226

Ideally, my car would look like a BT speaker, possibly with a microphone and some controls, to the phone. I don't want a dedicated satnav, I don't want an elaborate in-car entertainment system. The reason is twofold. The first is that all of these in-car systems are pretty dated even after a couple of years. The second is that they tend to be fairly low quality to begin with. The system in my car that integrates with…

This is basically what I have in my 7yo Kia, and I'm definitely happy with it, and hope the same setup will still be available in my next car. Also, physical buttons!

Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash

#240

Post by JoBrad »

bborud wrote: post #226

Ideally, my car would look like a BT speaker, possibly with a microphone and some controls, to the phone. I don't want a dedicated satnav, I don't want an elaborate in-car entertainment system. The reason is twofold. The first is that all of these in-car systems are pretty dated even after a couple of years. The second is that they tend to be fairly low quality to begin with. The system in my car that integrates with…

I do think that navigation which takes into account your car’s battery is a good feature. But ideally there would be a way to expose that to your navigation app.
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