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,…
CarPlay and/or Android Auto is a non-negotiable item for me, too. Any car that has it is a no-go.
GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
241–250 of 395 posts
Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#242How 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,…
Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#243Detaching the entertainment system from the car and making it just a dumb touchscreen and speakers must have really grinded the gears of auto makers. I can now upgrade my entire entertainment system, GPS, phone, etc. by replacing a phone. They’d prefer you get another car when your system is feeling old. I don’t even understand why my 2020 car had an optional GPS add-on for thousands of dollars. Android Auto / CarPla…
had an optional GPS add-on for thousands of dollars I guess it's for people who don't know better. Even a standalone GPS won't cost that much, and as a bonus, you can take it with you.
Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#244Ideally, 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.
Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#245Earlier 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…
Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#246Ideally, 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…
Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#247Earlier quoted context omitted.
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
#248Re: GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay, Android Auto sparks backlash
#249Earlier quoted context omitted.
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
#250Android auto and car play are both really bad user experiences. They are just better than what most car companies can build, which is a very low bar. Here's the android auto experience: Take my phone out of my pocket (not that easy when you are already sitting...), turn on bluetooth (I often have it off because it grabs my headphones etc when I don't want it to) and connecting it to usb (where'd the damn cable go? An…
* Turn on car * My music starts playing * Screen shows Google Maps, following location * If it's a longer trip, I'll pull phone out of pocket and place on magnetic mount that also charges it
This is even with a 3rd-party CarPlay screen! This device sends audio to the car via the car's Bluetooth, so my steering wheel controls still work. Only real downside is the wireless CarPlay audio lag (~2s).