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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

#381
post #363

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't want a bunch of different car API system, you'd have to deal with so many issues like large (ongoing) investment and support from Apple and Google. Maybe you could get support for some things like AC control via Matter but car manufacturers would struggle to get proprietary features supported. You just need car specific app icons to appear inside of the Apple and Google UIs. Since Cars reach EOL you don't w…

lol it'd be even easier to make it work like universal remotes do. Just plug into the ODB-II socket and then have the user poke at the knobs/dials :D Then you know what messages correspond to what actions. Of course nobody would EVER sign up for that because it's awful clunky hahah

The dash screen really should be integrated into the OBD system so you can read codes etc without a seperate code reader. It doesn't seem that hard to do.

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

#382

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m talking about the Equinox EV which is a different car on a different platform (BEV3 vs D2XX), so I don’t think you can make that comparison until the car actually exists and people can give it a closer inspection and drive it for a while. I’ll give you the Korean competitors, but what Japanese competitor are you impressed by? The BZ4X/Solterra? MX-30? The Prologue which is a BEV3 car with a Honda sticker on it? U…

I'm 100% in agreement with you (and thanks for the detail, rare here). Japan is lethargic in terms of EVs despite an obvious tech advantage ... Ford is the only American car company that impresses me

Though on second thought, I wonder if Chevrolet ditching CarPlay in the Blazer necessarily means that the Prologue won't have it. I don't know if they're borrowing the car software and aren't in a position to add that type of feature, but it's also possible someone at Honda wrote CarPlay into their software requirements and GM is still stuck implementing it.

Bigger car than I want though. It's too bad Honda didn't decide to make an Equinox clone instead, the Prologue is 100% better looking than the Blazer.

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

#383
post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

remember the iphone came out in 2007 - and I'm certain there was a lag before cars even supported phones. By the time some GM phone connect system got through the pipes (several years), we might be carrying AR glasses instead of phones.

Actually there wasn’t. Cars were supporting the iPod protocol for a couple of years before the iPhone came out - meaning you could see the song that was playing, change to the next track or playlist from the head unit. The iPhone still supports that protocol. I could navigate through my podcast player (Overcast) from the head unit of my old car

sorry I was thinking of bluetooth - for handsfree and music

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

#384
post #138
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,…

The most sold EV brand in the US with about 2/3 of market share doesn't allow CarPlay either. Now don't get me wrong, I want my Apple Carplay too. I wouldn't want to buy a car without it. But the argument that "as the shakeup due to EVs begins, even loyal consumers will be considering other makes" I just don't see happen in real life today. Most EV buyers chose a Tesla. No CarPlay or Android Auto in that one.

I think Tesla is pretty far ahead of its competition today people are ok to overlook the lack of apple carplay. but when others do catch up (if, say, Ford EV somehow become as good as Teslas) then i suspect ppl won't be so forgiving.

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

#385

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I like this concept for the most part, but I would like the option for it to have built in speakers (and an amp). I'm fine to plug in my phone or pair it with the amp to provide sound. It looks like a pretty bare bones car, and I like that it doesn't have a screen at all. I suppose if it needs a UI for configuring vehicle settings, I guess this could be done using a phone over bluetooth or wifi. That's about the only…

The average lifespan of a smartphone is about 2.5 years, there are 20 year old cars driven daily. I hope you understand the problem here.

No, I don't see the problem. It seems like the proprietary shaped bluetooth speakers and their mounting points will be more of a problem in 20 years than a simple analog sound input that goes to an amp and speakers. I can plug my iPhone 14 into a 50 year old stereo. I want that level of simplicity and compatibility!

In 20 years it is going to be impossible to find replacements for those bluetooth speakers that fit in the proprietary holders they've designed. If they want to go minimalist and simple, go with analog speakers, that have a simple amp and a simple analog input that I can plug any analog source into (including a bluetooth receiver if I really need a wireless input).

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

#386
post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think attempting to solve a problem that is created by government regulations by creating more government regulations is crazy... There should be no EV mandate, then there would not need to be consumer protections as the market would do what is does best and allow manufacturers to compete on the merits of the vehicles not by the government choosing what we should be allowed to drive. I think there are already too m…

Which regulations would you like to get rid of or change?

Federally, all of them. I dont think it is a role for the federal government. The only plausible authority it the continued in proper use of the commerce clause to justify all federal action.

At the state level I think the only regulations should be those around direct safety concerns (like air bags, lights, etc). Efficiency or other non-safety related regulations should be disallowed. Further safety regulations should be limited safe operations for other drivers sharing the road, not passenger protection (outside of regulations on truth in advertising, product defect)... passenger protection should be a market dynamic, coupled with greater tort reform to be able to hold liable manufacturers for their marketing claims.

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

#387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The figure is utterly ridiculous. They truly expect to generate a revenue stream 2x the size of Spotify or AirPods? Apple as a whole only makes 21B a year from all services, and they run everything from cloud storage, to synchronization, to an App Store with a wild profit margin from fees. Of course, all American auto makers have wildly unrealistic plans for electric vehicle adoption in the next 5 years, too -- i thi…

> Apple as a whole only makes 21B a year from all services, and they run everything from cloud storage, to synchronization, to an App Store with a wild profit margin from fees. Correct on "wild profit margin", but your numbers are wrong according to FY22 10-K filing[1]: Services Revenue = $78.129B Services Cost of Sales = $22.075B Services Gross Margin = 71.7% ($56.054B) [1] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/32…

Thanks for the fact check. Looks like I accidentally grabbed quarterly numbers instead of yearly. At least it's the correct order of magnitude :)

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

#388
post #314
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…

Like how I want a dumb TV with the system of my choice hooked up behind it. You can't trust the TV manufacturer to keep the OS up-to-date, and with TV prices always going down it's inevitable they'll cut corners to increase their profit margins.

Having cameras and microphones in TVs seems like a good idea until you remember that the companies that make them are about as trustworthy as a fart after an all-you-can-eat buffet.

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

#389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ya, I don't trust smart tvs not to show me ads at some point in the future, or spy on my behavior without telling me, so I don't even give my TVs my wifi password. I'll update the firmware with a usb stick and use an Apple TV. Apple TVs are more expensive, but I feel less like I'm the product and they're popular enough and with few enough models that any major problems will be widely known.

"Apple TVs are more expensive" than what? They're cheaper than a games console if all you want to do is stream from a major platform.

You're right, game console are more expensive. But both of them are more expensive than the other streaming boxes/sticks that most people buy (roku, chromecast, fire stick).

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

#390
post #202

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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.

Samsung S22 Ultra (at least) has a 'Protect Battery' setting which limits charge to 85% .

Its been a feature since at least the S9. Source: Had to 'fix' my girlfriend's phone only charging to 85%. Was a mystery how that setting got randomly enabled, really.

I can't recall for certain if my old S7 had that option but I don't think it did.

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