This sounds like GM is committing brand suicide by actively making itself unappealing to Gen Z.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/01/06/gen-z-survey-says...
I love Android, but I also know how to read.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/01/06/gen-z-survey-says...
I love Android, but I also know how to read.
GM will absolutely lose this battle. Idiotic move.
I love GM cars once you remove their terrible UI and escape to CarPlay/Android Auto. The biggest issue with cars is that they rely on a touch screen for controls and the UX is awful. I now have an Audi and a Porsche and the MMI suite is Android based. This isn’t too bad but the services and mapping are far behind Apple and Google.
Apple isn’t forcing anything. They don’t have exclusive contacts. Almost every car with CarPlay supports Android Auto.
Customers are just demanding it.
By comparison, nothing (not even Google) is stopping Apple from producing CarPlay for Android. All the APIs are there. They could even distribute it in the Play store.
Compare the PhoneLink capabilities between iPhone and Android, vs the macOS integration Apple offers iOS.
I was not talking about the infotainment OS. No one has an Apple OS running on a car so I don’t know how they could dominate the market.
It happily allows CarPlay from my iPhone.
CarPlay is (very roughly) the phone pushing video to the car's head unit like it's an external monitor (with a UI tailored for the size/location/usage of a typical car display).
My issue is that my #1 requirement (no functionality that requires a touchscreen to use) basically pre-empts me from having any other requirements.
I agree no touchscreen for AC/volume knob and some other things, but zero touchscreen at all (even for radio and menu) seems out there. Time to get a 2001 Cherokee.
My 2011 car can accomplish everything perfectly well without a touchscreen while I’m wearing giant ski mitts in -30 weather; I’m not interested in a downgrade.
They will, but not by standing firm. No, first will come the backlash, then GM will "listen to its customers" and backtrack on this.
The problem is, I've already as of this morning stopped listening to GM. I sent the link to my wife, and now we're planning which Hyundai/Kia dealer to go to first to look at Ioniq 5s and $(whatever the equivalent Kia is called). Doug in Edmonds says he has 65 of the l'il buggers. We might just drive one home this weekend, at which point GM has not only lost a sale but further convinced me to stay away from GM.
Did I mention that my father worked for GM all his career, and already pre-ordered an EV Blazer, which we said we'd take if he didn't want it at delivery? Yeah, I need to send Dad quick email about that...
I dunno. Lack of CarPlay support has not exactly stopped people buying Teslas.
On the other hand, Polestar uses Google’s Automotive OS for it’s infotainment system and yet also supports CarPlay. So the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
Volvo/Polestar has a rather nice, well-integrated implementation of CarPlay, in fact. It definitely can be done. GM is insane.
That being said, not supporting CarPlay (and Apple Maps) is a big factor of me not buying a Tesla.
They were basically the only non-low end electric car. Also their infotainment is reportedly pretty good, not the quality of most car makers.
GM doesn’t have a Tesla quality infotainment system, and doesn’t have a “we’re the only choice” level hook.
It won’t work for them. And it may be starting to hurt Tesla as they lose their uniqueness selling point.
Yet.
Having poked around with a Polestar, Google’s infotainment software is actually very good.
It’s certainly in the same ballpark as Tesla’s. Clean elegant design, tight integration to the car’s systems, fast smooth performance. And has clear advantages over Tesla in some aspects (ie: ability to install 3rd-party apps).
Oh, it absolutely does. I bought TSLA when it was in the double digits, and I bought lots of it (and long since sold it all). Despite scooping up capital gains with a backhoe, my wife and I never considered a Tesla simply because it didn't have CarPlay. As it applies to any car maker, CarPlay/Android Auto seems like an easy win, and if the company can't be bothered, then we'll look elsewhere.
Lack of CarPlay just doesn't stop everyone from buying one.
There are ways to run CarPlay in the browser, and it works fine (plenty of videos about it), but it isn't enough of a value-add for people to want it.
If you want a truck, get a Ford. They're hands-down the best in class. Or get a Toyota or Honda if you roll that way.
If you want an SUV, well, everybody is making those and GM doesn't have any standout offerings.
If you want a luxury car then there are much better options that are not only more luxurious, but more reliable, and oftentimes cheaper.
If you want reliable, cheap transportation then you're getting a KIA or Hyundai.
No matter how you slice it and dice it, the answer is never GM. (I'll concede the Corvette, they're great sports cars, but c'mon! Not many people are buying those!)
And now they're nixing CarPlay?
Any Bolt is a better car hands-down on battery capacity alone.
On the infotainment topic: I have the top-spec LEAF for my year and the (upgraded) infotainment unit is hot garbage, easily bested by the $175 Android touchscreen I put in my wife's car.
United expects customers to be grateful if they get involuntarily rescheduled to arrive a day and a half after the original arrival time, with not so much as a free snack ticket to compensate e even when the flight delay is of their causing, not weather, that made the original connection impossible.
I’ll never buy the satellite radio plan for my car to stream music. Why would I? My phone already provides a cell connection.
I’ll never buy the car cell plan to stream Spotify. Why would I? My phone does that already.
I never bought the $200+ per year map updates for my last car. Why would I? I had Apple Maps on CarPlay and it updates for free.
In many ways this seems like trying to go back to 2006 when cars had some subscription stuff (maps, satellite radio) but consumers had no other choice besides going without.
Today we have another choice. Use our cell phones. And they’re often superior experiences.
This will be reversed after much shareholder pain.
Sure, but that revenue stream only exists in a situation where the auto manufacturer has monopoly power (over that particular service).
Prior to cell phones, they had that power over navigation and could charge a fee for updated maps (annually via DVD initially).
Attempting to subvert the market and create a monopoly here is anti-consumer, anti-competitive, and very likely a short-sighted decision that GM will regret in 5 years.
At the moment GM (and Tesla...) is capacity constrained so no reason to appease customers any more than they need to. Not till you have excess supply. I think GM can take the hit for a year or two and see if other OEMs follow. If not they can always say "whoops, here's an OTA upgrade".
If other OEMs follow what will consumers do - besides mounting their cellphone on their dash.
It'd be like if United split Economy into say Basic Economy and Economy with the difference being Basic Economy doesn't let you pick a seat. And then in Economy, they charged to pick anything but a middle seat.
Some auto leases are about that much!
In fact I’m surprised no one has suggested banning cars on this thread yet. Someone always seems to pop up suggesting that in any thread remotely related to cars.
Never mind we can also enable the heated seats for you without your having to pay a subscription.
I want the infotainment system to be a dumb terminal for my phone, not yet another soon-to-be obsolete Android device chock full of spyware.
Android auto isn't great but it's definitely going to be better than whatever a car company is going to give me.