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Comment by patwolf | Hacker News Reader

The problem with offering car tech is that manufacturers won't want it. They hate the thought of automotive technology being commoditized. If they all use the same underlying technology, then there's less opportunity to differentiate themselves.

GM said recently that it'll be ditching CarPlay and Android Auto in new vehicles. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35573345

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They’re exactly why I switched away from GM this year. I get wanting your own UI but not at least allowing CarPlay and android auto is very telling in the current market and I like getting updates and seamless handoff and/or continuity between the phone and the car.

The last thing I want is my car, with how I use it, stuck on multi year old tech that the car company won’t update and because it’s proprietary you can’t update it either. “Oh sorry the Spotify app we pre installed can’t use any of the new features they released last year. No we don’t plan to update it.”

Car companies are notoriously terrible with software.

Isn't GM ditching phone connectivity in favor of Google Built In (TM)? e.g. they're fine with Google building it if they can upcharge for it.

Yes but that is called Android Automotive, not to be confused with Android Auto. And it does allow customization by car manufacturers.

GM sure is succeeding in differentiating their product. By removing the one infotainment system feature I actually want, they have guaranteed I will never buy one of their cars.

So far everyone I’ve talked to agrees that this is a stupid move. Anecdotal evidence, I know. But I feel like it’s obvious that not offering features isn’t a winning strategy

We’ll see how this plays out, but historically car companies’ tech has been the absolute worst.

I would MUCH rather see software in a car from one of the major tech companies if they insist. Personally, I would be happy with a tablet mount, Bluetooth audio, and physical buttons for the rest.

I would trust a tech company with self driving far more if the software on those media abominations is any indicator.

Thats how the rest of the car is built though. You don’t get a honda, you get a laundry list of component vendors you’ve probably never heard of on a contract to make parts along with a honda badge, vendors who go on to make all the competitors cars out of these same supply lines too.

Maybe this is why GM ditched it. Maybe they talked to Apple and Apple wanted their subscription money and GM thought, Hmmm, we could do that, f* Apple.

They may hate it, but consumers really want it (CarPlay at least). The car market is fairly competitive and Apple customers pay fairly well ...

GM's move isn't about differentiation, it's about more money (no, differentiation alone doesn't == more money). They think they can charge for subscriptions. (They are delusional.)

OK, but none of those companies are going to be differentiating themselves by making their own silicon. and probably not their own self driving software from the looks of things.

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