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Lexus ES has an optional cloud navigation subscription. I don’t think most people sign up for it, because you can use smart phone integration, but it would be f

Lexus ES has an optional cloud navigation subscription. I don’t think most people sign up for it, because you can use smart phone integration, but it would be frustrating if you had to have a subscription for the smart phone integration to work. I can see having a subscription for features which require ongoing updates, but the reality is that manufacturers will collect the money and probably not ever do much to keep software which implements features updated.

gnicholas 3y ago
Yeah it's crazy to charge for Apple CarPlay on an Audi. It comes standard on nearly all economy cars! There shouldn't be a fee at all — let alone a subscription. Maybe that's the game: distract with outrage over subscriptions, and people will be happy to "just" pay a one-time purchase fee.
- petre 3y ago
  Maybe that's what a premium car actually is right now: just a more polished economy car but with subscription services that you get for free in the cheaper car, less serviceability more expensive maintenance and repairs. Good luck, Audi. The VW brand already has problems and this is a great way of driving your other brands into the ground. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38455881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38455881
qingcharles 3y ago
I seem to remember the first in-car nav system I used in around 1997 had a subscription from the dealer because they would mail out new CDs to install on a regular basis. (Philips CARIN)
tivert 3y ago
> Lexus ES has an optional cloud navigation subscription. I don’t think most people sign up for it, because you can use smart phone integration, but it would be frustrating if you had to have a subscription for the smart phone integration to work. That's a pretty big oversight on Lexus's part. They're leaving money on the table by giving their customers a subscription bypass like that. Let's hope, for the shareholders' sake, that a business consultant notices the error and fixes it quickly.
- pauby 3y ago
  I think the sarcasm was lost there. You need to use /s to remind people :)
quickslowdown 3y ago
I did tech support at Lexus dealerships for 7 years. SO MANY old people buy those nav subscriptions. And Sirius XM
- hilux 3y ago
  Hacker News is such a skewed sample. It's difficult for us to comprehend how gullible and technologically and financially clueless the vast majority of people (esp. old people) are.

gnicholas 3y ago

Yeah it's crazy to charge for Apple CarPlay on an Audi. It comes standard on nearly all economy cars! There shouldn't be a fee at all — let alone a subscription. Maybe that's the game: distract with outrage over subscriptions, and people will be happy to "just" pay a one-time purchase fee.

petre 3y ago
Maybe that's what a premium car actually is right now: just a more polished economy car but with subscription services that you get for free in the cheaper car, less serviceability more expensive maintenance and repairs. Good luck, Audi. The VW brand already has problems and this is a great way of driving your other brands into the ground. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38455881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38455881

qingcharles 3y ago

I seem to remember the first in-car nav system I used in around 1997 had a subscription from the dealer because they would mail out new CDs to install on a regular basis. (Philips CARIN)

tivert 3y ago

> Lexus ES has an optional cloud navigation subscription. I don’t think most people sign up for it, because you can use smart phone integration, but it would be frustrating if you had to have a subscription for the smart phone integration to work. That's a pretty big oversight on Lexus's part. They're leaving money on the table by giving their customers a subscription bypass like that. Let's hope, for the shareholders' sake, that a business consultant notices the error and fixes it quickly.

pauby 3y ago
I think the sarcasm was lost there. You need to use /s to remind people :)

quickslowdown 3y ago

I did tech support at Lexus dealerships for 7 years. SO MANY old people buy those nav subscriptions. And Sirius XM

hilux 3y ago
Hacker News is such a skewed sample. It's difficult for us to comprehend how gullible and technologically and financially clueless the vast majority of people (esp. old people) are.