29 ms·

Apple's risky bet on CarPlay

• mantra2 2y ago
  I and most people I know are part of that 70% of people who would never buy a car without CarPlay. Even my elderly relatives who are not GREAT with tech in general seem to love it.
• RockRobotRock 2y ago
  >Competition aside, from Apple's perspective, CarPlay is also not ideal in its current form. For a company that values control over the user experience, it's an eyesore to see their product embedded inside another product. Why can't we let the car deal with car-related functions and Apple deal with playing podcasts and showing maps? It seems like the best of both worlds to me. Apple is solving a problem that doesn't need solving. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Apple could design a better interface than car manufacturers, but is it really worth the hassle?
  • ajmurmann 2y ago
    This! Cars should be dumb and use physical buttons for all functionality I might use while driving. The entertainment system should just be a larger screen and better speakers for my phone. I have zero interest in dealing with a infotainment system developed by the car maker that's built-in. This way I can upgrade by buying a new phone, it's synced to my phone because it's my phone and everything works the same in rental cars and I don't need to sync any of my data to rental cars. I'm pretty happy with my car, but I'm sometimes annoyed when it thinks it's ok to use the display or speakers for things that aren't coming from my phone. It's the same issue as stupid "smart" tvs!
• luuurker 2y ago
  > This is a little unfair because Castro is a small, iOS-only app. [...] But it does mean that if I want to listen to podcasts in these cars, I have to change my podcast app to one available in the Play Store. That's the downside of choosing apps that are not cross platform. Don't do that if you want to have the freedom to use different systems.
• teeray 2y ago
  > But it won't be possible to sell a subscription for a feature when all is controlled by Apple CarPlay Good I bought the car, now get out of my life. I’m not paying hundreds of dollars for GPS map updates when I can plug in my phone and use any other mapping app’s evergreen maps. Also, subscriptions for heated seats are patently absurd.
• lanthade 2y ago
  It’s amusing when the author says “when the phone crashes.” My 2022 Subaru Outback head unit frequently crashes or is really unresponsive. My iPhone never crashes. Car infotainment systems are garbage. I’d never buy a car without CarPlay. It’s maybe the #1 measure I have for vehicle quality when I rent on vacation.
  • dzhiurgis 2y ago
    FWIW Teslas infotainment works better than CarPlay
    • filoleg 2y ago
      Somewhat agreed (I prefer the Tesla infotainment system over CarPlay, but they both have their own advantages, despite being imo equally good overall), but I would say it’s not super relevant to the argument. And only because Tesla infotainment is the only car manufacturer’s first-party infotainment system I’ve seen that can hold a candle to CarPlay. Not a single other one I’ve seen was even close. CarPlay was the best I could hope for, because anything that was first-party (excluding Tesla) was absolutely awful. I don’t remember which specific brands had CarPlay and which ran their own infotainment systems, but I remember a couple years ago visiting dealerships of BMW/Mercedes/Honda/Toyota/Kia/Subaru/Ford and walking away either relieved that the car had CarPlay or internally cursing at their first-party infotainment system and promising myself to not even bother trying next time.
    • cjensen 2y ago
      Doesn't matter because CarPlay and AA allow you to bring whatever apps you want to with you. If you listen to podcasts or books on your phone, you can continue them from the CarPlay/AA interface next time you drive. CarPlay and Android Auto give you the choice of your own app and full integration with the rest of your listening life.
      • ajross 2y ago
        That's a statement about audio playing only though. To first approximation the core job of a car infotainment product is map and navigation display. Everything else is noise.
• jeffchien 2y ago
  You don't have to download a new podcast app because you could just play it through Bluetooth. CarPlay and AA probably wouldn't even exist if it weren't for car vent phone holders and 2.5mm/Bluetooth upending automakers' grip on navigation and entertainment.
  • hot_gril 2y ago
    It's amusing how some new cars seemingly deliberately have no place to put your phone, while some older ones were specifically designed to hold your iPod.
• nottommo 2y ago
  Big fan of apple CarPlay installed an aftermarket one in my 2004 Golf and it can make it feel more modern than some 2013 cars.
• adastra22 2y ago
  Can I please not have my dashboard change configuration every time I plug my phone in? Infotainment only is a FEATURE, not a bug!
• sircastor 2y ago
  When I worked for an Auto maker (left 2 years ago), the cluster was an independent system from infotainment. They could follow messages from each other on the bus (it wasn’t CAN bus, we’d moved on from that) but basically there wasn’t a way for CarPlay to talk to the Cluster. I’m willing to bet that the soonest any large OEM could offer CarPlay 2 would be next year. The development process is just too slow to turn around something.
  • wackget 2y ago
    CarPlay features in the instrument cluster is already a thing in some cars: https://youtu.be/HB4CODQmYl8?t=140 https://youtu.be/HB4CODQmYl8?t=140
  • SkyPuncher 2y ago
    Sure, but that's just auto manufactures largely sticking to a legacy system because they don't need to improve. As soon as customers demand better, there will be better/easier integration between the two components.
• Tiktaalik 2y ago
  Tbh CarPlay runs really badly in my 2018 VW GTI and Castro in particular is extremely buggy. It’s pretty much random if the turn by turn audio navigation works at all. The fact that everyone seems to think CarPlay is great though I guess suggests that the problem lies with the implementation details with the VW. > there is no match for seamlessly transferring the phone's state to the car. I’ll point out it’s not at all seamless. In fact it’s extremely cumbersome to fish out a lightning cable and plug the phone in. A good car infotainment system where I didn’t have to connect my phone at all would be seamless.
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• mxlapp 2y ago
  Volvo's car radio is not easy to use, I hope it would be better to use CarPlay directly
• neilv 2y ago
  > Thanks to a deep integration with the software stack of the vehicle, CarPlay 2 can control most infotainment functions. It can therefore take over the entire infotainment display, the instrument cluster, and any passenger displays. The instrument cluster? Any other safety-critical functions that the iPhone isn't isolated from?
  • jeena 2y ago
    Normally the instrument cluster runs a different software stack, but can overlay some graphics from the infotainment in certain areas to show navigation or what music is playing right now.
• jeena 2y ago
  The author is talking about that they only use Google Maps, Spotify and some podcast app and that those are not available in the car. Interestingly for me only the Google Maps thing is a problem, actually Google Maps doesn't work here in South Korea so I have to use Kakao Maps or T-Map. Anyway music and especially podcast work wonderfully over bluetooth.
• hsbauauvhabzb 2y ago
  Two things scare me about Android / Apple car integration - I’d be interested in experiences others have had: Obsolescence - ‘your phone is too old to use with this car’ or your car being too old for your phone. Double points for software updates to either which disable functions or features. Vendor lock-in - are the players mutually exclusive? Does having a phone from one manufacturer limit my car choices?
  • jacooper 2y ago
    > Vendor lock-in - are the players mutually exclusive? Does having a phone from one manufacturer limit my car choices? Realistically it's going to be the other way around
    • hsbauauvhabzb 2y ago
      That’s semantically irrelevant, and potentially incorrect depending on context. 0/10.
• esel2k 2y ago
  Shouldn’t this be exactly like the bluetooth integration? It’s just a defined protocol for basic functions like start, stop, play etc. so similarly stream any Apps from your phone with basic commands? I am happy to limit myself to a large google maps screen and the rest is control of my entertainment like I do today (open the app and then control via bluetooth). By this we have no vendor lock in and just making sure there is a protocol downwards compatibility…
• wilde 2y ago
  Ugh, CarPlay 1 is exactly the division of responsibilities I want. I don’t want Apple anywhere near the actual driving functions and instruments. It takes a long time for my car to connect to CarPlay and it’d be super distracting to have the instruments suddenly change to Apple’s as I’m driving.
• graftak 2y ago
  I much rather have car manufacturers creating ‘exclusive to their brand’ themes and skins for the CarPlay 2 dials than not having car play (2) at all. Car manufacturers have had decades to develop their software but almost all are difficult to work with, slow, give bad user feedback (full screen pop-up with entire paragraphs while navigating) and are cumbersome to get accustomed to when switching cars. I’m one of the 79% that demands CarPlay, if it’s not part of the car I don’t want it.
  • camillomiller 2y ago
    Having had to do with car executives, especially in Europe, let me tell you... they're a peculiar lot. The older ones confuse their old school pride for business acumen more often than not, because of survival bias from an era when the two things actually coincided. The younger ones are frustrated by the fact that older upper management is extremely conservative and they're often put down or given toy projects to tinker with. On the other hand, incumbent carmakers might have also seen how Apple was able to turn the carriers' business around by convincing Cingular/AT&T about giving up their control and they don't like the idea of ending up like the carriers, with overarching licensing fees for keeping on using the tech...
• roydivision 2y ago
  All I look for is a USB connection to the simple stereo, plug my phone in and mount it on the dash. I fail to see why I have to deal with the additional cognitive load of an other interface that WILL go wrong when I already have a perfectly good one in my pocket. (No, I don't even want Bluetooth, ugh).
  • wodenokoto 2y ago
    I also prefer this, but I find that lots of cars for some reason end up with weird volume levels for turn-by-turn compared to the music. Have you found a bullet proof way of adjusting this?
    • roydivision 2y ago
      Interesting, no, I don't have this, luckily. I do have a weird thing that Siri speaks through the phone's speaker not the car's speakers, even when I'm playing music through the car's speakers over USB. This would probably be fixed if I used Bluetooth for the audio, but that's a whole level of pain I'd rather avoid.
• mfeldheim 2y ago
  The only reason I use CarPlay is because I have an iPhone. The experience with Android auto is way ahead. Did you ever try to call a business that’s not in your contacts? Did you ever try to ask a simple question? Siri integration is horrible
  • withinboredom 2y ago
    Siri, in general, is horrible. Just ask Siri: "set an alarm for 12:00 UTC" or "set an alarm for 12:00 Eastern Standard Time" and she will create an alarm named UTC or Eastern Standard Time ... but it's actually in your current timezone. Super annoying when you want to set an alarm in a timezone you are going to be traveling to.
  • rekoil 2y ago
    I feel like we should separate Voice Assistants from infotainment in general here. Yes, Siri is terrible, but the EUs new DMA law requires that I be able to select a different voice assistant on iOS too, and that should theoretically, once implemented, also apply to CarPlay. In my opinion, and while I haven't used "Android Auto" I have used "Android Automotive" (the OS version, without a phone driving the integration), CarPlay the infotainment integration (besides Siri) offers a better user experience.
  • r00fus 2y ago
    My Siri hack is to ask "call $business_name near me" and it works pretty well. For asian names, I just ask "call $restaurant_category near me". I really hope Siri gets that LLM-based upgrade in iOS18 but I can cope with it for now.
• parski 2y ago
  I went from CarPlay (Kia e-Niro) to Tesla (Model 3) to CarPlay (Volvo XC40 Recharge) and I vastly prefer CarPlay. I've tried wireless CarPlay (BMW M2) and while convenient when entering and exiting the vehicle I found it to be quite laggy compared to wired. While Tesla does have the Apple Podcasts app it's a really bad experience. It won't sync playback state properly so I have to memorize what I'm listening to and how far I've gotten when I switch from car to phone or back. Similar story with Apple Music and even Spotify (which is usually great at keeping state between devices but not with Tesla for some reason). Yes, I paid for "premium connectivity". Tesla did have better route planning though. I also really don't like wireless charging. It spares the port from constant wear but my device tends to get really hot and the charging is very inefficient. I plan to go back to slow wired charging everywhere to put less strain on the battery. I already have in my car and by my PC. Unfortunately my XC40 doesn't support dual screen CarPlay so I use the Google Maps in Android Automotive for navigation and use CarPlay for music, podcasts, etc. Switching from AA Google Maps and CarPlay and back is not a high friction interaction though so it's an okay solution. I'm also able to deactivate wireless charging so I'm pretty happy with this solution.
• can16358p 2y ago
  One thing that is ridiculous with CarPlay is that I can't read messages: it only allows to "speak" it and while I use my phone in English I message with my friends in my native language and speaking works terrible. Even my car's shitty infotainment system can display messages. This results in the worst possible outcome: I need to take my phone and read the messages on my phone screen, creating a safety risk.
  • trodat14 2y ago
    Why do you need to read messages while you’re driving?
    • fragmede 2y ago
      because the message may be informing the driver of a change in destination
      • deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
  • bzzzt 2y ago
    Is the message so important it justifies creating a safety risk? You could also just wait until you've arrived or stop the car at a safe place...
    • mihainov 2y ago
      That's the problem. I don't know if the message is important or not unless I see it. There wouldn't be a safety risk if at least the beginning of the message was displayed on screen. That would be enough to figure out if it's something worth stopping for or something that can wait.
    • can16358p 2y ago
      Well it could be important. CarPlay has no problem displaying a notification of a message with a red dot or a popup from below. If it didn't, then I get it. But it does show that there's a message but doesn't show the message itself: worst of both worlds.
• deergomoo 2y ago
  All I want from CarPlay is for it not to start blaring the last thing I was playing on the car speakers as soon as I plug it in, especially given there’s about a 10 second window between the sound playing and the head unit being booted enough to actually show the screen so I can pause it. I have no idea if it’s the car or CarPlay but could I please just have a toggle somewhere?
  • jonny_eh 2y ago
    Most radios have a mute that’ll also pause the playback
  • rekoil 2y ago
    It's the car I'm pretty sure. If anyone has another take I'd love to hear what they think, but I've used many implementations of CarPlay and have never encountered what you're describing.
  • nervousvarun 2y ago
    A similar thing happens to me. I don't use Apple Music regularly. This means the last song I played is from something like 2-3 years ago. I constantly listen to podcasts and other music streaming services on my phone. Constantly. In the shower, running, in the gym, walking around town...constantly. Yet when I enter my car and CarPlay starts for some reason maybe 50% of the time (not all of the time even) it randomly decides to play the last song I streamed in Apple Music 2-3 years ago. WTF Apple?
• m000 2y ago
  Why can't we have a car that only has: (a) a standardized mechanism for attaching and powering your phone on its dashboard (think a "mini VESA mount" with options for USB/wireless charging) (b) bluetooth HID-compatible physical controls on the steering wheel and/or center console so you don't have to reach for your device (c) a minified car "radio" that only offers AM/FM radio and bluetooth audio connectivity All other controls should be physical, copied straight out of a 90s/00s car.
  • arepublicadoceu 2y ago
    The same reason why we can't have: - TV's that only display images without syphoning user data; - One-time payment app purchase without subscription.
    • m000 2y ago
      If you don't mean "make more money"/"squeeze out every penny possible", I doubt the reasons are the same. These are 3 totally different classes of products, with different development/support costs, and pricing orders of magnitude apart. - A new car is an O($10k) investment. - A TV is an O($100) investment. - A monthly app subscription is typically O($1).
• whoitwas 2y ago
  This article is very surprising to me, people actually use and want this software? I always avoid using car infotainment because they suck and just link my phone via bluetooth because it isn't the worst possible thing.
• jlnthws 2y ago
  I still drive a 2008 model car with nothing more than a radio and a basic Bluetooth handsfree system, and it's all I've ever needed. When I bought the car, I consciously opted out of a 3500€ built-in GPS, predicting that smartphone navigation would soon surpass it. Over a decade later, that decision still holds up—my iPhone handles all my navigation needs more effectively than any built-in system could. Now, as I face the inevitability of replacing my car due to dubious environmental regulations (current car emits less than modern but twice heavier ones), I'm genuinely concerned about the current state of car infotainment systems. They feel overly complex, bloated, and fragile, prioritizing features over functionality and user experience. The shift towards these systems seems more like a downgrade, sacrificing reliability and usability for unnecessary add-ons that don't improve the driving experience. Anyone in the same position? What car would you recommend that meets environmental standards but keeps the infotainment system super simple, or even non-existent?
  • 293984j29384 2y ago
    The AA/Carplay experience is incredibly superior to a cell phone clipped into some type of holder. With wireless Carplay, I couldn't even imagine going back to plugging my phone in, or even taking it out of my pocket. There is no downside because you aren't forced into using it.
    • jlnthws 2y ago
      > incredibly superior to a cell phone I guess YMMV. I've recently had the chance to test drive some of the latest models from BMW and Audi, and honestly, I found their infotainment software to be quite laggy and sometimes unresponsive. It felt inexact and bloated, reminiscent of an old Windows XP laptop with a Samsung UI skin. While the CarPlay integration was ok, it still didn’t surpass the simplicity and efficiency of just using my iPhone mounted on the dashboard as a makeshift heads-up display.
      • 293984j29384 2y ago
        I'd agree with the comments about the built-in system for any car but I disagree that mounting your phone on the dashboard is more simple and efficient then just leaving it in your pocket for the same functionality.
• EasyMark 2y ago
  I don't understand why they never formed a committee and decide core basic features an OS should provide, set up an open spec API (a good one), and have that as a basis for android, ios, and mobile phones. Something like that could easily hold up for 20 years. Obviously we could put in climate controls, but all the cars should have the same basic "position" and "heirarchy tree" of where basic controls/settings are. Whenever I rent a car it's always a fkn hastle to find settings. That's all I ask :)
  • Terretta 2y ago
    Who is "they" and "we"? Perhaps the group behind OBD II? https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/everything-you-need-to-know-about-obd-obdii/ https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/everything-you-need-to-kn...
• aaroninsf 2y ago
  A lot of this is a parable about what is wrong with the tech industry, which rewards dominance and market seizure rather than utility, longevity, and other consumer benefits. Car makers what "differentiation". Uh huh. That is literally, exactly, what consumers do NOT want or benefit from. I want consistency so that I can get in a rental car, or my friend's car, or my new car, and have sh-t just work. The LAST thing I want is a curated subset of familiar apps and controls, plus crappily designed but "cool looking" replacements all about convenying Brand(tm) Values.
• 486sx33 2y ago
  Almost bought a ford mustang but for some reason that year ford did not have CarPlay that worked via Bluetooth , you had to have the phone hooked up via usb and maps was glitchy as hell during the test drive. Bought a challenger instead which is a bigger nicer car anyway and CarPlay is flawless. I have a 2020 Yukon XL as well which is amazingly flawless for CarPlay , too bad GM dropped CarPlay. I wouldn’t buy another GM without it.
• pbronez 2y ago
  I recently rented a car with Android Automotive. I was not impressed. It was laggy, clunky, and confusing. Fortunately it supported CarPlay, so I mostly used that. The one cool feature was that Google maps driving directions showed up on the front instrument cluster in addition to the center console. That’s a feature I’d like to have more broadly.
• daanvr 2y ago
  My next car must have CarPlay...
• oldpersonintx 2y ago
  Apple is a predatory partner Every partnership Apple enters must result in Apple winning and the other party simply being a subservient cog So, no one wants to do business with them in new markets where Apple doesn't have leverage This is why they couldn't get a manufacturing partner for the now-dead Apple car...no one wanted to be the Foxconn of cars (they do all the work, Apple gets all the credit)
  • tnmom 2y ago
    I am _very_ happy that the manufacturer of my car is a subservient cog wrt the infotainment system. They suck at when they’re not a subservient cog.
  • DonHopkins 2y ago
    You're suffering from Tim Cook Derangement Syndrome.
  • resource_waste 2y ago
    How would Apple not have leverage in the car market? There are 18 companies and only 1 Apple Logo. I think Apple failed on cars because they are significantly more complex then hobbling off-the-shelf electrical parts together and slapping an OS on it. Think of how many companies can assemble electronics and make OS. Its easy, literal sub 18 year olds make prototypes like this.
• mannyv 2y ago
  CarPlay mostly works, and although it has issues it's definitely user-focused. CarPlay doesn't prevent car makers from tracking vehicle activity. In the end, consumers don't give a shit about the in-vehicle infotainment. It sucks, or it's AA/CarPlay. The first generation of iDrive showed that rich people people will buy cars in spite of the in-car stuff. In fact, most car infotainment sucks, yet people still buy cars. Let's turn the question around: why would car makers want to spend millions of dollars a year rolling their own infotainment system? So they can make incremental revenue selling ads and user data? So they have control? Control over what, exactly?
  • devmor 2y ago
    >In the end, consumers don't give a shit about the in-vehicle infotainment. It sucks, or it's AA/CarPlay. My ideal "infotainment" is a button that lets me pair bluetooth and volume/skip controls on my steering wheel. I have a phone mount, like almost everyone does. I don't need a display on my dashboard. AA/CarPlay (and everything else) are genuinely just distracting annoyances that take up space. Especially in newer cars where the screens are for some reason, no longer matte and often angled upwards so that they just blast reflected sun into your eyes.
    • internetter 2y ago
      Likewise. I vastly prefer the physical buttons, as I can hit them without taking my eyes off the road. The only two things I use infotainment for is mapping and music control.
      • hedora 2y ago
        Bluetooth should let you select phone audio sources from your car buttons. It’s usually terribly implemented. iOS doesn’t support it for third party apps or first party podcasts, and apple music’s support is a shit show. Android is better, but it is hit-or-miss depending on the car. I wish the government would declare this a safety feature and mandate recalls for incorrect implementations (including phones and cars).
    • 2y ago
• AceJohnny2 2y ago
  Article is really about the unofficially called "Carplay 2", a deeper integration that Apple announced in 2022 but hasn't been heard about since. As the article itself says, CarPlay Original Flavor is a massive success, I'm in the "79% of drivers only consider a car if it has CarPlay" (bye-bye GM!)
  • randomdata 2y ago
    > (bye-bye GM!) To be fair, at this point only the Ultium EV-based models won't have CarPlay, and they are struggling to build them anyway. Even if they do figure out the production issues and achieve the targets of their wildest dreams, they will still only account for around 6% of all the vehicles GM produces. They're not exactly betting the farm on it.
  • genmud 2y ago
    I sold my GM truck because of how horrible the head unit was. I am still driving my 8 year old f150 because the infotainment system works fairly well.
  • ComputerGuru 2y ago
    Apparently this isn't true. If you have a car where the 2nd screen behind the steering wheel also shows CarPlay-related stuff, you have CarPlay 2 (or so I've been told). It's just not as invasive and all-or-nothing as it was billed to be.
    • sitharus 2y ago
      CarPlay 2 is arriving late 2024 according to Apple, so it's definitely not a CarPlay 2 feature. Dual screen CarPlay was released in 2019 https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/20/20875604/apple-carplay-ios13-multiple-screen-no-support https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/20/20875604/apple-carplay-io...
    • MBCook 2y ago
      No. There are three things, which makes it confusing. 1: “original” CarPlay. Shows up on your head unit 2: enhanced “original” CarPlay. Some cars can show the map or turn by turn instructions behind the steering wheel on a screen there 3: “new” CarPlay. This is where CarPlay fully takes over every screen. Nothing has been released, I think only one very expensive model has even said they’re going it. Today e dry one has #1 or #2. The article is about a mix of #3 and maybe a version of #3 run on the car not the phone, like Android Automotive. The lack of distinct names for things on both the Apple side and Google side (auto vs automotive) just makes this all very hard to discuss at times.
• paxys 2y ago
  We are in the golden age of phone<->car integration, so enjoy it while it lasts. In a few more years 100% of auto manufacturers are going to start charging a monthly subscription for this, split between them and Apple/Google.
  • poisonborz 2y ago
    People would just buy a head unit for a fixed price, and use the built in screen only for adjusting aircon and whatever is vehicle-specific. Also carmakers would never give up to have a total control over their car screen like this. They are struggling for a decade now with more and more horrid iterations, with no end in sight.
• swozey 2y ago
  Carplay2 seems cool, but if it takes away my ability to just jump into whatever new car with my iphone or android phone and use aa/carplay I don't want to lose carplay. I have 3 cars with carplay and I don't want to have to set all of them up and lose portability.
• ramshorst 2y ago
  As CarPlay aims to dominate even more screens in our cars, isn't Apple simply replacing buttons and dials with potentially distracting and fingerprint-smeared touch screens just to extend its software reach?
  • adrr 2y ago
    Apple just needs to make Siri usable like the Google home assistant or Alexa.
  • encoderer 2y ago
    I have physical buttons that control CarPlay - for navigation and music
  • itishappy 2y ago
    This seems like an odd thing to blame Apple for. They never provided those buttons and dials.
• pistolpeteDK 2y ago
  After spending a very long time trying to find the perfect non-Tesla EV with both carplay, good range, cargo space etc… I gave up and “settled” for a Model Y LR. The software in a Tesla is just as good as Elon is bad. Not to turn this into an anti-Elon thing… But the software in the Tesla is really second-to-none, and more folks would find out if it weren’t for Elon.
  • serial_dev 2y ago
    It's not necessarily an Elon issue. Elon was, for a long time, the genius billionaire who saves us from climate change and gets us to Mars, so even in liberal cycles he was liked until he bought Twitter (or until he became a sh1tposter on Twitter). Some people just like the software, some don't. Me personally, find it way too much, too complicated and I am not going to control my AC over touch screen, sorry.
  • jitl 2y ago
    I was in the same spot, decided to do a 3-year lease on a gas Mercedes while waiting for the US EV market to deliver the mythical "Tesla Y with Carplay and manual air conditioning grates". Hyundai Genesis is really close, needs a bit more baking.
• StephenSmith 2y ago
  If you're in the market for a new-to-you car, then I recommend looking at the model years where they switch from wired car-play to wireless car-play and buying the previous model-year. Typically this difference of one model-year can add thousands to the cost of the vehicle, especially because wireless car-play is so coveted. The experience of wireless is fantastic, but is it worth several thousand dollars? Maybe, but herein lies the trick. Buy a dongle. They're about $100 for a good one. They can be tucked away in the vehicle. They work almost* as good as integrated wireless car-play. *Maybe add 5 seconds to auto-connect when you get in your car.
  • bdcravens 2y ago
    Some of the dongles function as Android tablets as well, allowing you to run pretty much any Android app (like Youtube, Netflix, etc without any restriction, though not all apps are safe and may even be illegal while driving)
  • SkyPuncher 2y ago
    I have one wired and one wireless vehicle. I will absolutely pay more for integrated wireless. It just works flawlessly. We've upgraded the wired one with one of those dongles. It mostly works, but has some quirks. The three most annoying: * Phone calls result in a feedback loop for the other end. Essentially, they break the in-car noise cancellation and playback the caller audio to the caller. * When my wife pulls in the garage, my phone will connect - even though it should have been connected to her phone. * The USB port that connects to the head unit remains power for a period of time after the vehicle is off. Annoying when I'm in the kitchen (next to the garage) and my phone keeps trying to CarPlay. EDIT: I'm also realizing that I believe the car with Wireless has associated each of our keys with our phones. Despite them both being paired, it will prioritize the phone last used with the key. That's pretty handy for not having to fight with pairing.
  • albumen 2y ago
    When I looked into this previously, the delay seemed pretty significant, not just upon auto connect. Can you recommend your dongle?
• RobT7k 2y ago
  I have zero interest in the CarPlay v2 (as described in the article). CarPlay v1, however, is an absolute requirement. It works great and gives me pretty much everything I want.
  • MBCook 2y ago
    I’m curious, but honestly I don’t see any automaker ever playing along.
    • eddythompson80 2y ago
      I don’t know man. Never underestimate Apple’s marketing. If it’s a good implementation, all they would need is 1 automaker to do it the others will have to. I wouldn’t consider a new car without AA/CarPlay and many others are in the same boat. Automakers had to start offering upgrades to their old cars to support AA/CarPlay. There is no way automakers could invest as much into software development as Apple or Google. I hear people like their Tesla infotainment systems, but I don’t have a Tesla nor plan on buying one. Also don’t see how they could match the AppStore/Play Store.
      • MBCook 2y ago
        I won’t buy without CarPlay either. But if Android Automotive runs CarPlay, I’m not sure how much I care. And I’m a huge fanboy. I’d like to be able to use Siri to control the temperature and a few other things. And taking over the whole screen could be nice. But Apple is such a control freak about things I have a hard time seeing most car makers agree to it. And just about every industry Apple has touched has learned the lesson that Apple takes things over. Car makers clearly already dislike the fact that CarPlay is so popular, I don’t think they want to give Apple MORE leverage. I find the idea of Android taking over the industry a problem (monoculture = bad, manufacturers are clearly not up to it themselves). Apple could be a hedge. But they’re not a play nice company even when they should be. They haven’t learned humility again after losing it during iPod/iPhone rise.
• jkmcf 2y ago
  Recently had two rental cars with CarPlay. Oddly, the experience with a Chevy (who is abandoning CarPlay support) was much better than the Hyundai, though its main problem was connecting and constantly asking permission. Since my older cars do not have it, having a great mount (Peak Design) makes a huge difference, but damn I want it integrated if only for the bigger screen.
• mey 2y ago
  As a shopper of a vehicle. I want my car to control car operation/cockpit information. I have enjoyed the continuous improvement of navigation and entertainment functionality of Android Auto/Car Play. For the love of god, keep them separate. One is critical vehicle functionality. There other can crash/reboot/have connectivity issues, without me being concerned about knowing the engine is overheating/battery pack is dead, a tire is blowing out via TPS or I'm speeding. I don't want a car that is CarPlay only, guess what, my car is not an accessory to my phone. The genius of current Android Auto/CarPlay is that the car head unit can act as a mostly "dumb" head unit for my external mobile processor.
  • dzhiurgis 2y ago
    > One is critical vehicle functionality Except it isn't. Can you start or continue driving without any of that info? Then it isn't critical. Critical functionality is: - steering - drivetrain - brakes - tyres
• xyst 2y ago
  I used to be fascinated with Apple but I no longer want anything to do with them. I could care less if my car has Apple or android auto at this point. I would rip it out immediately if it had one. Any always on connectivity would be removed. Car manufacturers are increasingly selling off your private data and leveraging all of these technology upgrades you paid for to do it. As soon as the car is connected to the internet, it’s shipping off your private data and selling it to data brokers. Manufacturers are hiding behind their wall of text called “terms of service” to do so [1] In some cases the manufacturers are reporting your driving history to insurance companies so they can get any reason to bump your rates or deny you coverage . [2] My dream car is now a “dumb” car. Give me a car with a simple backup camera, manual transmission, and regular sized vehicle (no trucks or suvs, fuck that). [1] https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/ https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/article... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/technology/gm-lexis-nexis-driving-data.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/technology/gm-lexis-nexis...
  • kernal 2y ago
    If you tried to rip out Android Automotive you car probably wouldn't work anymore. But, you would have a dumb car that just wouldn't start.
  • astrange 2y ago
    > In some cases the manufacturers are reporting your driving history to insurance companies so they can get any reason to bump your rates or deny you coverage . [2] Obviously good. Driving is incredibly dangerous to other people and insurance companies are the most motivated to make it safer.
  • gmadsen 2y ago
    kind of funny a back up camera is now considered a "dumb" car feature
    • Dylan16807 2y ago
      What metric do you want to use for smart versus dumb? CCTV dates back a hundred years. The vast majority of dumb phones have had cameras since before the advent of the smart phone.
• roughly 2y ago
  Something that stuck out to me in the article: > There used to be a big difference in driving characteristics and technology between premium and budget brands. Compared to a Volkswagen, a BMW used to have a more powerful engine, better handling, and comfort features like seat-heating and cruise control. However, a Volkswagen Golf now has similar tech as a BMW and with the transition to EVs, drivetrains and handling won't be the same differentiator as before. The thing is: that didn't used to be that way. You can blame it on the transition to EVs, but part of that transition seems to be that a bunch of manufacturers decided not to build their own platforms, motors, etc and are just licensing from other manufacturers*. The article's correct to note that flattens a lot of the value proposition of any given manufacturer, and if that's forcing them to lean in a lot on the software, that's a weird position for an automotive manufacturer, because that's never been anyone in the industry's strong suite - there's a reason 80% of drivers won't buy a car without CarPlay. It's also notable that the brands who do seem to be going in on CarPlay are those that still make a point of building their own engines and platforms - Aston, Porsche, and even Polestar tries to differentiate itself there. * to be clear, this was happening before EVs, too - BMW put out a car that shared a platform with a Toyota, in a move that should've caused a plague of locust to descend on Munich if God existed and had a driver's license, and Stellantis put a Lancia badge on a Chrysler a couple years back.
  • ajmurmann 2y ago
    > BMW put out a car that shared a platform with a Toyota, in a move that should've caused a plague of locust to descend on Munich if God existed and had a driver's license Why is this bad on BMW? Doesn't Toyota make the most reliable cars?
    • srockets 2y ago
      The BMW Z4 2018 and later models shares platform with the Toyota Supra 2019 and later. The platform, at least according to both brands marketing, was co-developed, and it is manufactured in Austria by a 3rd party that also built cars for other brands. And no, Toyota doesn't make the most reliable cars. It might have been true for some period of time, but isn't true for every model and every year (even Corolla, often suggested as a very reliable sedan, has some versions that are in fact infamous for their tendency for oil sludge buildup that result in engine failures).
• daanvr 2y ago
  How significant is the demand for advanced infotainment systems like CarPlay 2 among consumers? Are there market studies or consumer surveys indicating that buyers would prioritize "CarPlay 2" capabilities when purchasing new vehicles?
  • resource_waste 2y ago
    Does it come with a fruit logo sticker?
• btown 2y ago
  > A lot of the concerns around branding focus on the instrument cluster as it's one of the most recognizable parts of an interior. If you look at the CarPlay concept for Porsche and remove the steering wheel, there is no way you can tell it's a Porsche. I'm sure many brands took notice of this... With many traditional differentiators being democratized, design is a good way to stand out. This is a really good case study in how difficult it is to find a balance between co-branding and maintaining a consistently high-quality design system across co-branding partners. There's a massive amount of work across UI/UX design and implementation done at Apple that assumes that widgets are not only using a serif font, but a specific serif font with specific kerning; that color-primary-60 and color-primary-50 and color-for-text-on-top-of-primary-60 are distinguished in a very specific way. (Light/dark mode and localization efforts force a degree of flexibility here, but there are still a finite set of QA targets if you focus on primary language markets.) But what happens if multiple partners want their own primary color and font? This suddenly has far-reaching, costly ramifications across multiple organizations. Even having planned your APIs from day one around color and style customizability doesn't guarantee that this can be done successfully. Taken to an extreme, frontend engineers (not just their embedded designers) are practically required to hold the context of all future potential customization needs in mind when implementing a component - a nigh impossible ask. Which is to say that there are few companies that could pull off what the OP posits that car manufacturers are requesting, having a world-class interface that is customized to their brand. That's a tall order even for Apple's depth of talent.
  • WWLink 2y ago
    If it mattered that much, I think Porsche could still just use their classic gauges with 1 being a screen (as they currently do on most of their cars). Probably unpopular opinion, but I preferred mechanical gauges anyway.
  • vsdlrd 2y ago
    That is a great point and you are absolutely right! It really shows how tricky the UI part of this is and how quickly you run into scaling issues
• yabones 2y ago
  There's an interesting gap when discussing carplay/aa. Cars from the 90s up until about 2013 can be easily fitted with a $500 head unit upgrade, and support carplay quite well. With the right tools, it can be done in about two hours right in your driveway. Cars from 2018 and up pretty universally support carplay, and it's generally quite well integrated into the car's infotainment system. But, between 2013 and 2017, things were a complete mess. In-car systems were too integrated to be replaceable with a third party 2-DIN unit, but too primitive to run carplay/AA. People who have cars from this era either sell them (for less than they're worth, since only 21% of people will buy a car without carplay!) or put up with it for another 8 years or so until the car's wound out. For example, my rustbucket '06 Toyota has a great sounding stereo with carplay but my sibling's 2017 Nissan is stuck with flaky and poorly integrated bluetooth. Or, if you do want to upgrade your 2013-2017 car, you end up replacing half of the in-dash components with ones from a couple model years up, tapping into the car's CAN bus to recognize the new controller, and then running some sketchy scripts to patch the firmware to remove component protection since the VIN's don't match up anymore. Not for the faint of heart.
  • 1970-01-01 2y ago
    People like to complain about touch screens and lack of buttons, but the loss of the double DIN slot is a much worse loss. It more or less forces you to buy a new car to get satellite navigation updates or properly functioning Bluetooth.
    • bonestamp2 2y ago
      Agreed. These days you can get a double DIN carplay/aa deck with a slot load DVD player for under $80 USD. That is absolutely shocking. I mean, we couldn't even get a 5" slot load CD drive for our computers for that kind of money and these things have a 5" screen on them too!
  • js2 2y ago
    > But, between 2013 and 2017, things were a complete mess. In-car systems were too integrated to be replaceable with a third party 2-DIN unit, but too primitive to run carplay/AA Mazda sells a retrofit kit for their 2014 (Mazda 3) / 2016 (other models) and newer cars that didn't come with native CP/AA. It's about $200 and DIY if you're the least bit handy: https://mazdaparts.org/mazda-3-smartphone-mirroring-kit.html https://mazdaparts.org/mazda-3-smartphone-mirroring-kit.html
• aaronbrethorst 2y ago
  This article could really use a tl;dr. I tapped out about a third of the way through after I got bored with slogging through so much windup in search of a “risky bet.”
• spike021 2y ago
  A huge benefit to CarPlay for me is I can travel someplace like Japan, get a car with a CarPlay-supported head unit, and immediately I have Google or Apple Maps available straight off the bat in English with all my saved locations like hotels or places that are bookmarked. Nothing to set up or anything. The only downside I've experienced with it in Japan is the GPS can be wonky in tunnels whereas the car's built-in GPS seemingly doesn't.
  • hedgehog 2y ago
    The car probably has odometry and inertial sensors to do position updates while GPS is unavailable. That's actually how some of the original car nav systems worked even pre-GPS in the 80s.
    • spike021 2y ago
      That makes sense. I would've thought the accelerometer/gyro in the phone could be used similarly but I'm probably wrong.
      • astrange 2y ago
        It can, but it's harder because you can mount the phone any way you want in the car, or not mount it at all.
    • SkyPuncher 2y ago
      I strongly doubt that. Cars simply have bigger, more power antennas because they don't have to be packaged in a phone. One of our cars has a wireless modem that can be used for a hotspot. I've driven to plenty of areas where my phone has no service (think remote and hilly terrain), but the car still has two or three bars.
      • hedgehog 2y ago
        The sensors are there and report on CAN bus, I just don't know enough about how the nav systems are integrated to know if they actually use the data.
• sunshowers 2y ago
  As a former iPhone and current Android user, I would be very hesitant to buy any car that has Apple software in it. I don't trust Apple's software to work well with whatever phone I end up picking next.
  • serial_dev 2y ago
    My understanding is that most cars ship with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so you (or your passengers) don't need to commit to one mobile OS only because of the car you bought.
    • sunshowers 2y ago
      Oh yes, current cars do. I'm concerned about the situation where Apple provides the onboard infotainment system, which is what's being talked about in the post.
      • internetter 2y ago
        The proposal is not replacing the infotainment with carplay. It's adding a second infotainment system
        • sunshowers 2y ago
          I see! Okay, I guess I was confused then.
      • eddythompson80 2y ago
        No it’s not what’s being talked about. I’m not sure where you’re getting this. There aren’t a lot of details about CarPlay 2, but even this article says that CarPlay 2 is a way for the car and the phone to communicate more and allow the phone to control more of the car. What you’re thinking about is Android Automotive where there is an Android box in the car that is THE infotainment system. I have yet to see anywhere that Apple is building an iOS box that sits in the car itself that is the only infotainment system.
    • 2y ago
• Kon-Peki 2y ago
  The author admits that they only use 3 apps on CarPlay 1. They're going to get CarPlay 2 and still only use 3 apps. What's the big deal about CarPlay 2, then? Who cares?
• 51Cards 2y ago
  >Continuing with the above example, let's imagine I just downloaded a new podcast app on my phone (one that is also available in the automotive Play Store). The next day I have to go on a long drive and I want to listen to a podcast episode I downloaded on my phone. When I enter my car, I have to go to the Play Store, find the app, download it, log in, and then download the episode. When I use CarPlay, I only have to connect my phone. Does the author have no experience with Android Auto? The same happens there, if the app is on my phone and it supports Android Auto then it will automatically be available in the car, along with all media on my phone. This isn't a CarPlay only functionalitiy, it's just how phone mirroring works on both platforms. Author seems to think there is an extra step involved on Android. Perhaps by "Play Store" they mean the car manufacturer's own app store? Source: I use Android Auto constantly in my own vehicle and in the 15+ rental cars I have every year.
  • dagmx 2y ago
    The author is talking about Android Automotive which is different than Android Auto. Auto is driven from your phone whereas Automotive is running on your car directly.
    • 51Cards 2y ago
      Thanks for the clarification!
      • dagmx 2y ago
        No problem. It’s a really common misunderstanding because Google purposefully like to name things to reduce distinction.
        • MBCook 2y ago
          I agree it’s a mess. But Apple isn’t doing itself any favors on CarPlay branding now that it sort of means multiple things. And don’t get me started on the Apple TV naming mess.
• mcfedr 2y ago
  I really hope the lock in with have with car/phone a connection is something the EU addresses next. I don't like that car manufacturer has to use Apple / Google software, why can they not make an app that you install and your phone connects to the car in a useful way. The reason is that only Apple apps have the required permissions and system access to do it.
  • jdminhbg 2y ago
    What permissions do iOS or Android withhold that prevent you from doing this? The reason car manufacturers don't do this is that it makes no sense to put the software in the phone if you're not trying to make the software portable between different cars.
    • mcfedr 2y ago
      You cannot make an iPhone app that has access to phone calls, sms, other apps notifications, other apps screens
  • ajmurmann 2y ago
    > I don't like that car manufacturer has to use Apple / Google software, why can they not make an app that you install and your phone connects to the car in a useful way. I've had some rental cars that wanted me to install a manufacturer app. Super annoying! Just let me plug my phone in and project my screen and speakers. I don't want to get adjusted to a new UI with each car I drive, or worse sync stuff. I also have zero interest to find out what software a car company will develop. Car companies should make cars and leave infotainment to my phone and companies that are experts in it. Built-in infotainment in cars is even worse than "smart" tvs.
    • mcfedr 2y ago
      I do agree, I think mostly car manufacturers are gonna make something worse, but it would be nice to have some more competition on the market as carplay and android something are also not good.
• elzbardico 2y ago
  It is bad enough that Mercedes decided to emulate Tesla. Now, fuck this, I don't want my merc dashboard to look like an IPhone. It cheapens the experience.
  • dzhiurgis 2y ago
    > Mercedes decided to emulate Tesla Except Tesla is doing it right. Mercedes software is a mess. It's hard to explain why, but use it for a few days and it's just obvious.
    • elzbardico 2y ago
      I am not even talking about the software, because I think it is a matter of habit and expectations, but this horrible trend of refusing to have a proper dashboard and instead just slapping what looks like a bunch of tablets in front of you, and of course, the death of physical buttons. I absolutely abhor this.
      • dzhiurgis 2y ago
        Do you miss floppy disk too?
  • jitl 2y ago
    In my view, Apple does a better job designing high-end digital surfaces than Mercedes. Last week Mercedes decided to add a green polo shirt to all the user avatars in my vehicle, which to me seems like a clown move, and something that Apple would never do. You can always just not connect your phone to your car if you prefer the stuff the car does on its own.
• innagadadavida 2y ago
  I use CarPlay but it is very clunky - I need to plug in the device etc. I've been working on using and old iPhone and keep it connected in the car all the time. I plan on using wifi hotspot for connectivity and since the device can sign-in using my ApplID, it can have access to my calendar or Messages as needed. Sharing the routing address from another Apple device can be done easily from Maps. This seems like a missed opportunity for Apple - they can release a screen less device bundled with a cheap 4g connection and smooth out other integration issues for sharing / setup etc.
  • kstrauser 2y ago
    That’s specific to your car’s head unit. When I get into my vehicle, the iPhone in my pocket connects to its head unit via Bluetooth with zero actions from me. Seriously, I get into the car and the CarPlay display comes on showing my phone’s apps. I don’t have to plug it in, tap a button, or do anything else at all.
• massysett 2y ago
  I disagree with this love of hooking my $1000 phone to my $30000 car. Everywhere else in my house, I try to make gadgets independent of one another. I remember when a printer worked only when it was hooked to a PC to be its server. That was bad. It’s much better for my printer to hook to the network directly. Some thermostats require a phone to program them. That’s bad. The thermostat should have full functionality as a stand-alone device. My dishwasher requires a smartphone app to work some of its features. Bad. My old dishwasher was fully controllable from the panel on front. A car is no different. I don’t want to have to plug my phone into my car like a dongle, even wirelessly. The car should connect to the network itself and have needed applications like nav and music. Maybe car-makers suck at making this software, so maybe Apple or Google should make it for them. Or maybe carmakers should get better at it. But no, I’m never going to think that plugging my phone into my car is any better of a kludge than is forcing me to get out my phone to work my dishwasher.
  • ScoobleDoodle 2y ago
    If I were to place a bet, I would bet on car manufacturers abandoning updates to the vehicle software far earlier than I desire, rather than maintaining it appropriately. I’d also guess ads or other unwanted intrusions will be coupled with it. I’d rather connect my phone, for which I’ll update the hardware 4+ times over the time I own my car, and get the corresponding OS and software updates yearly or more frequently. Send that data to the car’s reliable and dumb screen(s) from my chosen phone and I’m in control and happier for it.
  • jrmg 2y ago
    Have you used CarPlay?
    • massysett 2y ago
      Yep. My car has it. Not a fan. I have an old-school phone holder and usually I prefer that.
  • kenjackson 2y ago
    I so much prefer hooking up my phone, rather than having to authenticate every device I own to all the services I want to use. And given that most of the services that I want to use in the car are also services on my phone, e.g., GPS maps, music, podcasts -- why would I want to have to use a whole new app for this purpose? I love that when I search for something with Google Maps it knows, typically in a letter or two, what place I'm trying to go to. I don't want to use a different music service in my car -- it has all my playlists and my "likes" already. Do I want Ford to write its own implementation of Google Maps or Pandora? Why? Seems stupid to have 10 different implementations of the same service.
• kelnos 2y ago
  It's pretty funny to me to see an Apple user complaining about lack of interop with other ecosystems. You've chosen your walled garden; now it's time to realize you're stuck in it. The author seems to blame everyone but Apple for this, though. Apparently it's Google's fault that his preferred podcast app isn't available on Android. What about the app developer, who has decided not to support Android? And it's the auto manufacturer's fault for deciding to go with Android Automotive as the infotainment OS. What about Apple, for refusing to license any of their OS offerings to third parties? (Let alone not having an automotive-suitable version of any of their OSes anyway.) Instead, Apple wants auto manufacturers to implement a complex, proprietary Apple protocol to give iPhones the ability to control most aspects of the car's infotainment functions. Why would auto manufacturers want to do this? Not only would the auto manufacturer have to develop their own infotainment system (perhaps even using Android Automotive, but perhaps something else), but then they have to do all this extra work to essentially allow drivers to not use their own system. (And while I agree that most auto manufacturer software is weak or outright garbage, that point of fact isn't really relevant here.) I don't agree with the author that some car makers are not excited about CarPlay 2 primarily because they want to own the automotive experience. It's because of all the extra work they need to do to support CarPlay 2 (probably an order of magnitude what it takes to support CarPlay 1 or Android Auto), and doing so isn't really in their interests, outside of Apple users who might refuse to consider their cars without CarPlay 2 support. But this is a chicken-and-egg problem: CP2 doesn't exist yet in any car, so customers don't know what they're potentially missing.
  • willcipriano 2y ago
    Imagine a world where Apple and Google (and others) worked together and made a open standard that is as good as what they both have today. Bluetooth but for cars. Such a missed opportunity.
    • zeckalpha 2y ago
      This would be considered a trust worth busting.
      • 2y ago
• guidedlight 2y ago
  > I use only three apps when driving: Google Maps for navigation, Spotify for music, and Castro for podcasts. The number of cars on sale today with these three apps available is zero. My car (a Volvo) has two of these three apps built-in. I stopped reading the rest of the article.
  • kenjackson 2y ago
    You stopped reading the rest of the article because your own personal experience has thus far matched the authors? Or some other reason?
  • ianferrel 2y ago
    Doesn't your example support the author's point? Your car, like all other cars, does not support all three of those apps.
• anon373839 2y ago
  I love CarPlay, but has anyone noticed that Apple just isn’t testing on non-touch interfaces? Some cars use a wheel to navigate the UI, and there are some awful CarPlay UI bugs where certain buttons become unreachable.
  • giobox 2y ago
    Thankfully it seems to be mainly just Mazda and Alfa Romeo in currently on sale cars doing the disable CarPlay touch screen while moving thing? There are probably other outliers, but those two are the primary culprits who made it a brand policy. In some 2024 Mazda models they are finally letting you choose to keep the touch screen working while moving, letting you use either the wheel or the touch screen. I don't think either company will still be disabling touch screens/wheel only inputs for CarPlay for very much longer. Similarly, the new infotainment platform for Lexus cars has done away with weird input devices ("Remote Touch") and you can just poke the screen with a finger.
  • isatty 2y ago
    I’ve a touch screen but I never use it and almost always use the wheel (bmw), and I’ve rarely had bugs or difficulty using it. What vehicle dyou have, out of curiosity?
• frankus 2y ago
  A bit of a tangent, but those "distinctive" interior mockups made me instantly cringe. I'm fine with designers having a bit fun with every part of the car other than the top of the dashboard, which should be flat, dull, and dark (ideally covered in something like Vantablack), because any bit of visual clutter there gets superimposed over the road in front of you thanks to the reflection of the windshield in sunny weather.
• NegativeLatency 2y ago
  I'd be perfectly happy with carplay for media/navigation only. I want my analog dials, knobs and switches for all other car control and climate control functions. The screenshots there make me feel pretty good about keeping my car from the 90's if that's the current state of new cars.
• hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
  > Google jumped on this opportunity by releasing Android Automotive. Unlike Android Auto, Google's equivalent to Apple CarPlay, Android Automotive runs natively inside the car and any carmaker is free to use it. Tangential I know, but I giggled at yet another example of Google's incompetent branding and product naming. How a company filled with so many brilliant people can be so bad at brand strategy is baffling to me.
  • makeitdouble 2y ago
    The actual name is Google Automotive Service [0], which shortens as GAS. That's not bad I think, at least it's easy to remember. The fact that it's still confusing with android auto being another thing is I think partly on purpose, to make it look like Android is doing more than what it's actually responsible for. [0] https://developers.google.com/cars https://developers.google.com/cars
    • MBCook 2y ago
      Isn’t that a recent renaming though?
    • Nevermark 2y ago
      Few things are as big a win as ensuring your customers are never quite sure they really understand your product line up. Because they actually never really understand your product line up. I can understand this kind of thinking in a here-and-gone used car lot.
  • fragmede 2y ago
    that the really good computer thinking people aren't really really good at people thinking is surprising to you?
    • 10u152 2y ago
      156500 employees. I'm sure there's a few PR/Marketing people in there. It's not all "Good computer thinking people" Google isn't a plucky startup with just a few dedicated engineers.