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Why do most car manufacturers insist on having a custom software suite for their cars? Every one I have tried is shittier than the last. Wouldn't they be bett

by habosa 13y ago

Why do most car manufacturers insist on having a custom software suite for their cars? Every one I have tried is shittier than the last. Wouldn't they be better served installing a custom version of a well-known operating system? Windows 8, iOS, or Android in the car would be great. They could each have their own app store so that developers who do UX/UI for a living could make great apps for cars. It would have to be an improvement over what we have now. CarPlay is a start, but I want something that doesn't require me to buy an iPhone and plug it in.

MBCook 13y ago
> Why do most car manufacturers insist on having a custom software suite for their cars? Value add. Only Ford has Sync. Just like only Sony TVs have blah and only Fujitsu alarm clocks have foo. Sure, no one buys the cars for that. You want a Honda so you buy one and are forced to get BazCarfoTainment 13. But it's the most popular software among small cars (based on models sold) so it must be good, right? Surely that gas mothing to do with the other aspects of the car (except VTEC(r), VSP(r), Fold-o-seats(r), propell-o-toroids, etc.)
- habosa 13y ago
  They should value add with apps designed on a useful base. Everyone gets a good OS with mapping, etc. and they build the interesting apps they want to build. Like Samsung does for Android.
  - MBCook 13y ago
    The truth is they're like the phone companies circa 2002. They control the platform, and people buy the objects for reasons that have nothing to do with the software they run. Until the software is so bad it hurts sales they don't have to do any better. They are incentivized to keep things in their own little world. Why let Apple sell apps when GM can sell apps? Remember when Tetris on your phone was $5 a month? Yeah, that's just a step away from where we are. The car companies are probably only doing this for two reasons. First they might get put in an Apple ad, and second they want recent iPhone buyers (who, relative to people taking free phones, are likely to have more disposable income to spend on a car). Let's just hope this is more iPhone than Motorola ROKR. I think Apple is powerful enough at this point to avoid another mistake of that magnitude.
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by habosa 13y ago

MBCook 13y ago

> Why do most car manufacturers insist on having a custom software suite for their cars? Value add. Only Ford has Sync. Just like only Sony TVs have blah and only Fujitsu alarm clocks have foo. Sure, no one buys the cars for that. You want a Honda so you buy one and are forced to get BazCarfoTainment 13. But it's the most popular software among small cars (based on models sold) so it must be good, right? Surely that gas mothing to do with the other aspects of the car (except VTEC(r), VSP(r), Fold-o-seats(r), propell-o-toroids, etc.)

habosa 13y ago
They should value add with apps designed on a useful base. Everyone gets a good OS with mapping, etc. and they build the interesting apps they want to build. Like Samsung does for Android.
- MBCook 13y ago
  The truth is they're like the phone companies circa 2002. They control the platform, and people buy the objects for reasons that have nothing to do with the software they run. Until the software is so bad it hurts sales they don't have to do any better. They are incentivized to keep things in their own little world. Why let Apple sell apps when GM can sell apps? Remember when Tetris on your phone was $5 a month? Yeah, that's just a step away from where we are. The car companies are probably only doing this for two reasons. First they might get put in an Apple ad, and second they want recent iPhone buyers (who, relative to people taking free phones, are likely to have more disposable income to spend on a car). Let's just hope this is more iPhone than Motorola ROKR. I think Apple is powerful enough at this point to avoid another mistake of that magnitude.

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