General Motors Hires Former Apple Executive to Lead Software After Announcing Plans to Nix CarPlay

[Stromos]

Perhaps you're right. I wish car manufacturers like GM would just focus on improving the core "mission" of a vehicle -- driveability, reliability, etc.

Core Mission is do the bare minimum to not get sued while making sure the customer pays reoccurring maintenance and software fees for as long as they own the vehicle. Do you get a discount since the revenue is not all up front anymore? Absolutely Not. Pay more up front for the privilege of paying more. Filthy rich or bust!

 

[sparkinstx]

It really does make sense that many folks want CarPlay.

After all, unless GM is going to start making their own phones and people are going to adopt GM phones, folks are using either Android or iPhone which both goes with them INSIDE a car AND OUTSIDE a car. I think few people want to migrate their entertainment device to the car when they enter a car. Seems like a whole lot of pain.

And are folks going to have to subscribe to GM Maps, GM Music, etc.? Apps for inside the car, and apps for outside the car? Doesn't sound smart.

 

[NY Guitarist]

This seems similar to stores that won't take Apple Pay who think they can cash in on these services.

 

[seek3r]

Yeaaahh... no. Even if he manages, along with the lift assist from android automotive (not to be confused with android auto, yay naming), to create a decent user interface and experience in actually *using* the infotainment system (I have doubts, GM and car manufacturers in general dont exactly have a good track record with this, and that culture isnt going to suddenly change) I:

* don't want my car to feed the manufacturer detailed telemetry forever (the part he was probably actually hired for in mind)

* don't want to have to pay subscriptions to use outdated hardware after a few years.

* want to be able to functionally upgrade my infotainment system with my phone far more frequently than I replace my car.

* want to be able to have all my configs set up on my phone and fully portable, and match what I always have.

I was considering a bolt for next year until they announced their change (and then announced they're phasing out the bolt anyway after next year ) but now I wont ever consider a GM car again.

 

[MacsRgr8]

So you're willing to pay for something you already pay for? This is double dipping. You have a cellphone you pay for your subscriptions you have a cell plan. You should not be paying again for the right to use what you have. You also should not have your person information sold for something you are spending 20K plus on.

Car compaines aren't software companies. Say it again. Not Software companies. You already pay the software company Apple/Streaming Provider/Cell Providers. The car is a car. That's the market they chose. My car will interface with my phone in a convient fashion. If you don't want to offer that someone else will.

I use Amazon Music via CarPlay daily for my long commute. I make phone calls via Carplay/Siri. I do not pay extra to do these things. These things are Hands Free. You sit there and talk about safety but you want people fumbling around with bluetooth and a mount to put the phone near the steering wheel that's likely going to fall while driving. All to do something that can be built into the car.

The problem was already solved. People aren't going to pay for things they already pay for unless they are stupid. People will continue to use what they already have on their phone. This is just going to reduce safety and move backwards. All so GM/Telsa/Whoever else can harvest data to make them undeserved money and double dip charge for things people already pay for once again undeserved profit.

Any of these companies could have their own infotainment system and tether to your phone to use the Cell Plan you already pay for. Tesla could let you log into the subscriptions you already have. They are doing this for one reason money. There is no logical reason to do this. There is no customer benefit. It's pure greed. They are looking at what people are willing to pay for and making you pay again. They are getting kickbacks not including every streaming service and not letting you use subscriptions you already have.

Do not support this behavior.

Will they charge a subscription for using a "live maps solution" for example?
When you buy a car and choose the options, "enabling CarPlay" costs more from the manufacturer. At least that was the case with my BMW.
Also many car-manufacturers nowadays have an app which connects to the car over internet, and services on that can be based on subscriptions too.

Car companies offer software solutions. They see it as adding more services to try to sell.
Apple is not a music company. But Apple offers that service to try to sell.

 

[Mousse]

My top pick right now is a Kia Telluride SX X-Line but for some reason it only has wired CarPlay?

I'd stay away from the Telluride/Pallisade until a certain issue😬 is no longer an issue. If I currently own one, I'd pull the fuse on the tow hitch ASAP.

You'll just have to buy an old cherry red Stingray (or Sting Ray, if it's a C2).

But the newest Vette is mid-engine.🥰 I wish GM would drop the idea of spying and subscription anything. CarPlay doesn't matter to me. Hail, I'd pay an extra $100 for a no radio/entertainment console.

 

[sers]

So is he the reason why iCloud sucks so bad?

 

[jamesnajera]

I hope GM uses a base android system, that way people can use a CarPlay dongle to enable CarPlay.

 

[timber]

Car compaines aren't software companies. Say it again. Not Software companies. You already pay the software company Apple/Streaming Provider/Cell Providers. The car is a car. That's the market they chose. My car will interface with my phone in a convient fashion. If you don't want to offer that someone else will.

Of course car companies are also software companies. Most may suck at it particularly at the UI part but you can't build a car without doing software.
Just like Disney or Netflix have to do software.
And everybody saw what happened with music and nobody is willing to give free lunches.
Another issue is if they are able to do it properly especially after everybody having had a taste of the good stuff while at the same time some companies still offering that good stuff.
GM prospects aren't good to say the least.

 

[sdf]

I hope GM uses a base android system, that way people can use a CarPlay dongle to enable CarPlay.

They dropped Android Auto support as well, it's just not making as big of a splash.

Even if GM's software ends up using Android at its core — and I don't think it will — you can be reasonably sure Android Auto will be disabled to the point that it requires a reinstall at a minimum.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Tesla could let you log into the subscriptions you already have

They do. I use Apple Music in my Tesla every day.

 

[RedTheReader]

I don't think that people are understanding since there's not enough information in these articles to get the idea around, but GM's abandoning Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto in favor of Google's Android Automotive, which is very much like Android Auto, but built natively into the device; IE, you don't need the phone anymore.

If people are against that, I'm not sure I understand why. Many cars already do that, like some of the more recent Volvo's, and reviewers have only praised them for having excellent infotainment systems. I can't help but think that this isn't a case of people actually disliking the move, but not realizing what's going on. Either that, or I'M not realizing what's going on, which is also very possible.

 

[theLedger]

I have purchased two vehicles in the past year. A must-have was Apple CarPlay. I’m already paying for a phone service, why would I want to pay again for a navigation service? I won’t do it in my current vehicles and certainly not the next.

Also, what happens when some highly useful new app becomes available via CarPlay that GM does not allow? Or is GM going to spend millions building a platform that users can launch third party apps onto? Will it be as easy to update the apps as it is updating your iPhone?

We’re just scratching the surface but I would hate for the car manufacturers to become the gatekeepers to what is possible. They may end up stunting rather than advancing what is possible.

 

[DownUnderDan]

Pretty funny. The small percentage of apple enthusiasts on mac rumors are all up in arms about GM’s decision. Don’t buy a GM then. The other 50+ million GM drivers won’t even notice. GM will not cease to exist and it will still sell a boatload of vehicles.

You might want to see how well GM managed itself out of the world car market and is now applying those same skills to its domestic market.

 

[Silentwave]

The way that cars are evolving I'm not so sure the aftermarket will be able to solve the problem as cleanly as in the past.
Before you could just get a new aftermarket radio with CarPlay. What do you do when the "Radio" is a 17" touch screen that takes up the whole dash and integrates all car controls?

 

[Muzzakus]

This won’t end well. I would not buy a new car without carplay in 2023. Options people, options.

 

[didaho]

Gruber had a great article on this mentioning that some ridiculous percentage of new car buyers seek CarPlay as a feature, and it makes sense, because the people that can afford new cars are the people who can also afford (particularly higher-end) iPhones. GM is popping themselves in the foot here.

I look at it when I'm hiring a car and don't think I'm alone - hire companies will know that.

 

[Vaportrailz]

In March, GM announced plans to phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles starting this year, shifting to a built-in infotainment system co-developed with Google.

I’ve never bought a GM car and now I’ll never even consider one.

 

[HylianKnight]

Responsible for iCloud? GM are screwed.

And I can leave the forum satisfied

 

[ignatius345]

I hate this, won't get my next car without CarPlay support, etc, etc. – but, do you see the irony in your statement? Car Manufacturers are plenty versed in car experiences, come on, LOL.

Good point. But a lot of car companies have proven pretty inept at this kind of user experience. And as these interfaces get more and more complex, I think a lot of people appreciate having what they're used to using on their iPhone travel seamlessly right along with them onto the car dashboard.

 

[zapmymac]

GM gonna vacuum up all that driver data, paywall features, and probably sell our data to “select-limited-trusted-3rd party partners” 🤨🥸🤬

This is the world we live in now, we must fight back though!

 

[foqus]

Spy on customers and...

Uh-huh. Sounds suspiciously like they want seat heater subscription, A/C subscriptions(?), power windows subscriptions(?).😒

Never gonna buy another GM vehicle.😤 There goes my dream of owning a new cherry red Stingray.😭

All I wanted was the upcoming $30k Equinox. No Carplay = I'll find another car. Let's start the tally GM: that's one sale lost...

 

[FelixDerKater]

CarPlay availability is a deciding factor in purchases at this point. Bad move.

 

[svish]

GM should have retained CarPlay.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

All those screen in modern cars are horrible. Physical buttons were so much more comfortable. You used to have physical buttons to turn on the A/C, but today you have to either click through a menu or talk to your car. I hope that in a decade or so from now not having any screens in a car is a feature.