[robotcapital]

Another anecdote, but this is exactly how I chose my last car. I went to CarMax, filtered by CarPlay integration, and then chose from what was available. In fact, the lack of CarPlay integration is one of the main reasons I didn't consider a Tesla at the time.

From basic things like a snappy interface and keeping my podcasts in sync, to suggesting the destination based on the recent maps search I did from my phone on the way to the car, the attention to detail makes it a better experience. I don't particularly get any joy out of driving. I just want to get to my destination safely and quickly, and CarPlay makes the process less taxing.

[smm11]

Today I learned that people pick a car based on how well it integrates with a cell phone.

[dhosek]

The last few times I’ve rented a car it’s had CarPlay and based on those experiences, the next time I buy a car, it must have CarPlay. The experience without it is just so poor (and don’t get me started on how ridiculously bad the experience of pairing bluetooth is in my parent’s car which requires a mix of voice commands and button presses in a completely undiscoverable way).

[mrkurt]

People use the infotainment in cars almost as much as the actual driving interface. It's not all that weird!

[BurningFrog]

Cars are a very mature technology, if you're not a car hobbyist, and the different brands are not very different.

The new-ish field of screen and cell phone probably has the most differentiation right now.

[KerrAvon]

In the US, lack of CarPlay really only removes Tesla from consideration at this point. Everything else, from Ferrari to Kia, supports CarPlay. Is there another holdout I’m missing?

[bombcar]

I can see it especially if the various models are "similar" - I chose my last used car from Hertz from a field of two - based on how well the iPhone played music with the radio. Other than that the cars were functionally identical for me.

[jen20]

70+% of US car buyers per the Apple presentation where this was discussed.

It’s absolutely order qualifying for me.

[fdye]

Same. My car has Carplay, while my wife's doesn't. Guess which one we discuss selling? A large part of that is the better integration of media. Its hard to go back to a propped up cellphone in a holder with bluetooth, once you've used Carplay.

[thecompilr]

Yeah, Tesla not having CarPlay the main reason I decided not to get one. Having the car be the continuation of my phone is just so convenient.