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GM confirms $130k Cadillac won’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto

32 points| JaakkoP | 2 years ago |theverge.com

103 comments

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ra7|2 years ago

> Instead of CarPlay or Android Auto, drivers will instead rely on the Escalade IQ’s included Google built-in infotainment software.

It's called Android Automotive OS (not to be confused with Android Auto). Many OEMs are now using Android Automotive for infotainment, but also support CarPlay/AA. This is a terrible move, but GM is just trying to copy Tesla by controlling the entire UX and putting it some of it behind a subscription (like Tesla's Premium Connectivity).

JohnFen|2 years ago

Darn. I got excited for a moment thinking that a major car manufacturer was selling a car that didn't have any infotainment features at all. Oh well.

monkmartinez|2 years ago

If they allow CarPlay or AA, they are essentially passing on a subscription service that could bring in additional revenue post sale. It's greedy and dumb.

I have seen quite a few add on modules for Tesla's that enhance the head unit functionality for minimal cost/effort. Eg. Wired and wireless "boxes" for Tesla's that allow CarPlay and Android Auto on aliexpress for $70.

hbbio|2 years ago

It should have no screen at all and high-quality pushers and displays... or Carplay/Auto because there is no way an old car company like GM can build software properly.

brewdad|2 years ago

The screen is essentially required by law thanks to backup cameras. I agree that I don't trust any auto manufacturer to make quality software and keep it updated.

exabrial|2 years ago

It's a battle of control of what information the consumer sees and the stream of what private information is pilfered back. Apple/Google have a deathgrip on smart phones by disallowing root, and automakers have taken note of the playbook.

I used to say "in the future your car is unlikely to start start without wifi", but now that promise has come true, I'll just say "your fridge is unlikely to make ice without wifi".

lotsofpulp|2 years ago

> "in the future your car is unlikely to start start without wifi", but now that promise has come true

Source?

javajosh|2 years ago

I won't be happy until I can stream my driving experience on Twitch, with the option to occasionally hand over control of my vehicle to chat.

CamperBob2|2 years ago

You laugh, but I've always thought that would have been a good intermediate step towards full self-driving. Provide the option to delegate it to humans in a building 1000 miles away, similar to how the US military conducts drone warfare.

makestuff|2 years ago

This sounds like someone is trying to empire build at GM to create their own version of carplay so they can be promoted.

belval|2 years ago

Imagine the pleasure in 3-4 years when your 130k car plays an advert on the main screen whenever you start your car, a "feature" that can only be disabled if you pay for the 20$/month premium GM+ package that includes GPS map updates and unlocks the sunroof.

mfer|2 years ago

This is more about having and being able to use the data collected from cars. Some auto execs have talked about being able to know your location and the music you're listening to there. Being able to bundle that data and use it is a way to make money.

The allure of money made via stalking and influence is hard to resist.

nickthegreek|2 years ago

Feels like a quicker way to get fired tbh.

GenerWork|2 years ago

I know some people at GM who work on in car interfaces. I remember asking one a few years ago why people would prefer an in-house solution over Carplay/Android Auto, and the answer I got was that there's a solid chance people won't. Guess we're about to find out.

gopher2000|2 years ago

The big downside to me with CarPlay/Auto is that it doesn't leverage screen real estate properly. At least not yet. I end up with CarPlay/Auto on the main entertainment screen but with the manufacturer's system on the HUD and main cockpit screen - which I'd rather look at.

petarb|2 years ago

It’s interesting to see how a lot of new gas cars have Apple CarPlay / Android Auto but all of the new EV cars are going towards custom OS which essentially leads to worse user experiences for manufacturers who aren’t well versed in software.

SkyPuncher|2 years ago

It's honestly insane.

CarPlay does everything I want and the best part is it just works. A large part of that "it just works" is the fact that it's all based directly on my phone.

* That restaurant we just decided to go to. Already in navigation. AND! the maps are all current with road closures/traffic issues.

* The music that I was playing, it just keeps going

* The garage door opener/lock/etc that I just added to HomeKit - automatically pops us.

elsonrodriguez|2 years ago

They want a shorter revenue cycle via recurring services.

What they're missing is that I don't stream my music from GMTunes, I don't store my photos on GMPhotos, I don't have my files on GMCloud, and I don't have easy access to all of this from my GMPhone, GMPad, GMBook, and GMWatch.

They either fundamentally don't understand why people want Carplay or Android Auto, or have delusions that they can become a bigger ecosystem than Apple, Google, or Microsoft.

If they are unsatisfied with the recurring revenue they currently get via selling car, parts, and electric charging partnerships, maybe they should start pivoting towards public transit.

greenthrow|2 years ago

This isn't really true except for Rivian and Tesla, which as start ups, wrote their own stack and want to fully control it.

GM is moving to Google Automotive and doesn't want to enable Carplay or Android Auto, but Google is already in there deep. No other legacy manufacturers have announced plans to take away Carplay/Android Auto. Quite a few are basing their systems on Android Automotive, though (BMW, Volvo/Polestar, GM as mentioned, off the top of my head), so even if you don't use a Google phone, Google is going to have your data.

There is no difference here between ICE vehiclws and BEVs, other than the two startups I mentioned.

CamperBob2|2 years ago

Wow. Gotta feel bad for the engineers and other developers who put a lot of sweat and tears into this car, only to have its market prospects fucked beyond all belief by rent-seeking bean counters at the head office.

sockaddr|2 years ago

To me it feels like GM realizes that Apple is commoditizing them. Making the car essentially a dumb-terminal for the Apple experience (as they want to do for other cars we well). GM now has a choice: (1) allow apple to make the GM car experience just like every manufacturer or (2) try to preserve some GM-ness in the experience.

GM's actions seem logical to me. But there's no way in hell I'm ever buying a GM if they stop me from using CarPlay. It's well demonstrated that they can't make good software.

ben7799|2 years ago

The GM "interior experience" has always been poor, tough place to be in. Either commoditize that experience or double down on your own and hope you can pull off what the company has never been able to pull off.

outside1234|2 years ago

This seriously took GM off the list for me. Only two things I absolutely have to have in my next commuter car:

1. It's electric. 2. It has CarPlay.

So no Chevy Bolt now. I guess it is a Ford Mach-E then.

yaky|2 years ago

Instead of Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, or some “custom OS”, all I want is a standard video input that will be displayed on a screen.

To make this even better, route the touch input of the screen back to the device, in some simple way (for example, as a mouse position, not sure of any touch protocols).

Any software has a pretty good chance of getting deprecated or irrelevant during the lifetime of a car. Just think of what is still actively supported in the mobile world from 10 years ago. My 2013 car doesn’t have Android Auto or CarPlay, but has built-in “apps” for Stitcher and Pandora, which I never used. The bluetooth connection still works, but is really flaky with newer iPhone (a 2013 Android worked exceptionally well, however).

ag56|2 years ago

I just got a Rivian R1S and lack of CarPlay is by far the worst thing about the car. The built in Spotify app is janky, podcasts and music can’t continue where it left off, built in map seems to only direct me to busy roads. It’s so annoying I’m thinking of selling (for a profit).

Why is this happening? Car executives aren’t stupid, and must realize software is not core to their business. Unless they plan to start selling phones down the line they can never ‘win’ this battle. It’s clearly a huge waste of internal effort.

Does Apple try and take a % of the car sale as a license fee? Even if the fee were $2000 per car… that could be passed on to the car buyer. I would pay $2000 today to get CarPlay into my Rivian.

lotsofpulp|2 years ago

From what I have read, Apple does not charge carmakers anything to support CarPlay functionality.

branon|2 years ago

Good! Hopefully it will have no touchscreen either, only tactile buttons.

bloodyplonker22|2 years ago

Instead of just reading the headline and writing a one sentence response, you could have taken one second to click the article and you would have seen the massive touch screen it has.

greenthrow|2 years ago

Nope. Quite the opposite. Touchscreens aren't going anywhere.

tomkaos|2 years ago

Hope you don't have to enter your Spotify account/password on the car screen to just listen music. I already have in my phone all my service and account, I don't want to relogin on everything on TV or car screen. I don't care about smart TV since a have a Chromecast.

fnord77|2 years ago

I hate that it is becoming normalized to pay rent to use features on a car you bought.

I'm sure data is being sold, too.

ancorevard|2 years ago

Any car without CarPlay is dead to me.

baggy_trough|2 years ago

CarPlay is a must have for me. I have zero interest in whatever monstrosity Google has concocted here.

ChicagoDave|2 years ago

Google. Snort. There’s zero chance this ends well. Maps will be fine, but Spotify, Tidal, MLB apps need to be available or your losing customers.

And no one is paying an extra subscription on their car for entertainment.

MisterBastahrd|2 years ago

I'm not going to buy a car that is going to charge me a subscription for internet service to use the apps I can already use through Android Auto. Will never happen.

greenthrow|2 years ago

There is so much misinformation and just completely baseless speculation in this thread. Come on people, at least read the article before commenting. This is sad.