It’s a cost to GM because they can’t nickel and dime their customers with subscription fees if customers can use the phone service they already have.

Weird how the inability to gouge is now seen as a "cost".

We've been struggling with this one for a while on the "open source app store" side of the conversation.

Opportunity cost

problem is (from GM's perspective), with CarPlay, Apple takes over the UX of the car...the Apple logo is the first and last thing people see when driving

GM doesn't want Apple or Google taking over the UX of the car, because then GM is eventually just another FoxConn

and sure, there's a money thing...they want revshare from Spotify and every other app they can position in the UI

CarPlay and Android Auto will be gone as fast as car makers can make it happen

> the Apple logo is the first and last thing people see when driving

This isn’t how it works in my Dodge. There is a Dodge logo / startup screen first, then a “don’t use screen while driving sign that I am forced to accept every time” and then it shows me CarPlay.

Same in my BMW. The last thing I see is also a BMW logo across all my dash screens.

Same on my Audi, Volkswagen, and Fords here to. I'm not sure I understand this fear at all. I know carplay and the car are different systems.

Same as my current circa-2017 GM car, which shows a home screen with buttons or blank screen with the time. There is no Apple OR GM logo.

In many vehicles, CarPlay and Android Auto appear within a panel on the overall interface, they don't have to take over the whole UI.

All vehicles.

Apple announced the total UI takeover option (though I’m not sure if it works today) but no car maker supports it on a shipping vehicle.

Many have announced interest but at this point we don’t know if it will ever be available, even if only on some kind of ultra-luxury car.

There’s always the aftermarket. If CarPlay stops being a standard option, that is the first thing I will do with a new car: replace the AV

As cars move away from traditional DIN stuff and more towards multiple screens with no physical “radio” on the dash in the classic sense… is that still an option?

It’s there’s a market, there will likely be a way. That’s one of capitalism’s strengths.

Maybe not for an EV.

The head units are so integrated and specific to vehicles now that I doubt that a third party unit would work and provide all that you need from it. The most you might get is a secondary screen that displayed CarPlay/AndroidAuto but then connected to the car via Bluetooth which is a serious downgrade.

I drive a 2021 Toyota RAV4. The CarPlay interface takes over the whole screen. It also does so in every rental or borrowed car I’ve ever driven.

Yes, in older designs with the smaller screens it does need to take over. EVs are moving to larger screens where there is room to place CarPlay into one section of the screen and keep other areas “native”.

Typically, you see the logo before you get into the actual car. I would say you can tell by the shape, but some brands share too much in the looks department (cough Kia/Hyundai).

Kia and Hyundai are effectively the same company.

I assume Kia is South Korea’s lower end offering, Hyundai is their mid tier offering, and Genesis is their luxury offering.

Nowadays Kia and Hyundai target different segments, but quality is about the same. Kia also does more region-specific models, like the Ceed in Europe and the Telluride in US, while Hyundai seems to have a more global strategy where they choose what to sell from a portfolio of global models.

> CarPlay and Android Auto will be gone as fast as car makers can make it happen

This will also be an opportunity for other car manufacturers to differentiate themselves: “We still support CarPlay”

> This will also be an opportunity for other car manufacturers to differentiate themselves: “We still support CarPlay”

but I doubt CarPlay will even end up as the lowest-common-denominator...one of GM or Mercedes or whoever will try to get their system good enough that they can license it to other car companies...so CarOS or whatever will be the default if your car brand doesn't have a bespoke experience

I like Android Auto and use it all the time, but I can't fault GM for not wanting to be treated as just another OEM...FoxConn does all the hard work for Apple on the hardware side and isn't even allowed to put their name on the product...the ultimate replaceable cog

Apple might have been received better by car makers if it hadn't threatened to be developing their own vehicle...now all the car makers see them as a competitive threat

Cars and small electronic devices are not comparable.

GM is only doing this because they see an avenue to charge recurring fees, which smartphones obviated.

I don’t think it’ll work anyway. BMW has been stubborn on CarPay integration by not supporting it or asking a hefty price for “CarPlay preparation” (which is, as far as I’m concerned, mostly installing a WiFi antenna on the head unit), all because it would have cannibalized their revenue from map updates and other remote services (e.g. real-time traffic information). But in the end, BMW gave up and CarPlay is included in all models by default starting 2022 or 2023, don’t remember exactly.

Included on my 2022 model.

> And this is a business that got bailed out by US taxpayers, and is explicitly too big to fail.

Isn’t this just the gift that just keeps on giving?