Well this is interesting:

GM getting rid of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

No big deal for me, I can't stand CarPlay.

 

I saw this and agree it’s interesting. Car companies as a rule are profit-absorbing entities (starfish analogy, read about how starfishes feed) within the value chain from design studio to consumer.

The earliest implementations of CarPlay were clunky, an example of SF TechCo forcing its way into the auto industry. They (TechCos) are still trying to force things but Detroit and the Germans are onto this now.

The GM move is not surprising because it is a move toward pushing out a branded (CarPlay) solution that they (GM) do not fully control.

In simpler terms GM is trying to re-capture revenue and profit lost as some consumers (eg my wife and daughter) prefer mobile phone-based navigation systems vs on board OEM satnav systems.

 

I think this will be a significant step back for GM IMO.

Understand the aforementioned rationale, especially as Apple is adding more dashboard services (taking over all instrument panels, etc), no carmaker including Mercedes can match Apple’s or Google’s software/hardware integration skills.

Offering clunky app integration and then requiring Internet services is a no go for me plus I would have security concerns about their implementation. All things that are covered in the phone.
Add the inferior audio quality of Bluetooth vs CarPlay, this sounds like a loser.

I for one would not buy a car without CarPlay anymore.

 

I've had carplay in half a dozen cars over the years. Tried it a couple of times and didn't see any usefulness to it for me. Even my two tech savvy kids don't use it in their cars. They said it's just kind of meh, but I get it's popular and a lot of people like it.

 

Agreed across the board.
I will also add that Mercedes Nav implementation is not clunky, it is actually outstanding in terms of graphics and the voice integration. But, the nav functions themselves suck! It can't estimate arrival time pretty much at all - I did a side by side comparison with google maps and Waze and MB was off by almost 15 min on a damn 30 min drive! Plus it missed multiple traffic slowdowns and half the police notifications all of which added to poor route selection. Don't get me wrong, Waze isn't perfect, but I would think everyone would prefer to see more alerts when the police have since moved on as opposed to missing them altogether. Maybe the traffic and incident detection will get better over time but I am not holding my breath, but who wants to pay for a worse implementation than what they can get for free? Live over the air updates are also an issue on the car vs phone in terms of frequency and detail.

IMO the branding issue has got to be near the top of the manufacturer's list, Apple all over the place at the expense of Chevy/GM/Caddie etc. They really don't want CarPlay/AA taking over their screens - and the new controls for car functions probably has them scared. They just don't want anyone else's SW running in their vehicles. MB themselves prevents CP/AA from using the full screen (blaming it on resolution issues - which is total BS as this is not difficult to set in a video driver). MB has apparently changed position on this with the new EQ and S Class's plus they have also added wireless.

Personally I'd love to use the fancy MB Nav, but I simply don't trust it so I gladly accept 2/3 of the screen along with slow (but stable) connection times with my Ottocast - wired AA/CP disconnects pretty much every time I hit a bump or touch my phone.

 

Foolish decision, although we should have seen it coming when GM announced they were partnering with Google. It'll be all about data harvesting and selling subscriptions for a steady revenue stream going forward. The returns will need to be stellar to overcome the number of potential customers they'll lose. I predict they'll regret the move big time.

 

If MB made this decision, it would have made more sense. Their CP is pathetic.

 

For me navigation is not important although Apple Maps is perfect where we are. We only use Waze to show traffic/police and the rest is about accessing my music and messages via Siri.

CarPlay uses LPCM for wired and wireless (including lossless, although currently capped at 48khz - still CD quality).

More important to me. The current CarPlay screen layout is obviously annoying but you have at least 4 navigation systems at your disposal. Pick what you want. MB, Waze, Apple Maps or Google Maps….

 

I may be the odd duck here since before, I would never have considered a vehicle without CarPlay. MBUX had me forget it. I have used CP once since I bough the vehicle because the MBUX navigation (and voice recognition) is actually pretty good (and CP implementation on our vehicles is pretty darn bad BTW).
On prior vehicles, including my GL550 with command, navigation and voice recognition were awful and almost unusable, so CarPlay was a must for me.

Only thing I use when on trips is WAZE alongside MBUX for speed-trap alerts in concert with my Uniden R7. Perfect combo.

Cheers,

 

Haven't had carplay yet, though I've heard its very intuitive.

 

This decision seems incredibly shortsighted. While Android may dominate iOS globally, iOS has a 60-40 advantage in the US. Why would GM choose to abandon this demographic? I’m in the iOS camp. My ‘life’ (contacts, messages etc.) is on my phone. I would never by a car that didn’t have seamless integration with my phone.

While the current MB NAV may be slick looking, its live traffic is seriously lacking. Just yesterday I compared the proposed routes for a trip from Long Island into Manhattan. The route proposed by native iPhone matched the live traffic report from the local news radio station. Both avoided a major traffic problem. The MB NAV route wnet directly into the traffic. No thanks.

Car companies should stick to building cars and give me as many options as possible.

Kyle

 

For a few years, Toyota and Lexus didn't want to get into bed with CP and AA. I bet it had a material effect on their sales if they were able to measure it. I for one, wouldn't buy a car without CP or AA.

 

The only reason I use MB navigation is so I can see directions in the HUD and augmented video--and I use Waze for everything else. No CarPlay either.

 

How do you use Waze then?

 

In my case, I have my phone mounted on an air vent magnetic holder on the leftmost center vent.

 

On my iPhone Pro Max 14 mounted on a Cupfone from Weathertech.

 

I won't ever buy another car without CarPlay, so I guess no GM's for me

 

Have you tried displaying Waze on the center display using CarPlay, and Mercedes Nav on the drivers display at the same time? Will the HUD still show the turn by turn? BTW, the HUD will display the turn by turn using Apple Maps and CarPlay.