> At Apple’s annual developer conference in June 2022, Emily Schubert, a senior engineering manager, spent four minutes of an almost two-hour presentation about iOS and Mac features explaining Apple’s plans for the next generation of CarPlay. The new system, she said, would expand from infotainment displays to the entire dashboard, enabling Apple’s software to access everything from heating to the speedometer. > > Apple no longer merely wanted to project a copy of iOS onto the infotainment screen; it wanted the iPhone to oversee the mission-critical cluster behind the steering wheel. This stuff was sacrosanct in Detroit. GM’s Wexler says the next-gen CarPlay, which GM learned of before the announcement, was a “major factor” in its ensuing decision to divorce Apple. > > Barra had hired thousands of developers for its push into electric vehicles, whose software is changing more rapidly than the systems for gas-powered vehicles. But it was still juggling systems from legacy suppliers and mixing electronics that required tons of code to get them to communicate with each other. Even its cluster and console displays historically used different processors. A goal of Ultifi is to simplify the programming and chipsets necessary to facilitate easier over-the-air internet updates, which were difficult or even impossible with disparate hardware systems. > > GM aspired to be seen as a tech company such as Tesla Inc. and Rivian Automotive Inc., which controlled almost every aspect of their customers’ experiences. If they didn’t allow CarPlay in their EVs, why should GM? > > Abdul Bazzi, who’d recently taken over the team responsible for software quality at GM, was surprised to see trade reviews ripping into the technical malfunctions of the Blazer, a vehicle that MotorTrend had just named its SUV of the Year. GM grounded Blazer sales on Dec. 22 while it rooted out the cause. > > GM execs held weeks of what-the-hell-happened video conferences. Barra led every one even through the holidays, Bazzi recalls: “She was the most hands-on I’ve ever seen her.” > One huge contributor to the problem was that GM had five separate groups overseeing different parts of the vehicle’s technology. (Bazzi says he’s now centralized software quality reviews under his division.) > > Chevy product marketing director Darin Gesse stands near a set of garage doors at one facility, where a Tesla Cybertruck is cruising to the test tracks for competitive analysis and Chevy’s newest Equinox and Silverado EVs sparkle in the April sun. > > GM’s infotainment software is developed atop a custom version of Google’s open-source operating system, giving the trio of EVs built-in access to Google Maps and additional Android apps. Gesse confesses that Ultifi will be tough to sell to a “hardcore Apple user,” but says he believes component-integrated features will win over iPhone customers. He points to how maps automatically incorporate EV info: If he asks for directions from here to GM’s Silicon Valley lab, the navigation system will automatically predict battery capacity and plot charging stations along the route. > > Other possibilities include vehicle and home-security apps integrating with the cameras on its newest models or enterprise tools for corporate fleet management. Wexler also suggests EV data could be leveraged for an advertising business. Barra wanted to strike before Apple expanded into these larger experiences and dominated the space. > > ***Tellingly, only Aston Martin and Porsche have committed to supporting the more immersive CarPlay in coming models. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius has explicitly said it won’t adopt the next-generation software, and not even Ford has announced a single product that will integrate the new CarPlay, Farley’s enthusiasm for Apple notwithstanding.*** > > Even the US Department of Justice targeted CarPlay in its recent antitrust lawsuit against Apple, warning that it’s increasingly “forcing users to experience driving as an iPhone-centric experience.” > > David Marcus was the first Blazer EV buyer in Canada, and he kicked himself when he realized it didn’t have CarPlay on the drive home from the dealership. But the more he used GM’s software, the more he fell in love with how its “brains” are embedded in the SUV itself. He found he no longer needed to bother with his iPhone. He says he thinks every automaker will follow suit. “It’s just inevitable that you’re going to have an integrated system in your car,” says Marcus, who shares this advice for consumers stuck in the confines of Apple’s walled garden: “Get over it.”
Diavolo_Rosso_
While shopping for cars recently, lack of CarPlay was literally a deal breaker for me.
mb10240
I used to say that I wouldn’t buy a vehicle without CarPlay and it was a deciding factor for me. Then I bought a Model 3, and the infotainment system is great, and I don’t miss CarPlay at all.
I think if you make a good infotainment system, it really doesn’t matter.
RoboRabbit69
No CarPlay – No Party. I have all my music and podcast services on my phone, as long as my maps points. Why should I bother to somewhat keep them available and aligned on both my cars, and also study how to use efficiently use them?
I think that all the billions globally spent on infotainment softwares are an absurd waste of resources. Everyone has a personal device, with advanced software and hardware, an all the services and credentials stored. The cars should just rely on them – easy peasy.
ahorseofborscht
For the very online enthusiast set, sure. However, in talking with car salesmen while shopping they reported to me (anecdotally of course) that most of their customers have never even heard of CarPlay and are surprised by it when they offer to help set it up. Your typical shopper who sees their vehicle as an appliance probably doesn’t even know about CarPlay most likely and won’t miss it.
Spork_286
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are intuitive tools to integrate your digital life (your music, your podcasts, your maps, your contacts) with the car you’re driving. The integration is what people desire. CarPlay and AA are good tools, but they aren’t perfect.
If GM can provide a good way to integrate digital life with the car, then they will be fine. Tesla and Rivian are able to develop a decent interface, GM can too.
Will they though? Doubtful.
tv_streamer
It makes their vehicles an automatic pass.
davidasc22
Absolutely. Tesla has left a huge opening for other manufacturers and GM excluded themselves from consideration from a lot of potential buyers from the jump.
Bone headed, especially when their lineup looks promising with the Equniox and the Silverado. They need to reverse course.
ZeroWashu
tl;dr. Honestly I doubt it. When I show friends and some randos who walk up to see my bike most have never seen Carplay and more than a few never heard of it. A few who heard the name before have some odd misconceptions about it as well. I figure that after seeing it more than a few tried it if their vehicle offered it but most might get stuck if its wired Carplay only; got to get the right cable with both ends correct.
I mean, its nice to have and as a motorcyclist it lets me pocket the phone and preserve all the functions of the phone. I especially like having calls pop up over the map/music so I know if its an important can and not spam. This is mostly because in my car I get the number but not if its possible spam/etc notice.
Now I do tend towards Google maps while riding but at odd times on back roads it will get out of sync, just flat out lost, so I flip back to Apple Maps which never has not known where its at but I prefer the satellite view Google Maps has.
nforrest
If you’ve driven a car with AA/CP, would you buy a car without it? Me either.
NefCanuck
CarPlay has a much better (and safer) interface with multimedia when driving than Tesla, GM or any other automaker 🤷♂️
thirdcountry
Big mistake in my opinion. Why would you do that!
scott__p
Yes. It’s still the one complaint about Tesla’s infotainment, and I doubt GM will even be that good.
sparx_fast
They probably won’t regret it. Automakers need to develop high quality unified software. Apple is trying to gain more control over the automotive experience and that only happens because legacy automakers are weak on the software side.
rp3rsaud
I have a new GM vehicle, a 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ. It has CarPlay. What are they taking about? It also has Goggle Assistant and Alexa.
westni1e
Well, Apple is creeping up on anti-trust litigation as is. CarPlay is just another closed system they have in their “ecosystem”. I wouldn’t be surprised if that came under direct scrutiny if it hasn’t already.
It still sucks for people who own Apple devices but that company is perfectly happy with screwing over other consumers to keep their monopoly on software. The irony is if they opened it up to Android.and allowed third party apps GM may have ditched Android Auto instead.
EaglesPDX
Contacts and Phone are integrated without CarPlay. Messages also. Mapping software is typically the same Google Maps you’d get on CarPlay. Music from wireless phone is integrated.
There’s not much to miss.
Clover-kun
I don’t care how good built in hardware and software is, eventually that hardware will age and that software will stop getting updates. Once modern cell modems will no longer be able to connect to future infrastructure. All of this is a non-issue with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, everything runs on my phone and when I get a new phone I also get an updated head unit. My phone run pretty much the same on my i5, a Mazda3 made in 2013, and any old car with a double DIN headunit made in the last decade.
Manufacturers just need to open up for more information sharing. My car should be able to tell Google Maps it’s state of charge and Google Maps should be able to tell it to start pre-conditioning. Those 2 things are all I need in a modern EV, not some half assed manufacturer made implementation that’ll be outdated in a few years
dwaynereade
gm went brankrupt once and will again. apple has zippy to do w it
Blckbeerd
Narrator: They did regret it.
Krom2040
It’s clearly indicative of GM trying to charge their buyers a subscription fee for a substandard in-house alternative. I don’t know why anybody would even consider purchasing GM when they’re making such boldly anti-consumer moves, especially when Ford and other “traditional” carmakers offer great alternatives.
simplestpanda
Anecdotally I say in a Blazer EV this week for the first time and when talking to the sales agent he conceded that finding out it had no CarPlay was a surprise to him and he’s sure he’s lost a sale or two already on that information.
In the long term if they can deliver Apple Music and Audible and all the app integrations people want (a la Tesla) they could be OK.
22 Comments
> At Apple’s annual developer conference in June 2022, Emily Schubert, a senior engineering manager, spent four minutes of an almost two-hour presentation about iOS and Mac features explaining Apple’s plans for the next generation of CarPlay. The new system, she said, would expand from infotainment displays to the entire dashboard, enabling Apple’s software to access everything from heating to the speedometer.
>
> Apple no longer merely wanted to project a copy of iOS onto the infotainment screen; it wanted the iPhone to oversee the mission-critical cluster behind the steering wheel. This stuff was sacrosanct in Detroit. GM’s Wexler says the next-gen CarPlay, which GM learned of before the announcement, was a “major factor” in its ensuing decision to divorce Apple.
>
> Barra had hired thousands of developers for its push into electric vehicles, whose software is changing more rapidly than the systems for gas-powered vehicles. But it was still juggling systems from legacy suppliers and mixing electronics that required tons of code to get them to communicate with each other. Even its cluster and console displays historically used different processors. A goal of Ultifi is to simplify the programming and chipsets necessary to facilitate easier over-the-air internet updates, which were difficult or even impossible with disparate hardware systems.
>
> GM aspired to be seen as a tech company such as Tesla Inc. and Rivian Automotive Inc., which controlled almost every aspect of their customers’ experiences. If they didn’t allow CarPlay in their EVs, why should GM?
>
> Abdul Bazzi, who’d recently taken over the team responsible for software quality at GM, was surprised to see trade reviews ripping into the technical malfunctions of the Blazer, a vehicle that MotorTrend had just named its SUV of the Year. GM grounded Blazer sales on Dec. 22 while it rooted out the cause.
>
> GM execs held weeks of what-the-hell-happened video conferences. Barra led every one even through the holidays, Bazzi recalls: “She was the most hands-on I’ve ever seen her.”
>
One huge contributor to the problem was that GM had five separate groups overseeing different parts of the vehicle’s technology. (Bazzi says he’s now centralized software quality reviews under his division.)
>
> Chevy product marketing director Darin Gesse stands near a set of garage doors at one facility, where a Tesla Cybertruck is cruising to the test tracks for competitive analysis and Chevy’s newest Equinox and Silverado EVs sparkle in the April sun.
>
> GM’s infotainment software is developed atop a custom version of Google’s open-source operating system, giving the trio of EVs built-in access to Google Maps and additional Android apps. Gesse confesses that Ultifi will be tough to sell to a “hardcore Apple user,” but says he believes component-integrated features will win over iPhone customers. He points to how maps automatically incorporate EV info: If he asks for directions from here to GM’s Silicon Valley lab, the navigation system will automatically predict battery capacity and plot charging stations along the route.
>
> Other possibilities include vehicle and home-security apps integrating with the cameras on its newest models or enterprise tools for corporate fleet management. Wexler also suggests EV data could be leveraged for an advertising business. Barra wanted to strike before Apple expanded into these larger experiences and dominated the space.
>
> ***Tellingly, only Aston Martin and Porsche have committed to supporting the more immersive CarPlay in coming models. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius has explicitly said it won’t adopt the next-generation software, and not even Ford has announced a single product that will integrate the new CarPlay, Farley’s enthusiasm for Apple notwithstanding.***
>
> Even the US Department of Justice targeted CarPlay in its recent antitrust lawsuit against Apple, warning that it’s increasingly “forcing users to experience driving as an iPhone-centric experience.”
>
> David Marcus was the first Blazer EV buyer in Canada, and he kicked himself when he realized it didn’t have CarPlay on the drive home from the dealership. But the more he used GM’s software, the more he fell in love with how its “brains” are embedded in the SUV itself. He found he no longer needed to bother with his iPhone.
He says he thinks every automaker will follow suit. “It’s just inevitable that you’re going to have an integrated system in your car,” says Marcus, who shares this advice for consumers stuck in the confines of Apple’s walled garden: “Get over it.”
While shopping for cars recently, lack of CarPlay was literally a deal breaker for me.
I used to say that I wouldn’t buy a vehicle without CarPlay and it was a deciding factor for me. Then I bought a Model 3, and the infotainment system is great, and I don’t miss CarPlay at all.
I think if you make a good infotainment system, it really doesn’t matter.
No CarPlay – No Party. I have all my music and podcast services on my phone, as long as my maps points. Why should I bother to somewhat keep them available and aligned on both my cars, and also study how to use efficiently use them?
I think that all the billions globally spent on infotainment softwares are an absurd waste of resources. Everyone has a personal device, with advanced software and hardware, an all the services and credentials stored. The cars should just rely on them – easy peasy.
For the very online enthusiast set, sure. However, in talking with car salesmen while shopping they reported to me (anecdotally of course) that most of their customers have never even heard of CarPlay and are surprised by it when they offer to help set it up. Your typical shopper who sees their vehicle as an appliance probably doesn’t even know about CarPlay most likely and won’t miss it.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are intuitive tools to integrate your digital life (your music, your podcasts, your maps, your contacts) with the car you’re driving. The integration is what people desire. CarPlay and AA are good tools, but they aren’t perfect.
If GM can provide a good way to integrate digital life with the car, then they will be fine. Tesla and Rivian are able to develop a decent interface, GM can too.
Will they though? Doubtful.
It makes their vehicles an automatic pass.
Absolutely. Tesla has left a huge opening for other manufacturers and GM excluded themselves from consideration from a lot of potential buyers from the jump.
Bone headed, especially when their lineup looks promising with the Equniox and the Silverado. They need to reverse course.
tl;dr. Honestly I doubt it. When I show friends and some randos who walk up to see my bike most have never seen Carplay and more than a few never heard of it. A few who heard the name before have some odd misconceptions about it as well. I figure that after seeing it more than a few tried it if their vehicle offered it but most might get stuck if its wired Carplay only; got to get the right cable with both ends correct.
I mean, its nice to have and as a motorcyclist it lets me pocket the phone and preserve all the functions of the phone. I especially like having calls pop up over the map/music so I know if its an important can and not spam. This is mostly because in my car I get the number but not if its possible spam/etc notice.
Now I do tend towards Google maps while riding but at odd times on back roads it will get out of sync, just flat out lost, so I flip back to Apple Maps which never has not known where its at but I prefer the satellite view Google Maps has.
If you’ve driven a car with AA/CP, would you buy a car without it? Me either.
CarPlay has a much better (and safer) interface with multimedia when driving than Tesla, GM or any other automaker 🤷♂️
Big mistake in my opinion. Why would you do that!
Yes. It’s still the one complaint about Tesla’s infotainment, and I doubt GM will even be that good.
They probably won’t regret it. Automakers need to develop high quality unified software. Apple is trying to gain more control over the automotive experience and that only happens because legacy automakers are weak on the software side.
I have a new GM vehicle, a 2024 Cadillac LYRIQ. It has CarPlay. What are they taking about? It also has Goggle Assistant and Alexa.
Well, Apple is creeping up on anti-trust litigation as is. CarPlay is just another closed system they have in their “ecosystem”. I wouldn’t be surprised if that came under direct scrutiny if it hasn’t already.
It still sucks for people who own Apple devices but that company is perfectly happy with screwing over other consumers to keep their monopoly on software. The irony is if they opened it up to Android.and allowed third party apps GM may have ditched Android Auto instead.
Contacts and Phone are integrated without CarPlay. Messages also. Mapping software is typically the same Google Maps you’d get on CarPlay. Music from wireless phone is integrated.
There’s not much to miss.
I don’t care how good built in hardware and software is, eventually that hardware will age and that software will stop getting updates. Once modern cell modems will no longer be able to connect to future infrastructure.
All of this is a non-issue with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, everything runs on my phone and when I get a new phone I also get an updated head unit.
My phone run pretty much the same on my i5, a Mazda3 made in 2013, and any old car with a double DIN headunit made in the last decade.
Manufacturers just need to open up for more information sharing. My car should be able to tell Google Maps it’s state of charge and Google Maps should be able to tell it to start pre-conditioning. Those 2 things are all I need in a modern EV, not some half assed manufacturer made implementation that’ll be outdated in a few years
gm went brankrupt once and will again. apple has zippy to do w it
Narrator: They did regret it.
It’s clearly indicative of GM trying to charge their buyers a subscription fee for a substandard in-house alternative. I don’t know why anybody would even consider purchasing GM when they’re making such boldly anti-consumer moves, especially when Ford and other “traditional” carmakers offer great alternatives.
Anecdotally I say in a Blazer EV this week for the first time and when talking to the sales agent he conceded that finding out it had no CarPlay was a surprise to him and he’s sure he’s lost a sale or two already on that information.
In the long term if they can deliver Apple Music and Audible and all the app integrations people want (a la Tesla) they could be OK.
But the GM I know always finds a way to fail.