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Driven5
Driven5 UberDork
3/31/23 5:05 p.m.

https://www.engadget.com/gm-is-phasing-out-apple-carplay-and-android-auto-in-evs-163104494.html

Initially will include integral Android Automotive 8 year subscription for 'free' to pacify the masses, but don't expect that to last long.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. frown

BAMF
BAMF HalfDork
3/31/23 5:22 p.m.

There are upcoming driver assistance technologies that are "more tightly coupled" with navigation features, Himche says, and GM doesn't want them to require a smartphone.

Wow. My brain almost broke comprehending the stupidity of that statement.

Not requiring a a smart phone and not permitting the use of one are really different things. As the article noted, several companies are offering Android Automotive while also supporting CarPlay and Android Auto.

Until my Volt I was a GM skeptic on a good day; I might go back to avoiding GM again. 

RevRico
RevRico GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/31/23 5:24 p.m.

Let me guess, they're tying the rest of the car to the infotainment system so you can't just swap head units either?

BAMF
BAMF HalfDork
3/31/23 5:41 p.m.
RevRico said:

Let me guess, they're tying the rest of the car to the infotainment system so you can't just swap head units either?

That's kind of how things are in my Chevy Volt already...

 If GM offered a 4g/5g module so OnStar still was available that might be nice. Or if software updates were possible, that would be nice.

Car companies aren't yet very good at being smart phone companies.

 

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/31/23 8:46 p.m.

I have zero interest in integrating anything between my car and my phone.  I don't even like using my phone as a GPS, but my Garmin is woefully out of date and my phone is right there, so I use it, as much as Google Maps sucks (even more than Garmin)  

Separate devices for separate operations!

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter)
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
3/31/23 9:09 p.m.
RevRico said:

Let me guess, they're tying the rest of the car to the infotainment system so you can't just swap head units either?

Swapping head units hasn't been a realistic option on new cars for at least 10 years.

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
3/31/23 9:13 p.m.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:
RevRico said:

Let me guess, they're tying the rest of the car to the infotainment system so you can't just swap head units either?

Swapping head units hasn't been a realistic option on new cars for at least 10 years.

+25 for some cars.  

RevRico
RevRico GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/31/23 9:38 p.m.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Newest vehicle I've ever owned was a 2005 in like 2017, I'm a bit out of the loop on "new". Although the wife's 2012 civic stupidly ties the head unit to the HVAC, because berkeley you for not spending an extra $1000 just for Bluetooth, a technology available on bargain aftermarket head units since 05 at least.

Wish they'd just sell vehicles WITHOUT a stereo in them. Always obsolete by the time they hit dealer lots, let alone by the time they're affordable. Which is just sad that a 10 year old bargain Kenwood system works and sounds better than new from the factory, but that's another topic. 

ProDarwin
ProDarwin MegaDork
3/31/23 9:44 p.m.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I have zero interest in integrating anything between my car and my phone.  I don't even like using my phone as a GPS, but my Garmin is woefully out of date and my phone is right there, so I use it, as much as Google Maps sucks (even more than Garmin)  

Separate devices for separate operations!

What is your preferred GPS?

My phone already has the audiobooks, podcasts, etc. I want on it.  It already has an internet connection, GPS, and ability to do maps.  I don't want to have to duplicate that functionality (poorly) in a car.

frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
3/31/23 10:04 p.m.

   I still listen to CD's in my truck. My last truck had a cassette and CD player.  
  Hint. Us Old guys don't like to listen to much other than the weather and farm reports. 

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter)
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
3/31/23 10:04 p.m.
ProDarwin said:

What is your preferred GPS?

Mine is Waze because it has real-time traffic and police info. Much better than any Garmin, TomTom or built-in navigation I've used. Which is one of the reasons AA/Carplay is a must for me in any new car. This is a very short-sighted decision by GM.

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
3/31/23 10:09 p.m.

In reply to RevRico :

Modern car audio is very, very good.  The speakers make great upgrades for older cars.  I keep a lookout for Volvo's premium package front speakers, there are three or four elements per door with separate subwoofers (in the FRONT DOORS!) and mids and tweeters, all in something that looks pretty swappable.  And they sound better than any aftermarket stuff I have played with.  When I bought the car, I stuck my Black Sabbath disk in the thing and when Jack the Stripper came up, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

Almost everything has HVAC and car control items (maintenance, tire pressure monitor resetting) built into the infotainment module, which oftentimes is just a screen and the actual nuts-and-bolts is in different units stashed elsewhere in the dashboard. Or trunk.  Or both.

Honda made some radios in the mid-2000s Accords that die with regularity.  What usually happens is that a half-DIN head unit gets mounted UNDER all that mess, which stays up top for HVAC/etc reasons.

frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
4/1/23 12:17 a.m.

Maybe those engines roaring away on the wings next to the cockpit  with a few sheets of aluminum and 1500 unmuffled horsepower  caused me to be hard of hearing?   Or decades of open exhaust race cars?  Grinding and making other noise building those race cars?   
  I don't know. Maybe if the ringing in my ears  would go away I could hear the "music" ?   
         But I didn't like much of that even before Vietnam, racing, building race cars and a house. Etc. 

This is my biggest complaint about Teslas. I really liked the 3 I rented, but the lack of CarPlay is a dealbreaker for me. Disappointed to hear that other manufacturers are following suit. 

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
4/1/23 9:07 a.m.

Seems like a pretty dumb bet that the on board GPS would be better than a phone one.  Once phones got it, I never bothered with the car maps.  Phones can update constantly, let alone you can choose which mapping app fits your needs the best.  

And for sound- I got tired of satellite radio a long time ago- for actually paying for it, the sound quality was pretty poor.  Between our phones with various music choices and the actual FM radio, yea.

NY Nick
NY Nick GRM+ Memberand Dork
4/1/23 9:29 a.m.

My 2020 CRV has a beautifully integrated apple car play. My 2011 Cadillac has a vehicle specific display and it's awful. It is very expensive and difficult to upgrade. The map function is useless. The onstar is not helpful. This is somewhere between greed and arrogance. The system in my 2011 was outdated in less than 5 years, on a vehicle that costs half my house (at that time, I didn't pay that for it). Ugh, I thought they really nailed it with Car Play, it sucks that they are going a different direction. 
having spent years advocating for automotive electronics think I am finally about broken on it and ready to go backwards 20 years (full engine controls but can still work on the rest of the car). 

XLR99 (Forum Supporter)
XLR99 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand Dork
4/1/23 11:08 a.m.

What a bizarre decision!  Seems like a step backwards.

I thought AA/ACP is the best possible solution; all your contacts, songs, map destinations, etc. are all available in whatever car you jump into, maps get updated automatically. Ive put aftermarket head units into 3 of 4 cars (wife doesnt use ACP and doesnt want me to put one in her car)

newold_m (Forum Supporter)
newold_m (Forum Supporter) Reader
4/1/23 11:47 a.m.

It's all about generating an added revenue stream, I don't believe primary intent is to improve customer experience one bit. 
 

We do believe there are subscription revenue opportunities for us," Kummer said. GM Chief Executive Mary Barra is aiming for $20 billion to $25 billion in annual revenue from subscriptions by 2030.

fidelity101
fidelity101 UberDork
4/1/23 12:06 p.m.

supply and command...

Kreb (Forum Supporter)
Kreb (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
4/1/23 12:50 p.m.

Rented a Volvo recently. It had an onboard nav system that was clearly inferior to my smart phone. 

It wasn't long ago when I read the CEO of GM talking about going all in on car-sharing and how individual car ownership would become a thing of the past. 

Clueless mofo.  

ProDarwin
ProDarwin MegaDork
4/1/23 1:14 p.m.
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

Rented a Volvo recently. It had an onboard nav system that was clearly inferior to my smart phone. 

It wasn't long ago when I read the CEO of GM talking about going all in on car-sharing and how individual car ownership would become a thing of the past. 

Clueless mofo.  

There was an article recently on Ars about how the new Denali system is hopelessly outdated and unnecessarily complex.  They took some good jabs at Volvo as well.  Both had similar performance to a Raspberry Pi 4, which is significantly slower than 99% of smartphones in operation.

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/01/android-automotive-goes-mainstream-a-review-of-gms-new-infotainment-system/amp/

67LS1
67LS1 Reader
4/3/23 12:21 p.m.
No Time
No Time UltraDork
4/3/23 12:33 p.m.

But...but...but....

You can bundle the infotainment package, heated seats, nav, and hvac into a single subscription sad

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
4/3/23 1:02 p.m.

I would avoid a new GM car because of this. I don't care for Google.

Tony Sestito
Tony Sestito UltimaDork
4/4/23 9:42 a.m.

This is a surefire way to alienate about 90% of people interested in buying their vehicles. You're simultaneously ticking off Apple users, Android users, people who don't want a subscription service in their car, and people who don't like Google. And on top of that, Apple Car Play/Android Auto has become an industry standard application suite/interface on just about every car manufacturer (and aftermarket) infotainment setup. It works really well in just about every vehicle, provided you have a smartphone to power it, which nearly every driver does now. 

Way to go GM for finding yet another new and innovative way to massively fail. Gotta hand it to you, you're getting really good at that. 

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