Look, I'm not the target market for this anyway, and I know that. But I won't ever buy another car that doesn't have both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Especially now that head units aren't so simple to replace.
Like, no matter how good your software is when you release it, you're not going to have the same level of support, frequency of updates, timelines of new feature releases, and actual hardware upgrades (via my phone) I'd get from you having AA or CarPlay.
Both AA and CarPlay have gotten pretty damn good in the last few years too.
I drive a 2008 Mustang and I finally replaced my head unit a couple years ago with the Sony XAV-AX5000 and it was the best upgrade I could've possibly made to my car. I was really feeling like getting something new because I wanted modern convenience and this $350 upgrade gave me the luxury of perpetually being up to date. The only downside is that it doesn't have wireless AA, but hardly anything does.
And no, I'm not good with having just one. My last several phones have been Pixels, but my GF and my Best Friend have iPhones. I need to be able to do both seamlessly. Plus, I don't want my car locking me in to a phone OS. If apple releases an iPhone with USB-C, AoD, side loading (all of which should be in the next phone), add better UI scaling options, and they fix the back gesture, I'll want to switch and I don't want my car to keep me from doing that.
I agree with you. CarPlay is a must have feature in 2023. I wouldn’t buy a car without a backup camera or parking sensors anymore, and I sure as hell won’t buy a car without CarPlay either. It’s such a bizarre decision by GM.
Why? I don’t want an system that looks out of date 5 years after I buy an expensive car and likely not even paid off. I just want a screen that displays the software and hardware that is likely updated every year. I don’t want another damn subscription to use services I am already paying for. This car companies are greedy and short sighted.
The biggest impact this has is forcing you to buy Internet access for your car. So another 10-20 a month just to get directions in your car.
I used to have to mount my phone to the car vent to get directions. Now I can avoid that. But looks like those phone mounts are going to be in demand again
Carmakers might be able to do what nobody else has managed to do so far: Kill the automobile. Everything the industry does seems to point in that direction, at least.
A car not having Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is a huge negative. Car manufacturer infotainment systems are usually ass. Car manufacturers should stick to what they know — building cars, improving supply chain.
Side note: what kind of drugs are the Cadillac executives on? A $130K SUV? Lmao what kind of asshole would actually buy this behemoth of a vehicle and think “ahh this machine was totally worth it”. Do people really think Cadillacs are the pinnacle of luxury? I guess that’s the American vehicle market for ya.
People are already well-aware of automakers trying to revert to their own proprietary crapware to push subscription services and steal your personal info services.