Apple announces major updates to CarPlay

[AdamUCF]

What features from Waze would you like added to their map?

I want a network of millions of users contributing live information (hazards, traffic, police, etc) to the maps.

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[rodhx]

I agree, Waze should be the only navigation app in the system. I’m not going to explain why it has won the market if serious navigation users, I’m simply going to state that it has already won the market because it is the best.

Rivian should not be selecting which music subscription service it’s users use. It should support all of them so that a user can use whatever they already use. I use Apple Music. That is what I will use in my vehicle.

TuneIn and SiriusXM are not even remotely comparable.

I disagree about Waze being the only choice as I find it less reliable and flexible than the Google Maps it is built on, but do agree on your other points. It is much more efficient for Rivian to simply allow AA & CP access so their customers can use any product they prefer. I don't need my vehicle's manufacturer making decisions on what I should be allowed access to for entertainment/nav/etc. With access to all the complaints about Tesla's tech lockdown I'm really surprised Rivian chose the same path.

 

[DJG]

I agree, Waze should be the only navigation app in the system. I’m not going to explain why it has won the market if serious navigation users, I’m simply going to state that it has already won the market because it is the best.

Rivian should not be selecting which music subscription service it’s users use. It should support all of them so that a user can use whatever they already use. I use Apple Music. That is what I will use in my vehicle.

TuneIn and SiriusXM are not even remotely comparable.

They are not going to use Waze as their map/nav service. That just looks tacky and incongruent with their design and brand, not to mention they have no control over it.

 

[rodhx]

They are not going to use Waze as their map/nav service. That just looks tacky and incongruent with their design and brand, not to mention they have no control over it.

Ford doesn't use it for their nav service either. But they also allow AA & CP so I get to use superior nav products to the OEM supplied tool. And with the Mach E at least Apple Maps can plan charging stops when used through CP AND does a better job of actually navigating. I am anxiously awaiting Google to step up and include similar capability for Maps/Waze.

 

[phren0logy]

By integrating only two platforms, suddenly owners have access to dozens (if not hundreds) of applications on their vehicle screen.

Oh, and I have a ton of content already downloaded onto my phone. Music, podcasts, audio books, offline maps. That way when I lose service, be it in a remote area or on a plane, I'm not out of luck. CarPlay means I can seamlessly access all that content I already have with me in the car from the car's screen. I don't need to separately manage downloads to the car's infotainment (and no stressing about whether I have enough storage in the system or how many write cycles I'm going to use).

There's a reason CarPlay users have a choice of dozens of audio apps and that Tesla can only offer 3. Roughly speaking, for about the same effort, Rivian could provide two standalone additional apps (say Netflix and Apple Music) or Rivian could provide access to dozens and of apps. This is not just about picking some executive's pet app (Spotify?). It's about taking advantage of all the work that has already been done by dozens and dozens of app developers to make and maintain car-screen versions of their apps.

I 100% agree with all of this. I have a good calendar app on my phone, and it notifies me with travel time when I need to leave to make it to the next location on my calendar. When I plug my phone in to my car, with one tap I'm at a map to my next destination.

No car company is ever going to beat a software company for breadth of useful software. It's just not going to happen. I don't know why Rivian (and Tesla) are being so silly about this.

And really, let's say that they do make a better option - then I'll use it! But why refuse to give me the option of CarPlay/AA?

"We feel that we can give the customer a better experience" is a dodge. Go ahead and make it, but let *US* decide if it's better.

 

[swhme]

Are there specific things about Apple Music that Spotify doesn't have (artists, etc?). If a case can be made, perhaps Apple Music can replace Spotify down the road, but I doubt they want more than one base media player (internet radio being a separate category).

Decent sound quality. Spotify arguably has better selection and way better personalized playlist creation, but the sound quality is garbage.

 

[R1T7777]

My Panasonic smart tv from circa 2011 came with youtube, hulu, netflix, and others that ran directly on the tv. One by one, those apps have all been discontinued. The tv can't stream anything directly anymore.

Exactly why I use Chromecast. Literally anything on my hone or any other device can be on my projector. All voice controlled. Updated regularly. Platform agnostic.

Polestar did it right.

 

[R1T7777]

Decent sound quality. Spotify arguably has better selection and way better personalized playlist creation, but the sound quality is garbage.

YouTube music has the selection and the sound quality. And music videos. And it's basically free with Pixel Pass.

 

[R1T7777]

I won't rehash what I've been saying for over a year in various places, but yes it would be nice if Rivian would get their head out of their asses and support CarPlay. Those who don't want it, cool you're not being forced to. But those who want CP/AA are not the minority. Apple claims 98% of new cars sold today support CarPlay.

98% support it, but nowhere near 98% of customers use it. I understand not wanting to rely on CarPlay or Android Auto, due to their limitations and still frequent issues. However, Android Automotive seems like the best mix of built in app support and better mapping/routing, voice assistant and customizability. Rivian is just trying to make more $ by keeping the UI in house. As long as it doesn't kill demand, it's a smart business move and unlikely to be reversed no matter how many of us would prefer something else. If they step it up and provide comparable features, I'm fine with their strategy.

 

[astonius]

Are there specific things about Apple Music that Spotify doesn't have (artists, etc?). If a case can be made, perhaps Apple Music can replace Spotify down the road, but I doubt they want more than one base media player (internet radio being a separate category).

iCloud Music Library. No other service offers anything like it. I listen to a lot of obscure music that is not on streaming services. iCloud Music Library uploads those missing tracks and combines them with my Apple Music library seamlessly.

This is on top of the higher quality.

 

[phren0logy]

iCloud Music Library. No other service offers anything like it. I listen to a lot of obscure music that is not on streaming services. iCloud Music Library uploads those missing tracks and combines them with my Apple Music library seamlessly.

This is on top of the higher quality.

But why should anyone have to justify their choice in music service (or navigation service)? Most cars allow me to use any choice I want - certainly damn near any car in this price range! If Rivian makes something better, I'll use it, but it's cowardly not to allow people to decide for themselves.

As for the cost, I would think that it's not terribly time-intensive to allow Carplay/AA to display on at least part of the screen.

 

[astonius]

But why should anyone have to justify their choice in music service (or navigation service)? Most cars allow me to use any choice I want - certainly damn near any car in this price range! If Rivian makes something better, I'll use it, but it's cowardly not to allow people to decide for themselves.

As for the cost, I would think that it's not terribly time-intensive to allow Carplay/AA to display on at least part of the screen.

I'm totally with you, definitely want CarPlay, at least in some basic form.

There was a video of a guy taking delivery that mentioned CarPlay, and the delivery guide stated they didn't implement it because it takes over the entire screen. That's demonstrably false. Tons of modern implementations of CarPlay run it in a window.

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