Apple, Google, GM and the $1.5 Trillion Battle for the Car Dashboard - WSJ Video

[Zoidz]

Here's a summary of the previous three thousand posts about AA/CP:

- Me: Rivian probably won't do it b/c they want the digital real estate to make more $$$

- Angry mob: Shut up! Idiot! You hate America!

- Me: No, I just have worked in Silicon Valley for 24 years.

- Angry mob: Rivian hates its users and you suck!

- Me: Ok.

CarPlay anger reaches the boiling point with the angry mob

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[SoCal Rob]

I like subscriptions when they offer me something of value for less than it would cost otherwise, as long as they aren't putting silly limitations on it just for the sake of trying to get me to use their service less. For tv, movies, etc, a subscription makes a lot of sense since I am generally only consuming something once and for a short period of time.

I've been a perpetual subscriber to the EA membership since 2019, even though I probably don't use their stations enough to warrant staying subscribed. But for $4/mo I consider it a good cause to support anyway. When we need the stations they have been great to use.

For something physical in a car, I'd expect a subscription to cost less over about an 8 year period vs buying something outright. Anything that changes the cost benefit quicker than that is highway robbery.

To me, a subscription makes sense when providing something dynamic. Anything static should be a one-time cost.

So, as much as I dislike recurring monthly costs, I am fine paying for services which provide me continuously updated content, like NetFlix. If I buy a (not smart) TV which never changes then there better not be a subscription related to it.

Where things get murky to me is when the relationship starts to feel parasitic rather than symbiotic. I used to really like my cable company, Cox Communications, and now I resent paying them and would stop doing so if I had an option. I feel this way because the value proposition has changed. A lot.

If a car manufacturer was charging a subscription for activating the heated seat hardware already present I’d probably not buy from them unless they offered an option to pay once to activate this otherwise static feature. The subscription model can be so quick to sour, though.

I understand that someone out there may like paying a subscription for heated seats. They can pay only for the winter months, yay! But what if the manufacturer feels they are entitled to an uninterrupted revenue stream? Maybe they increase the cost of the subscription without providing additional benefit, tack on an activation fee, or bundle with other options the consumer doesn’t need or want. The worst will go for a trifecta and do all three. Congratulations, manufacturer, you’ve now created an antagonistic relationship with some of your customer base.

This typically strikes me as C-level short term thinking and it doesn’t always benefit the company they work for. I’ve seen too many executives over the years who don’t care about how their decisions affect the company they serve… as long as they get their bonus by achieving specific goals.

 

[Autolycus]

This whole thing reminds me of the period when hotels tried to charge for even basic wifi. That lasted for about a week.

Now hotels are doing something far worse: mandatory "resort" fees. Those are hanging on still and are becoming more and more prevalent, several years after their initial introduction in actual "resort" places like Vegas.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Honestly you need to chill and just ignore these threads. They are unimportant really. Just enjoy your great vehicle.

If it's alright for people to constantly drone on and on here about a feature that's never going to happen then it's alright for me to be a constant pain in the ass on each and every one of those threads telling these people how annoying and entitled they are acting. I get as good as I give, and simply ignoring it isn't going to do it for me.

As someone who deals with these people on a regular basis in my professional life it's a huge thorn in my side when someone else thinks they have the right to dictate how a private business should run. Use their services or don't, but that's the extent of your power as a consumer. You can make suggestions to improve a product but when you are told no you have the choice to either continue to use the service or product and accept that you aren't getting everything you want, or buy something else.

You do not have the choice to piss and moan about it constantly to people who don't want to hear it. Start a muh CarPlay forum and piss and moan about it there. I promise I won't join. This is a Rivian forum and CarPlay discussions do not belong here as CarPlay isn't involved with rivian in any way.

I do have some good news for you however, if my responses annoy you you are free to follow your own advice and ignore my replies or me altogether.

 

[teddyang]

Again apologies, i just wanted to link the video for informational purposes! Not trying to start another CP/AA war....

 

[jemkewl]

"Rent / subscribe - you will own nothing and like it."
Is that the gist?

 

[Toadkillerdog]

If it's alright for people to constantly drone on and on here about a feature that's never going to happen then it's alright for me to be a constant pain in the ass on each and every one of those threads telling these people how annoying and entitled they are acting. I get as good as I give, and simply ignoring it isn't going to do it for me.

As someone who deals with these people on a regular basis in my professional life it's a huge thorn in my side when someone else thinks they have the right to dictate how a private business should run. Use their services or don't, but that's the extent of your power as a consumer. You can make suggestions to improve a product but when you are told no you have the choice to either continue to use the service or product and accept that you aren't getting everything you want, or buy something else.

You do not have the choice to piss and moan about it constantly to people who don't want to hear it. Start a muh CarPlay forum and piss and moan about it there. I promise I won't join. This is a Rivian forum and CarPlay discussions do not belong here as CarPlay isn't involved with rivian in any way.

I do have some good news for you however, if my responses annoy you you are free to follow your own advice and ignore my replies or me altogether.

I just don’t think this topic deserves so much anger. I get it is annoying but that’s the baseline in forums. People come here to moan bitch and complain a lot and I think it is healthier to tune it out when you don’t like it. This topic will never go away I’m afraid… I don’t think we will ever see CarPlay in rivians but doubt people will stop talking about it either. If they offer value in a subscription that I think is worth it, I will sign on. If there is little perceived value, I won’t sign on. I want Them to succeed most definitely and suspect they strongly believe leaving CarPlay out is crucial to their success. I’ve already started my Spotify account…

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I just don’t think this topic deserves so much anger. I get it is annoying but that’s the baseline in forums. People come here to moan bitch and complain a lot and I think it is healthier to tune it out when you don’t like it. This topic will never go away I’m afraid… I don’t think we will ever see CarPlay in rivians but doubt people will stop talking about it either. If they offer value in a subscription that I think is worth it, I will sign on. If there is little perceived value, I won’t sign on. I want Them to succeed most definitely and suspect they strongly believe leaving CarPlay out is crucial to their success. I’ve already started my Spotify account…

That's fine that you don't think it deserves this much anger. I think whining about CarPlay is childish and entitled and that sort of behavior is unacceptable in polite society. As long as there are people willing to throw their tantrums after being told no there will be people like myself willing to call them out on it.

 

[moosehead]

 

[RBR1S]

I wouldn't put it past some people to crash their vehicles into the CEO's home if they suddenly had intrusive ads they couldn't disable.

"I'm sorry Dark, I can't do that. Perhaps you'd like me to take you to Starbucks where you can enjoy their newest drink...."

 

[Brewbud]

People wouldn't bitch about not having CP or AA if the Rivian software supported voice texting and had better navigation. Well, I am sure some would still complain...and then others to complain about them....

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