I’m not a driver and so maybe my estimation is wrong here, but the mocked-up interface in the article looks like a disaster for driver distraction: a live map in the middle of the HUD, notification elements in the dashboard, and a touchscreen with actual apps on it (including the Books app?) within reach of the driver.
Smartphones have already increased distracted driving; it’s concerning to see both automotive and tech companies seemingly encourage the trend.
It's not - a lot of vehicles already have live map data on the cluster. That is to say, Apple isn't doing anything new here, they're just unifying it under their own system.
The Books app you see here is actually Apple's AudioBooks.
I think the live map looks quite nice (the amount of times I've had to glance over at my phone to see the GPS make me long for something like this), but the calendar and two analog clocks look decidedly less enticing. We need simpler interfaces that are easy to read what we need at a glance, not a bunch of distractions.
The problem with this, of course, is that it runs counter to the continuous consumption much of this industry has been built upon. Apple could probably pull it off if they wanted, given their ability to curb stomp companies into compliance, but they would have to actually want to do it and resist the constant stream of investors asking "why not increase upselling opportunities in the CarPlay UI?"
Much the same way that vinyl records are back in vogue, I wouldn't be surprised if someday some luxury car brands started advertising physical controls for minimal distractions someday, given the direction the entire automotive industry seems to be headed. Hopefully my old Toyota will keep on chugging until we see a physical resurgence, I can't stand the way automakers are trying to shove everything onto a single screen to cut costs.
Before Apple/Android CarPlay/auto drivers would get the equivalent of a refrigerator magnet and stick their phone to the center dash.
By comparison a larger resolution and UI restrictions on controls and apps make this outcome safer. A lot of apps and gestures on a phone don’t work in auto mode.
It's not Apple, but rather just what all manufacturers seem to be doing. And yes, it is extremely distracting. There is so much noise, so much to take you away from driving. In that one picture at the top of the article, you have of course the distracting colorful app icons (but people are used to those I guess) but also so much needless information. An icon of a garage door? Your schedule for the next couple days (you should not be looking at that while driving!)? Two clocks because you need to see alternate time zones? I can't even stand music apps displaying album art: just one more distraction to take you away from what you should be doing, driving, changing with every new song.
But hey, I purposefully sought to purchase a (manual) car a couple years ago that did not have a center screen, so clearly my opinion is in the minority.
It’s all fun and games until Apple wants 30% of your revenue. I feel Apple has seriously harmed the trust of potential partners too much for them to bet the farm on deep integration.
Except they've gone away from standard sizes and replaceable head units in order to push people to new cars, so the software integration has become a driver of car sales and a big part of the "good car" experience. You can't assume you'll replace the stereo head later if you don't like it, so software features now influence the car industry.
Case in point, I have owned mostly Chevies through my life and have been mostly happy with them. But I won't buy the new ones because they've done away with plugging the phone in (or will in the future) and made their own. It's a cash grab to get our data and force subscriptions on us and I'm not buying it even if it's a good car.
The whole thing is absurd. We have to get a whole different car if we don't like a screen, but that's how it is now.
Most car manufacturers (with the notable exception being Tesla) think like this. A lot of the in-car software comes from third parties like TomTom. It makes sense until what happened to phones happens to cars and the hardware becomes increasingly a commodity and software the factor defining the user experience.
There's a lot of software in a car besides the entertainment system, you can't leave that to carplay or android. To make good cars, car companies need to be able to write good software.
I agree with the previous poster. If there’s one thing Silicon Valley has taught us, it’s the danger of allowing a tech firm to control the customer interface for your business: whether that’s taxi scheduling, food delivery, search, or automotive UX. Everything will go beautifully until lock-in is achieved, at which point the business switches to revenue maximization. I don’t know exactly what that will look like in the automotive world, but I suspect customers will pay for it in the end.
No, Apple doesn't charge for the existence of CarPlay in a particular car. The manufacturers used to for a while, probably to reclaim their perceived implementation costs and because the industry has worked that way for a long time, but that's not as common anymore, most (besides certain manufacturers) ship it as a default now.
I worked for a car company in Infotainment for several years, and while I wasn't privy to any conversations like this, I can say that they (my company at least) are desperately brainstorming ways to come up with anything to make money. This is why we've seen all those crazy ideas like BMW trying to make seat warmers a subscription. They're trying to find some way to maintain a better cash inflow than selling a product.
Rent-seeking by apple and rent-seeking by car makers are both legitimate concerns!
I guess the sentiment for the rest of us punters and hoopleheads is, if we have to be rent-sook by one of them, at least CarPlay is likely to have a less-unpleasant user experience?
I agree. Apple's play here is not as an additional revenue stream, but and additional means to be central in your digital life. Instead of using Bluetooth to the car's system or using built-in maps, you're using their tools.
I will never buy or rent another car that doesn’t support CarPlay. It’s not perfext but it’s pretty good and provides a uniform, dependable interface across many different cars. This is especially useful with rental cars, I won’t use a car without it anymore.
The proliferation of these dash screens is very concerning.
In multiple models across several manufacturers the replacement cost is astronomical. $2000-$5000 for small screens and $5000-$10000+ for larger screens.
When these screens die instantly, and without warning, the vehicle becomes unuseable. You can get used (unwarranteed) screens for about half the price of new but then you are at the mercy of the dealership if they can find it in their hearts to flash it for you using the proprietary OEM software so that it will work in your vehicle.
I really hope Apple can find their way home again as the leading consumer hardware business they once were.
It feels like they have been in a seemingly never ending spiral of trying to figure out how to make money off services, while abandoning enterprise growth, hardware category innovation, and releasing new revolutionary software experiences.
I haven’t been wowed by anything from Apple since the ARM transition, but before then the iPhone X.
> I really hope Apple can find their way home again as the leading consumer hardware business they once were. [...] I haven’t been wowed by anything from Apple since the ARM transition, but before then the iPhone X.
That was in ... 2020.
> It feels like they have been in a seemingly never ending spiral of trying to figure out how to make money off services, while abandoning enterprise growth, hardware category innovation, and releasing new revolutionary software experiences.
To be clear, I still view Apple as a leader, I just think they’ve lost focus and become lazy on their hardware innovation while they are draining all their resources on trying to be viewed as a serious services company.
Personal opinion, but Apple trying to be a News, Medical, Sports, Financial, and Movie company all at the same time is a bit much and is proving to not be executed very well by them. I get why they want it since the profit margins are easier, but I just feel like it goes against the DNA of the company and what I’d expect out of them.
Readit News
Smartphones have already increased distracted driving; it’s concerning to see both automotive and tech companies seemingly encourage the trend.
The Books app you see here is actually Apple's AudioBooks.
The problem with this, of course, is that it runs counter to the continuous consumption much of this industry has been built upon. Apple could probably pull it off if they wanted, given their ability to curb stomp companies into compliance, but they would have to actually want to do it and resist the constant stream of investors asking "why not increase upselling opportunities in the CarPlay UI?"
Much the same way that vinyl records are back in vogue, I wouldn't be surprised if someday some luxury car brands started advertising physical controls for minimal distractions someday, given the direction the entire automotive industry seems to be headed. Hopefully my old Toyota will keep on chugging until we see a physical resurgence, I can't stand the way automakers are trying to shove everything onto a single screen to cut costs.
Also, that's audiobooks, not iBooks.
By comparison a larger resolution and UI restrictions on controls and apps make this outcome safer. A lot of apps and gestures on a phone don’t work in auto mode.
Deleted Comment
But hey, I purposefully sought to purchase a (manual) car a couple years ago that did not have a center screen, so clearly my opinion is in the minority.
I'd leave the software to others, making sure to support both CarPlay and Android Auto.
Case in point, I have owned mostly Chevies through my life and have been mostly happy with them. But I won't buy the new ones because they've done away with plugging the phone in (or will in the future) and made their own. It's a cash grab to get our data and force subscriptions on us and I'm not buying it even if it's a good car.
The whole thing is absurd. We have to get a whole different car if we don't like a screen, but that's how it is now.
On a flip side - having one app instead of 10 would be nice…
I guess the sentiment for the rest of us punters and hoopleheads is, if we have to be rent-sook by one of them, at least CarPlay is likely to have a less-unpleasant user experience?
Dead Comment
CarPlay is a feature not a revenue source. It drives device sales and increases retention for the ecosystem.
I have no clue why it needs to suck additional money from consumers.
In multiple models across several manufacturers the replacement cost is astronomical. $2000-$5000 for small screens and $5000-$10000+ for larger screens.
When these screens die instantly, and without warning, the vehicle becomes unuseable. You can get used (unwarranteed) screens for about half the price of new but then you are at the mercy of the dealership if they can find it in their hearts to flash it for you using the proprietary OEM software so that it will work in your vehicle.
It feels like they have been in a seemingly never ending spiral of trying to figure out how to make money off services, while abandoning enterprise growth, hardware category innovation, and releasing new revolutionary software experiences.
I haven’t been wowed by anything from Apple since the ARM transition, but before then the iPhone X.
That was in ... 2020.
> It feels like they have been in a seemingly never ending spiral of trying to figure out how to make money off services, while abandoning enterprise growth, hardware category innovation, and releasing new revolutionary software experiences.
Well, I guess 3 1/2 years?
To be clear, I still view Apple as a leader, I just think they’ve lost focus and become lazy on their hardware innovation while they are draining all their resources on trying to be viewed as a serious services company.
Personal opinion, but Apple trying to be a News, Medical, Sports, Financial, and Movie company all at the same time is a bit much and is proving to not be executed very well by them. I get why they want it since the profit margins are easier, but I just feel like it goes against the DNA of the company and what I’d expect out of them.