General Motors (GM) has made a bold move by deciding to drop support for Apple’s CarPlay in all future electric vehicles (EVs). This decision, which may be one of GM’s biggest gambles in recent years, has left many puzzled as it could potentially lead to a significant loss in sales.
GM’s decision to drop CarPlay was driven by its goal to generate subscription revenue for its own infotainment services, rather than allowing customers to use Apple services and iPhone apps. The company believes that this move will work out well for it, despite the fact that as early as 2021, Apple stated that 79% of US car buyers only consider CarPlay-capable vehicles when making their purchasing decisions.
The first vehicle to be launched without CarPlay was the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. However, the reviews of its own infotainment system were not favorable. The infotainment display experienced issues such as shutting off, turning on, displaying a map centered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and turning back off again. These issues persisted until the vehicle was pulled off the freeway and restarted.
One of the reasons behind GM’s decision was the difficulty it faced in working with Apple. GM felt that Apple did not respect its automotive expertise and was not open to feedback on areas where CarPlay could improve. However, this sentiment was mutual, with GM failing to appreciate the depth of Apple’s UI expertise.
GM was particularly concerned about Apple’s plans for the new CarPlay to take over the car’s entire dash, in what Apple calls “a new instrument cluster experience”. Apple wanted the iPhone to oversee the mission-critical cluster behind the steering wheel, which was a step too far for GM.
Read more at: 9to5mac.com