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Apple's New CarPlay 'Ultra' Won't Fix the Biggest Problem of Phone-Connected Cars (gizmodo.com) 46

Posted by BeauHD from the step-in-the-right-direction dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Apple's next step for CarPlay is a version you'll only get to try if you're a fan of luxury cruisers or a popular spy film franchise. CarPlay Ultra, with its new suite of exclusive features like custom gauges, is coming first to Aston Martin vehicles with the largest, most blaring dash screens. The more advanced version of CarPlay won't necessarily fix the lingering issues the software has with some modern vehicles. Segmenting CarPlay into newer and older systems may make things worse for those with aging cars. Apple's CarPlay Ultra includes a new kind of dashboard alongside real-time information that can include car diagnostics -- like tire pressure -- or dashboard gauges. You should be able to control temperature and other car-based features as well. The new version of the software includes options for dashboards or console screens, and it will work with on-screen controls, Siri, and "physical buttons."

CarPlay Ultra was supposed to launch in 2024, but Apple missed its release date by close to half a year. The new feature suite was first revealed at WWDC in 2022, where Apple promised a "unified and consistent" suite of informational dashboards offering more control over radio and AC "without ever leaving the CarPlay experience." Last year, Apple showed off "the next generation" of its car-focused app that included custom gauges and other layouts made for a variety of automakers. It lacked much of the full-width, busy design of the initial iteration from two years prior. [...]

To entice more manufacturers, CarPlay Ultra is supposed to adapt to multiple screen sizes thanks to a modular layout system with more options for companies to adhere to their own brand identity. Apple promised carmakers they could resize and reorient gauges on a dashboard like you do widgets on your iPhone. Users can change up various gauges on the dash and bring up apps like Apple Music or Maps in between your temperature gauge and speedometer. Aston Martin showed off these features on an Aston Martin DBX, a luxury SUV that costs more than $250,000. Apple said these features should be coming to the U.S. and Canada first, with more Aston Martins getting these features through software updates from local dealerships. Apple said its still trying to bring these features to brands like Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Maybe we'll see Ultra on a vehicle regular folk can afford. "The customizable dashboards are a way for Apple to let each carmaker have their say in how their vehicles look, but they won't help all those who are stuck with regular CarPlay on their aging beaters," concludes Gizmodo's Kyle Barr. "The new version will inevitably create a distinction between those with new software and others with legacy software..."

Apple's New CarPlay 'Ultra' Won't Fix the Biggest Problem of Phone-Connected Cars More | Reply

Apple's New CarPlay 'Ultra' Won't Fix the Biggest Problem of Phone-Connected Cars

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  • I will not buy a new car without factory CarPlay. Period.

    • Agreed. I am a lifelong GM owner, but if they do not reverse their anti-CarPlay stance by the time I buy again, they will not have my business.

      • Carplay is too tacky of a date for my taste, but to each his own I guess.

      • And if you are an Android user, the same goes to anti-Android Auto stances.

        It is already an issue. Your car should not dictate what smartphone you must have. Or vice-versa. That is a horrible and stupid situation to be placed into.

      • Agreed. I am a lifelong GM owner, but if they do not reverse their anti-CarPlay stance by the time I buy again, they will not have my business.

        They already lost one car from me. We bought something else in the fall. Refused to buy ANY GM vehicle, because of their arrogance.

        • Our 2017 Bolt has Android auto, and a CD player, connected to the aux input, so that my husband can play some of his 10,000+ CDs that he refuses to rip.

          The last model Bolt got rid of the aux input. I'm not sure how many new cars still have them. This means connecting an external CD player is no longer possible on new cars. I researched bluetooth CD players, mostly requested by Teslaratis. There isn't a properly working one in existence. The only solution would be some sort of FM transmitter/receiver, at lea

          • There is a solution for that for $20 or so. Attach the cd player to one of those tiny BT transmitters, and connect to the car's audio via Bluetooth, assuming your car can "listen" via Bluetooth. Not ideal (neither is 10000 unripped CDs), but it will get you there.

            I use the receiver function on such a device to connect my phone's audio to my Jeep, as it does not have CarPlay. Perfect for my needs, although I will very soon be installing a CarPlay unit in my Jeep.

            No aux input though....that's lame. But come t

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by madbrain ( 11432 )

              Thanks. Which BT transmitter did you use ? Is the audio quality OK ? There are many CODECs, and the original BT SBC sounds pretty bad for music, at least on headphones. With a car in motion, maybe not a big deal. The Bolt EV is pretty quiet, though. Anyway, our 2017 still has the aux input. It's the later series that doesn't.

              Car manufacturers are relentlessly anti-consumer, IMO. Removing the built-in CD player as default factory install is one thing. Not offering it as an option is another. But removing the

              • 3 decades of cars here, and I never once used an aux input.

                I have a CD player in one of my cars. I have an MP3 CD in there that I burned 10 years ago. If I didn't have the CD player, I'd play from my phone or a USB drive. I'd rather not subsidize your luddite musical tastes. Why isn't there an 8 track option? THOSE BASTARDS!

                Oh, and AM? The only time I use that turd-strewn field is when I accidentally hit the wrong button on the stereo. Fuck AM, the huge waste of money. I don't want to subsidize your

          • Do you also carry a buggy whip in the car?

        • Apple's bitch, eh?

    • I won't buy one with Car Play.

      • I want lower car prices and much higher mechanical reliability first.

        Are we at the time where cost of the extra computers, touch screens, subscription enabled devices, local wi-fi, and unnecessary technology extras + copper wires + installation extras for them exceeds the cost of the engine?

        https://npcautomotive.com/how-... [npcautomotive.com]

        Modern vehicles typically contain around 30 to 50 ECUs, which are essentially microprocessor-controlled devices or computers. Meanwhile, luxury vehicles, loaded with advanced sensors and

      • That seems silly to not buy a car that has a feature that you don't want, when its presence in no way affects your use of the car.

        But hey, stupidity is common.

    • That doesn't seem like a wise decision. The real issue here is integrating too many manufacturer specific things into non-standard sized infotainment systems. If that wasn't the grift they started doing when they realized that people like you exist who buy cars not because of how they function as cars but as entertainment centers this wouldn't be so much of an issue. It's just another "planned obscelescne" where your $1,000 phone says you need to buy a new $60,000+ car. How sad is that?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dfghjk ( 711126 )

        Agreed. I buy a car based on the merits of the car, not tribalist loyalties to unrelated companies. CarPlay's usefulness itself is a condemnation of auto infotainment systems, CarPlay is an inherently inferior way to do everything.

        But hey, let stupid people make pronouncements about how GM has lost their business. Talk is cheap.

        • What other merits? We are talking about a market where literally every option is 95%+ the same. GM does not offer any special vehicles that are noticeably dissimilar to Ford, Toyota, or any other manufacturer. General style, fuel economy, price, reliability, warranty, even colors are all comparable.

          Offering customers the ability to use your phone in your vehicle in the same way many of us have been doing for the past decade is just common sense. Would you buy a car without heating or air conditioning just b

          • In the fall, the only manufacturers we considered were Toyota, Mazda and Honda - in that order.

            We went into it with Honda as #3, but that is the one we ended up buying.

      • I don't view CarPlay as an "entertainment center", but to each their own I guess.

        Additionally, requiring CarPlay as a feature in no way means that how the car performs as a car is not a major consideration.

        I mean, I won't buy a car that is hot pink either, no matter how good of a car it may be. There are plenty of non-hot pink perfectly good cars from which to choose. Why buy a colour I don't want?

    • I will not buy a new car without factory CarPlay. Period.

      I'm probably in unpopular opinion territory here, but to me the primary advantage of CarPlay is not having to subscribe to some in-car data service. Google Maps is the only app I regularly use. Aside from Google Maps, every app I'd like to use through my vehicle's infotainment display either has no integrated CarPlay functionality, or is artificially hamstrung to prevent distractions while driving. Take Telegram for example, it won't even let you do something as simple as replying to a message. I do, ho

    • I don't want CarPlay. Not because I'm averse to phone/car integration. I just don't like the fact that some of the apps on the phone change behavior when plugged in. I just want to charge my phone without affecting my ability to use Google Maps normally.
  • Has to be affordable to everyone. There are some things that take a lot of work and engineering to make right, and cost money to implement. The wealthy get it, and over time it moves down. It is OK that some things cost a lot. The best thing cant be limited to the budget of a minimum wage worker.

  • The inevitability that 'new product' means someone still has 'old product' isn't remotely the worst issue... For better options, try:

    1. They will start charging you a subscription to access Carplay Ultra.

    2. They will still sell data they glean from your car and connected devices to the highest bidder.

    3. These systems are all becoming virtually unrepairable/replaceable.

  • Apple's New CarPlay 'Ultra' Won't Fix the Biggest Problem: Phone-Connected Cars

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )

      Or tech bro entitlement, or the believe that phone connection is the only feature that matters, or that Silicon Valley billionaires know more about cars that the entire rest of the world. And all those things go together.

      The industry has already realized that fraud that is self-driving and they understand the catastrophe that Tesla has brought to human factors, how long will it be before the industry overcomes the rest of the regression Leon has brought? And when will we hear the end of the use of the ri

      • Yeah I'm more of a well weathered leather, hot metal and oil type myself, the car is the entertainment system. People who can't stop playing with their damn phones should at least try to stay out of everyone else's way.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by vlad30 ( 44644 )

        The industry has already realized that fraud that is self-driving and they understand the catastrophe that Tesla has brought to human factors,

        I been driving a long time It was fun when I was young less traffic country roads were open and only wildlife was a danger. Now the roads are clogged and the idiots who got their licence yesterday or lost their licence are everywhere. As much as I like driving going fast it's no longer practical or safe and the sheer number of things going on outside the car means any distractions in the car are just adding to the problem. Driving has lost its joy on the road. On the track though is different but even there

      • or that Silicon Valley billionaires know more about cars that the entire rest of the world.

        I will give Tesla credit for two things:

        #1 Lighting a fire under the asses of the traditional automakers. If it wasn't for Tesla, EV would still be industry-speak for "shitbox compliance car with barely enough range to make your daily commute." I remember looking at early versions of the Nissan Leaf and thinking "Yeah, this would be an awesome car if I wanted to drive out to Disney World and have to be towed back." Tesla was the first company to finally throw all of that out the window and made a toy for

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by shilly ( 142940 )

          I agree with the first two you mention, but only really for the US: outside the US, it’s clear that Chinese competition would have provided the same spur as Tesla to Western OEMs. Indeed, VAG and BMW and Mercedes spend a lot more time worrying about BYD et al than they do about Tesla, and rightly so. And the Chinese strategic commitment to EVs dates back beyond Tesla’s inception. Equally, while Supercharging has been a neat feature in Europe, it’s not been anywhere near as crucial, because

  • I think Alonso has more to worry about than the entertainment system.

  • I ordered a $200 rugged 10Ah phone from aliexpress, i walk and bus everywhere.

    car-centric first world problems aye.

  • I refuse to buy any car without it. Period.

  • So I've read the article and did not understand what the biggest problem was?!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Bahbus ( 1180627 )

      I assume it's the manufacturer's that have turned away from CarPlay/AA and this isn't a move that will entice them back. Then, of all the manufacturers that do support CarPlay in general, they are segmenting their own market.

  • “Apple promised carmakers they could resize and reorient gauges on a dashboard like you do widgets on your iPhone.”

    Resizable and movable controls are an abomination and don't belong on a car interface.

    “Users can change up various gauges on the dash and bring up apps like Apple Music or Maps in between your temperature gauge and speedometer.”

    Do you mean users can get an upgrade.

  • The infotainment system still looks like garbage and these customizable gauges don't look any better.

  • Did this article really try to make a big deal of the fact that the latest versions of this software require the latest models of hardware to run? JFC, what a dumb take. Next you’ll be telling me I can’t get CarPlay in an old car that doesn’t have a screen.

  • I use my phone for GPS. I use the huge screen interface for... the speedometer mainly. Actually, that's on a HUD. I guess for remaining charge and HVAC controls, which should be physical anyway.

    I have used five versions of Android auto across different brands, and they all suck ass the same way. They cripple the phone and barely give any features on the car's interface. Now, next to my huge screen, I have a magnetic mount for my phone so I can see the maps if I want to.

    And the built in maps app in the

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