Apple + Toyota Partnership for Systems Integration

Good article on the way carmakers are working with both Apple and Google.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/automobiles/to-tame-dashboard-chaos-carmakers-take-a-hint-from-tablets.html

 

Hurry, Future.

 

Goodbye and good riddance, M$loth.

 

I really hope Toyota can push an OS update to make the unit CarPlay compatible. In a couple of years, I won't be able to understand why any of these type systems won't be able to talk to both iOS and Android. The GPS application in my Prius v is horrible when I try to enter an address. It's like sending a text message using one of those 0-9 keypad phones. I could just use my iPhone for a map using Siri, but I'd like to be able to see the map on the display.

If I had the money I would rush out and buy one of those third party units. Alpine has one for $600 that thankfully doesn't waste my time with a CD/DVD player, but I'm willing to bet you have to buy an adapter for the steering wheel controls and the backup camera. That could jack it up to $800. Here's the link. Maybe someone can educate me on this.


Alpine iLX-007 Digital media receiver with Apple CarPlay™ at Crutchfield.com

 

All that they would need is a Miracast receiver in the display so that your cell phone or PC could send their screen to the car.

JeffD

 

This is the device I plan to install in our Honda Fit when the weather is warms up. You are certainly right about an additional harness to match the steering wheel controls, but I think I remember ~$50 for it, and no special adapter for the back-up camera.

 

Thanks! Good to know that it's not a bunch more for adapters. I hadn't seen an optical drive-less model until I looked that one up yesterday, so I'm glad not all CarPlay models will continue to waste money on that. I'd love to see a review of that model after you get a chance to put it in.

 

CarPlay will not work with Android, at least from what I read about it. Do you have information that says otherwise?

It's not just "high end" smartphone buyers that buy cars. Android owns the market for devices that could potentially connect to a car system. Besides, Apple plays in the lower price market these days, too.

That was my point. Don't be dumb and just support one or the other.

Not the link I provided. It was only looking at smartphones, which is the subject here, I thought.

Not sure what you mean? Can't be talking about CarPlay since it is exclusive/proprietary. Do you mean not exclusive to one car maker?

 

My understanding of the Alpine Car Play device is that it was made to work best with an iPhone, but it does have a connector in the back to support Android also.

I presume that the current state of affairs is that a receiver will not support both platforms equally well, or perhaps it is better to say that a company that tries to give an excellent experience through one platform will cut corners when it comes to the other platform.

That, or price accordingly for excellent support of both platforms.

 

Systems are coming out that support both, meaning the support for them is probably some basic hardware and more importantly some software. I'm assuming it's along the lines of a computer supporting input from multiple types of video cameras. Everybody who makes these systems should adopt CarPlay and whatever Android does and ditch all of these other things like Entune that aren't going to work well. Apple and Google know software. Toyota knows cars. I know plenty of people who have used both iOS and Android since their release the same year my previous car was built, so these systems need to support both.

 

I bet I know even more people that have Android or iPhone but not both, and would be happy to avoid paying extra to support the phone they do not own.

 

Here's a head unit just shown at CES (no price yet) that supports both Car Play and Android Auto:
iClarified - Apple News - Parrot Demos RNB 6 In-Dash Car System Compatible with CarPlay and Android Auto [Video]

 

The more the merrier.

Parrot showed a demo of a product they hope to release H2 2015. It looks promising if they can improve the interface responsiveness.

 

It's about time Toyota had a serious partner for their auto electronics. Mine are a joke, obviously purchased from a company who is afraid to release anything on their A-list to anyone other than themselves, in fear of losing some imaginary market-share advantage.

 

My son has a iPhone, his wife a Droid, au pair a Droid. They all drive their two Toyotas. I'm sure they will want both.

It isn't a matter of paying a lot for both, the hardware interface software for both devices is available for free and it is just putting a pretty face on the integration and supplying the right hardware.

 

Yes, but the point is that all 3 groups exist:

• only Android
• only iPhone
• Both

The first two groups are not motivated to have, pay for, or accept compromises in order to have both. So saying that manufacturers *have* to support both is silly. I agree that manufacturers would like to make on device that sells to all three groups, but that will entail either a higher price or cost cutting in features or quality compared to one device support only.

Pardon me for saying, but this is obvious.

 

IMHO there are pros and cons to both approaches.

A truly platform agnostic solution is desirable, but then you are basically back to the automaker to design the hardware and underlying software. That could easily end up being just as buggy and frustrating to use as the current systems.

Partnering with someone like Apple or Samsung would have the advantage of providing an integrated hardware / software solution that would likely work a whole lot better, but at the possible expense of interoperability.

Even though I'm 100% Apple products and would love to see a complete integrated Apple HW/SW solution, I'd still probably rather have a fully integrated samsung / android system than another crappy automaker one that "supports" both. If it could still access the hotspot on my iPhone for its data connection (which should be no problem) that would probably go double.

Rob

FWIW the v3 is driver door sensor only, you have to go to the v4 to get all three sensors.

I don't think its fair to say there is a forced upgrade path for Apple products. In addition to our two iPhone 5s, we also still use a Gen 1 iPad, an original iPhone, an iPhone 3GS and an iPhone 4 for various purposes. By keeping each on its last purpose built OS, we've been able to maintain good usability on all versions. You don't get the latest and greatest features on the old devices, but they keep soldiering on. And while new apps are not being developed for the old devices, I can still buy, install, update or refresh the latest version of apps supported on that device / OS rev through the App Store.

IMHO this is a bit skewed. The numbers move around a lot, but 12% is a very low number for Apple on average in the markets where most Priuses are sold.

Android's biggest market is China. The Prius's (and generally Toyota's) biggest markets are Japan, US and Europe. Apple is the largest smartphone seller in US with 42% market share, Samsung is second with 30% (end of 2014). Android does lead iOS in US, 53% to 42%, but one has to wonder with all the versions and hardware out there just how compatible all these Android devices would be with an integrated Samsung solution for example (or even a Google designed solution)? iPhone / iOS market shares are fairly similar in Japan (bit higher), and Europe (bit lower).

What Apple has (that I don't think Samsung or even google could claim to have) is the ability to ensure that an integrated system would be compatible with and supported by a vast majority of their user base. And they happen to have big user bases in the countries Priuses are mostly sold in.

I still think it would make more sense for an integrated system to be designed by someone competent (Google, Apple, Samsung, etc), capable of functioning as a stand alone device (internal cellular radio, full function processing environment), and be capable of connecting via wifi (or USB I suppose) to a hotspot on any device for those who already have a sharable cellular data plan/device. That would ensure anyone could use the full functionality, and that practically anyone with a smartphone would not have to pay for another cellular service. Worst case if the system is not your OS flavor, you just can't share apps between your phone, tablet and car.

The carplay / android auto or some VNC like solution has its appeal, but IMHO its not a great solution. The auto manufacturers would practically still have to implement a base feature set for non-smart phone customers, and the chances that they would screw up the integration seems pretty high.

Rob

 

Any car manufacturer who is wanting to sell cars in large quantities can't afford to answer the question "Does my phone interface seamlessly with this car" in the negative to a number of potential buyers that comprise more than a third of the buying public. As long as there are two dominant players in the phone OS field and as long as people have so much of their lives invested in the data and files and processes used by those phones, the car maker must support both. They can afford to ignore the third tier OS platforms, but not the big two. Besides, the big two will help with the integration with a major auto supplier because they don't want to be shut out from a potential market either. Oh they will fuss and want an exclusive, I'm sure. But that is a negotiating ploy.

Or maybe give away a new phone or tablet (as has been done by several car manufacturers for their expensive models) with the car..but even then will what they do sync with my current tablet, my current desktop/laptop, my work. I don't know my calendar, my phone and the cloud do. My contacts' emails or phone numbers, I don't know those either. The cloud does. It all has to work seamlessly for both phone OS platforms and the other devices we use.

Because, if it doesn't for my platform, I don't buy. Nor my wife. And if it doesn't for my son's two platforms, he doesn't. We buy from someone who does. And there are millions like us.

Since so much auto product differentiation is in the electronics today and since the electronics can be spread across so many different models in a manufacturers line, can any car manufacturer afford to not invest in a 2 platform solution? It seems obvious to do so and silly not to.

 

^^ Not talking about car manufacturers, but aftermarket devices.