GM Floats a Bullshit ‘Safety’ Excuse for Dropping CarPlay
Scott Evans, writing for MotorTrend regarding GM’s announcement earlier this year that they’d be dropping CarPlay (and Android Auto) support from future vehicles:
Tim Babbitt, GM’s head of product for infotainment, gave MT a
better explanation at a press event for the new Chevrolet Blazer
EV, the flagship vehicle in the no CarPlay or Android Auto
strategy (and our 2023 MotorTrend SUV of the Year
winner). According to him, there’s an important factor that
didn’t make it into the fact sheet: safety. Specifically, he cited
driver distraction caused by cell phone usage behind the wheel.
According to Babbitt, CarPlay and Android Auto have stability
issues that manifest themselves as bad connections, poor
rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections. And when
CarPlay and Android Auto have issues, drivers pick up their phones
again, taking their eyes off the road and totally defeating the
purpose of these phone-mirroring programs. Solving those issues
can sometimes be beyond the control of the automaker. You can
start to see GM’s frustration.
Babbitt’s thesis is that if drivers were to do everything
through the vehicle’s built-in systems, they’d be less likely to
pick up their phones and therefore less distracted and safer
behind the wheel. He admits, though, GM hasn’t tested this
thesis in the lab or real world yet but believes it has
potential, if customers go for it.
What a load of horseshit. If CarPlay is unsafe, why isn’t GM recalling all its existing cars that have it equipped? And that last sentence is the real kicker: hasn’t been tested, even in a lab, but he’s just guessing. In his imagined scenario, people check their phones while driving when the CarPlay connection flakes out. But if the car doesn’t support CarPlay, people will use their phones for every single thing that’s on their phones but not in GM’s built-in system. “If drivers were to do everything through the vehicle’s built-in systems” is as much a fantasy as, say, “If drivers always obeyed all posted speed limits.” It’s not going to happen. There is no plausible scenario where the drivers of future GM vehicles without CarPlay support check their iPhones less frequently than they do in vehicles that support CarPlay.
As GM continues to try to dig their way out of this idiotic hole, Ford CEO Jim Farley continues to laugh:
We’re committed to keeping Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. @Ford
customers love the features because they help keep their eyes on
the road and hands on the wheel. We work closely with Apple &
Google to create a very high-quality experience for customers. And
I think we have the best experience out there with SYNC 4A.
It’s enough to make you think that GM’s decision to drop CarPlay was made by moles in the company planted by Ford.
★
Scott Evans, writing for MotorTrend regarding GM’s announcement earlier this year that they’d be dropping CarPlay (and Android Auto) support from future vehicles:
Tim Babbitt, GM’s head of product for infotainment, gave MT a
better explanation at a press event for the new Chevrolet Blazer
EV, the flagship vehicle in the no CarPlay or Android Auto
strategy (and our 2023 MotorTrend SUV of the Year
winner). According to him, there’s an important factor that
didn’t make it into the fact sheet: safety. Specifically, he cited
driver distraction caused by cell phone usage behind the wheel.
According to Babbitt, CarPlay and Android Auto have stability
issues that manifest themselves as bad connections, poor
rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections. And when
CarPlay and Android Auto have issues, drivers pick up their phones
again, taking their eyes off the road and totally defeating the
purpose of these phone-mirroring programs. Solving those issues
can sometimes be beyond the control of the automaker. You can
start to see GM’s frustration.
Babbitt’s thesis is that if drivers were to do everything
through the vehicle’s built-in systems, they’d be less likely to
pick up their phones and therefore less distracted and safer
behind the wheel. He admits, though, GM hasn’t tested this
thesis in the lab or real world yet but believes it has
potential, if customers go for it.
What a load of horseshit. If CarPlay is unsafe, why isn’t GM recalling all its existing cars that have it equipped? And that last sentence is the real kicker: hasn’t been tested, even in a lab, but he’s just guessing. In his imagined scenario, people check their phones while driving when the CarPlay connection flakes out. But if the car doesn’t support CarPlay, people will use their phones for every single thing that’s on their phones but not in GM’s built-in system. “If drivers were to do everything through the vehicle’s built-in systems” is as much a fantasy as, say, “If drivers always obeyed all posted speed limits.” It’s not going to happen. There is no plausible scenario where the drivers of future GM vehicles without CarPlay support check their iPhones less frequently than they do in vehicles that support CarPlay.
As GM continues to try to dig their way out of this idiotic hole, Ford CEO Jim Farley continues to laugh:
We’re committed to keeping Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. @Ford
customers love the features because they help keep their eyes on
the road and hands on the wheel. We work closely with Apple &
Google to create a very high-quality experience for customers. And
I think we have the best experience out there with SYNC 4A.
It’s enough to make you think that GM’s decision to drop CarPlay was made by moles in the company planted by Ford.