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BMW to switch Apple CarPlay to subscription service
Cue the outrage
Apple CarPlay is being offered in more and more vehicles, often as standard equipment. BMW, though, charges for it. BMW currently offers CarPlay as a $300 option on cars equipped with navigation. This will change, though, as The Verge reports the German automaker will switch to a yearly subscription service.
CarPlay will be free for the first year, then cost $80 a year to continue the service. At the Detroit Auto Show, BMW technology product manager Don Smith explained that there's actually a customer benefit to doing it this way. "This allows the customer to switch devices. A lot of people buy [CarPlay] and think it's OK, but sometimes they stop using it or switch to Android." If a customer decided to keep the service over the course of a three-year lease, they would end up paying less than the one-time cost of $300, as the first three years would cost just $160. Four would cost $240.
Autoblog reached out to BMW, and a spokesperson confirmed the details for the U.S. market, reiterating the benefit to lessees.
BMW currently doesn't offer Android Auto. Late last year, the automaker announced (with a really slick video) that all new BMW and Mini models would offer Amazon Alexa as an in-car service in 2018. Smith told The Vergethat BMW models will also offer Google Assistant later this year.
Why pay BMW for a distraction, monthly? How many things do people want to do in their cars, other than look at the road, while driving? To get around this, I believe Ontario has something called careless driving, like say you decide you'll just press podcasts on your dash, while you're commuting on the four oh one. It seems highly doubtful today that you'll be caught or demerited for this action. But officer, I was changing the temp of my a/c, not pressing podcasts or audible. What do you mean my car came from the factory with SmartDrive and you have a vid from the inward cam...
Seems dumb, when you can get it standard in some Hyundai models...
I am not an iPhone fan anyway, but I'd hate to see something like this happen with Android Auto. It's really silly to give you the software, but lock it behind a pay wall. I understand with in-car (not phone-dependent) navigation systems - those have to communicate with other services in order to operate, and those services cost money to run. But, all Android Auto and Apple CarPlay need in order to work is my phone - which is MY device, which costs ME money to run! The previous, one-time payment of having the software installed in the car made more sense, even if it was more expensive - because then a used BMW would actually still be able to use CarPlay, a piece of software that is available in the car's infotainment system but is simply locked. That's just begging for hackers to find a way to "crack" it.
I don't actually own a car with Android Auto at the moment, and having it versus not having it is not a deal-breaker. However, I still take issue with BMW's approach.
BMW is already ripping customers off by charging $300 for CarPlay when so many manufacturers include it standard. It's the BMW way--we charge you because we know you'll pay. And they are right--it wasn't until this MY that the 3-Series (except entry 320) made LED headlights standard.
I love the BMW guy's explanation. According to his logic, we want to charge you for any type of service, so you can get out of it in case you want to switch. How about, we give it to all to you for free, so you can switch to any type of service anytime? There is no difference, they are just charging to charge.
The thing that worries me more than the actual charge, is that BMW has a history of just discontinuing subscriptions. My 2011 3 series came with 2 years of BMW Assist (think OnStar), and I paid for 2 more at the time of purchase. They dropped that service and replaced it with a similar one by a different name (not compatible with my model) before those 4 years were up.
As much as it would suck to have to pay an annual fee to use something that's already built into the car, it would be even worse to have CP/AA for several years and then just have it suddenly stop working, with no recourse.
How about GM....wonder what their angle is to offer 3 years (3 years?) of free On Star service. What's in it for them, gathering data, which they may already be doing?
I guess the net net of this thread, if you don't like it, get a non BMW car. That is, if this CarPlay is more important to you than the status you would gain by driving a BMW.
Wouldn't it be funny if Apple CarPlay drained your car battery as your iPhone got older, until you replaced the phone
01-18-18 | 11:27 AM
BMW to switch Apple CarPlay to subscription service
