"We prefer to use our in-house proprietary platform"

http://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/22/no-carplay-toyota-us/

 

What a useless article.

Also this thread will turn in to an Apple vs Droid shit storm.

 

Droid FTW. %Apple.

 

Even my newer Kenwood headunit doesn't see my LG G3 as anything more than a mass storage device. That's fine, though. I almost never use my phone for music while driving.

 

I don't really have a problem with the way Apple handles their consumer devices. Android is my personal preference for a number of reasons, but I am not anti-Apple from that standpoint.

Dealing with Apple from an enterprise standpoint often makes me want to pull a Milton Waddams on their headquarters, though. Purchasing, Configurator, iOS updates with security enhancements that show no regard for devices in anything but a home environment (activation lock, for example), poor integration with 3rd party MDMs, etc.

 

At least you bring up valid poinst instead of telling all the iOS users to 'eat shit and die' which I've been told before.

 

I honestly don't have anything against Apple at all, just making a joke to prove Larges post right. I was forced to get a smartphone to keep up with work things. I'd still have my flip phone if I could.

 

Yeah, lots of self-declared "tech savvy" people bash them without reason.

Their stuff is fine for consumers, but it just doesn't play as well as they make it out to in an enterprise environment so it irks me that they market it that way. To be fair, Android is no better (at least until Lollipop but I haven't tried any of it to be sure), but it's never been marketed that way.

You often get the fans who say Apple can do no wrong and everything they touch "just works" and is easy to use. Yeah? Try Configurator or the VPP for apps and get back to me. Neither one could possibly be any worse.

 

So getting back to the original topic, what that statement really means is that Toyota likes the profit margin it makes on their marginally integrated enTune system and doesn't want Apple eating into it. Further, by going the Apple carplay or Android Auto route, they can't collect a premium for the Nav feature, as anyone with a smartphone/iphone could just run a Map App from their smartphone and have it appear on the radio.

As for Apple vs Android, both do an excellent job for what most people want them to do. Both have their pros and cons. As a consumer, either will work for most people.

 

That's exactly what it means.. No car-maker would be enthused about a 3rd party interface no matter how big, if it didn't show itself in revenues. Toy doesn't believe it would attract over more car sales by being there. Folks don't buy the brand for their radios.

 

Folks may not buy a brand for their radios, but I think they are going to have a harder time on the upsell to "Premium" stereo's when they have less function than the aftermarket radios that are going to be showing up at W@lm@rt in the near future. I'd probably wait a generation or two for the Android Auto and iCar HUs to mature.

 

Panasonic has done an outstanding job on the '14 entune radio w/nav. I've had $1k Kenwood premium stereos and even the current aftermarket offerings can't do everything the OEM Panasonic one can.

Here's what I like about the OEM:

Searching for nearby stores/restaurants through the navigation app. It uses bing and yelp for search engines. Once it finds it, it gives me the option to call the place I searched for or map directly to it.

The nav can also do way points in case you have multiple stops.

It has quick text in case you need to send a quick "I'm on my way" text or some other quick text at a touch of a button.

The voice recognition works really well and it rarely plays an incorrect song. It can also search my phone for the music I want to listen to. What's really cool is that it can also search my Amazon music library and stream from that.

It integrates the Movie app to find the closest theaters, displays current show times, and if you can purchase tickets through the app or not.

There's a whole lot more, but I challenge you to find a walmart radio that can do the above.

 

iPad in car can do all of those things. And Apple CarPlay can suck it as far as I'm concerned. I'd way rather have an actual iOS device in the dash than something that is going to be as restrictive as CarPlay.

 

True, no one buys a car/truck based on audio offerings because there aren't many that distinguish themselves from others. If I'm shopping for a family sedan and narrowed it down to an Accord or Camry, the one that offers seamless integration to my smartphone could very well get the sale.

Tacoma owns the market it plays in and for good reason(s).

As consumer I would like more choices in this area.

 

Of course a tablet can do all that. That's like saying my a desktop in a car can do that too.

 

Check some of the current threads in the AV section. People are putting their iPads in the dash.

 

Which is still not a head unit you will find in walmart. You are comparing apples to oranges. A tablet in a dash is not something you're going to see in any OEM configuration any time soon.

 

I made the comparison because Apple CarPlay isn't just an OEM feature. If you wanted it in your vehicle, there are plenty of aftermarket radios that offer CarPlay now.

 

As for my comment about W@lm@rt... I said "near future", not what is there today.

And my comment about W@lm@rt had nothing to do with people putting iPads in their dashes.

BTW: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pioneer-S...Siri-Eyes-Free-Android-Music-Support/41161819

If you like the OEM stereo, that's great. I'm glad you like it. I'm not saying you're a horrible person for that. What i am saying is that Toyota seems to have made the decision to tie your in-dash system to a very limited set of apps that may or may not be relevant a few years from now. The aftermarket stereo industry is headed for full integration because thats what more and more people want. They don't just want to stream music, they want to check their email and facebook or their social media app of choice while they are waiting in the parking lot to pick the kids up from school. Toyota says no, you can have Pandora and Bing (and a couple other things) and pay $$$ for map updates if and when we decide to put them out and that's it. If that works for you, then great, enjoy it. That isn't where the rest of the market is going.

 

But you were referencing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I just put in my .02 on the matter of app based in car platform. No matter what, OEM or aftermarket, CarPlay and Android Auto is never going to compare to having a tablet properly integrated into the dash. The apps you can use on them will not be the same as those made for tablets, the touch-screen functionality will not be as in depth as a tablet, and the quality of the screens themselves will not compare to something like the Apple Retina display. And it can be integrated within a similar price range to that pioneer radio that you linked us to.