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In March 2023, GM announced it was ditching CarPlay in all of its future EVs. Two and a half years later, the company is still breathlessly trying to convince people it made the right decision. In a new interview on Nilay Patel’s Decoder podcast, GM CEO Mary Barra and Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson once again really, really want you to know you shouldn’t miss CarPlay. In fact, it’s so confident in its decision that it’s removing CarPlay from more cars. Anderson says that removing CarPlay is a “very Jobsian approach to things,” referring of course to late Apple CEO and cofounder Steve Jobs. Yes, really: But frankly, it’s a very Jobsian approach to things. The removal of the disk drive, nobody liked that, everybody on the forums and Facebook was complaining about it, but to that he said, “Look, guys, flash storage really is the future. Get on board, you’ll see that.” That’s kind of what we’re saying here, in fact that’s exactly what we’re saying. Anderson goes on to liken using CarPlay to using iPhone Mirroring on your Mac. See if you can make sense of this: You’ve certainly got an iPhone, you’ve probably got a MacBook, and you have the opportunity to use phone projection on your MacBook, a phone mirroring application. How many of you are accessing online services like email, social media, and otherwise through the phone projection app in your laptop? Almost none of them do. Why? Because you’ve got a much larger screen on your laptop, you’ve got a much more convenient (Human–Machine Interface) via the keyboard, you’ve got better speakers. Now, take that same analog to the car and ask the same question. Is it in a car that has not only just laptop speakers, not only a laptop screen, but something better that can move you, and that can integrate with charging infrastructure, with Super Cruise availability on your maps, all of these other things? You are in a much more immersive environment that can do so many more things; why would you use the equivalent of a phone mirroring application on a laptop in your car? So we said, “We’re taking out the disk drive, guys; get on board with flash storage, that’s where the future is.” One interesting piece of GM’s strategy thus far is that it’s only removed CarPlay from its electric cars. Barra says the size of GM’s portfolio made it unfeasible to remove CarPlay from all its cars at once. As time progresses, however, Barra says we should see GM become more “consistent” on its CarPlay strategy. Nilay Patel: So we should expect new gas cars will not have smartphone projection? Mary Barra: As we get to a major rollout, I think that’s the right expectation. Yes. Everyone saw this coming, of course, but now it’s official. Barra also jumped in to promise that GM has a “good relationship with Apple.” In a bit of good news for iPhone and GM owners, Barra says the company is adding support for car keys in Apple Wallet: I would say we have a good relationship with Apple. I mean at the most senior level with Apple, with Google, with all of the tech companies. We’re bringing Apple Wallet. We’ll be announcing that shortly, that we’ll have that and have the ability to do some of the vehicle functions through that. So we’re having continual conversations with Apple, and I would say we’re talking about the opportunity and looking for win-wins. What about Apple Music? GM says it doesn’t have “anything to share on that right now.” Hopefully, that’s something on GM’s roadmap, as it would at least make the experience of losing CarPlay slightly less frustrating for iPhone owners. I encourage you to listen to the full episode of Decoder (or read the transcript). It really is … something. Best iPhone 17 accessories Official Apple Silicone and TechWoven cases Apple Crossbody Strap Beats iPhone 17 cases with built-in kickstand Anker Nano multi-port USB-C charger Mujjo Leather Cases for iPhone 17 USB-C cable with built-in LED display
