Last year, we heard from Apple about how the next generation of its CarPlay infotainment system would extend to other screens in the car and even have control of of other non media-related vehicle features. But in a blow to Apple at least one major automaker has opted out.
General Motors is to phase out the use of Apple CarPlay and its arch rival, Android Auto, from its cars. Existing vehicles will obviously retain the tech, but new electric models will switch to an integrated infotainment system developed with Google.
That’s according to Reuters, which says the first vehicle to benefit will be the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer. GM’s major motivation is to equip its electric cars, trucks and SUVs with tech that is capable of capturing more data that can be crunched to show how drivers use and charge their EVs. The new system has been in development since 2019 and is also designed to integrate with other sophisticated equipment on GM vehicles, including Super Cruise autonomous driving tech.
“We have a lot of new driver assistance features coming that are more tightly coupled with navigation,” Mike Himche, GM’s executive director of digital cockpit experience, told Reuters. “We don’t want to design these features in a way that are dependent on person having a cellphone.”
Related: Apple’s Next-Gen CarPlay Will Be Able To Take Over Both Your Infotainment And Gauge Cluster Screens
The new infotainment stack will also allow the company’s brands to roll out digital subscription services, which industry analysts say is going to a massive growth area and huge money-spinner for automakers in the coming years. GM’s own CEO, Mary Barra, has previously said she wants to see the company bringing in $20-25 billion in subscription revenue every year by 2030.
Reuters reports that GM’s new EVs will get the use of Google Maps and the company’s Google Assistant voice command system free for eight years, and will at least be able to make phone calls without paying extra, but other apps that we currently use through our phones, like Spotify and Audible, will be offered on a subscription basis.
If you don’t like the sound of any of that, you’ll have to steer clear of GM’s new electric models and pick one of the General’s combustion-powered cars instead. ICE models will continue to be offered with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and since GM hasn’t committed to phasing out combustion power on passenger vehicles until 2035, you’ve still got a few years left to bag one.
