Ford: Have long since lost the fight against CarPlay and Android Auto

Post author:California18
Post published:May 9, 2023
Post category:Sci&Tech
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The software of the infotainment screens in modern cars is an important factor for many and this is where worlds still collide. Because some car manufacturers want to do everything themselves, others – like Ford – believe that Apple and Google can no longer catch up here.

Proprietary software systems are and will remain a popular solution in vehicles, but car manufacturers “like” to do a lot wrong here. Many customers therefore prefer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, i.e. the solution from the two IT giants that is suitable for their smartphone.

Data and services are valuable

But the car manufacturers are anything but happy to see that. This is mainly due to the data that Apple and Google get in this way. Although arguments such as usability, independence from smartphones and the like are usually mentioned here, in reality the information collected about the respective user is what is actually valuable. The car manufacturers do not want to share with Apple and Google and would also like to sell apps and services themselves.

This is also the (real) reason why the US giant General Motors (GM) announced a few weeks ago that its electric cars will be giving up CarPlay and Android Auto from next year in favor of a proprietary software solution developed jointly with Google become. At Ford you see things more pragmatically, as Ford CEO Jim Farley now does in an interview with Wall Street Journal revealed (via The Drive): “In terms of content, we lost that battle ten years ago. So let’s face it, there’s not a lot of money to be made from in-vehicle content.”

My smartphone, my car

Farley has a realistic view of the matter and says that today’s users expect the infotainment systems in their car to be an extension of the smartphone. Financially, a third-party solution pays off in the long run, says Farley. Because although license costs are due for CarPlay and Android Auto, the costs balance out in the long run.

Summary