In previous years, if you were an iPhone user, the feature you most wanted your car to have was definitely "CarPlay."
Indeed, since the launch of CarPlay in 2014, it has been favored by consumers, as mentioned above, with iPhone, they all want to be equipped with CarPlay in the car; and those with CarPlay in the car, even if they do not use an iPhone, also want to change one.
The main reason why CarPlay will get such praise is actually "2":
First, the on-board system at that time was indeed stretched, the caton was serious, the UI interface was not beautiful, the clarity was not high enough, the functionality was not strong, and even the navigation was not good;
Second, at that time, CarLife had the same function as CarPlay, CarLife was used for the Android system, but the specific functions and use experience were basically hung by CarPlay, and who knew who used it;
Although the success of CarPlay is a bit of a "peer background", in the final analysis, the use of CarPlay experience is really good, whether it is smoothness, UI design and functionality are very good, which is basically recognized.
However, I don't know if you have found a phenomenon, that is, the new cars launched now are less and less equipped with CarPlay. Even some models that used to be equipped with CarPlay have been "castrated" later. Some media said that only about 30% of the current models in the entire market are willing to equip CarPlay, compared with the market share of 80% five years ago, which can be described as a plunge.
So the question is, why is CarPlay, which has been well received by consumers, rejected by car companies?
1. User groups have limitations
As mentioned earlier, CarPlay is easy to use, which is actually aimed at iPhone users. But looking back at the data, according to incomplete statistics, domestic iPhone users account for only 16% of China's smartphones. That is to say, iPhone users are actually still a minority in China, and most of the users still use the Android system. The new car is equipped with CarPlay, which is likely to not match the mobile phone of the prospective owner.
2. Based on cost considerations
It should be known that car companies equipped with the function of CarPlay are to pay a large licensing fee to Apple. And, there is a service fee every year. In this way, car companies are basically "kidnapped" by Apple.
Overseas version of ES with CarPlay
The proportion of domestic iPhone users is not large, coupled with cost considerations, some manufacturers are not directly equipped for the domestic market. The most obvious example is Toyota, which has always been meticulous, overseas models are basically equipped with CarPlay, while domestic, Toyota, Lexus models only support CarLife.
3. Function can not keep up with the development of the times
Although CarPlay is easy to use, it is only talking about the "regular functions" of in-car entertainment, such as listening to songs, Bluetooth phones, watching information and navigation.
Like a deeper one, such as combining the functions of the car itself, such as controlling the vehicle air conditioning, window/sunroof, or reading the basic information of the vehicle and the "car-home interconnection", CarPlay cannot achieve, because in essence it is just a mobile phone screen projection function.
4. The self-developed car machine is getting better and better
Nowadays, the car machine system is no longer the same as in the past, there will be stuttering, less function and less clarity and other shortcomings. In particular, the current mainstream new power models, such as Xiaopeng, Tesla, Ideal and Weilai, all use the car machine system as a selling point, and the user experience is also very good.
At the same time, most of the current car and machine systems are basically the existence of "smart tablets", with built-in networks and a large number of APP, that is, it does not need to be like CarPlay, which requires mobile phones as the basis. In addition to being more convenient to use, it is also not limited by the mobile phone system, whether it is an iPhone user or an Android user, it can be used.
In addition, it is more important to realize the reading and control of vehicle information, and control some hardware functions in the car through the voice system, such as opening and closing windows, adjusting driving modes, and monitoring vehicle information in real time. And this is the trend of the future, which is not achievable on CarPlay.
Write to the end
There is no doubt that the voice and practicality of CarPlay are really high, and many consumers will buy "CarPlay small boxes" and car machine systems with CarPlay on "a treasure" to use CarPlay.
However, this is often only for the old models with backward car systems, and for users of new models and new forces, although these cars do not have CarPlay, they do not linger on CarPlay.
The reason is simple, the new car machine is good enough to use, and CarPlay is more as a product of a "transition period", when the car machine system is constantly updated, in the next few years, maybe CarPlay will not be useful, consumers no longer need CarPlay. Feel free to follow "Car Frontiers" and leave a comment in the comments section below to share your thoughts on Carplay.