Internal Study Showed BMW Drivers Prefer Its Built-In Navigation Over Apple CarPlay
Numerous studies and surveys have shown that car buyers really care about Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but BMW says its internal data disagrees. The automaker recently told BMW Blog that its drivers rely more on its baked-in navigation and other features than the technologies offered with smartphone-mirroring systems.
BMW’s senior VP of UI/UX development, Stephan Durach, said, “People say they’re driving all around and using CarPlay for navigation. I can tell you, that’s not true. We can see what our customers are doing, what kind of controls they’re using, in what kind of driving conditions they’re using them.”
Durach said that many users keep CarPlay active but switch to BMW’s navigation features. The automaker recently released the latest version of its iDrive infotainment system, which supports panoramic screens. Despite the extra screen real estate, BMW said it has no plans to offer CarPlay Ultra, which takes over many of the vehicle’s settings and functions.
It’s probably too early to determine if BMW is planning to follow General Motors in cutting Apple CarPlay from some vehicle models, but this is likely not a great sign. Automakers desperately want control over users’ data and the revenue opportunities that come along with it, so it wouldn’t be a terribly surprising move from BMW.
[Images: BMW]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Hmm. I wonder how hard it is to pair CarPlay. When it is automatic, it really is wonderful and our go to. When it takes a couple steps to pair, we often skip it.
The phone connection is so much better for calendar items with an address, web searches with address etc.
Oh, and real time traffic updates.