- BMW’s main vice-president of UI / UX reveals the key details of the use of carplay
- The German brand recently declared that it would not go with Carplay Ultra
- There is a “carplay myth” on the internet, says BMW Exec
Stephan Durach, main vice-president of the BMW of the development of user / UX interface, argued that there is a “carplay myth” which circulates Internet, according to a recent conversation with the BMW blog.
Durach claims that few BMW drivers are counting on navigation technology that the world thinks, which explains why the company’s own navigation systems are a large part of the big dupage.
According to the man in charge of the user interface and the brand user experience, BMW collects anonymized data from 10 million cars, allowing data analysts and engineers to follow the features they use regularly.
“We can see what our customers do, what type of controls they use, in the driving conditions they use them,” he told BMW Blog.
“People say they drive everything around and use Carplay for navigation. I can tell you, that’s not true,” he adds.
Thanks to this dataset, Durach reveals that many pilots always have a connected phone for “dedicated uses”, including messaging services, but he claims that many pilots have started using the BMW navigation system.
In addition to this, there has been an increase in the amount of use of BMW vocal control, as well as more dependence on cold screens and other devices that do not currently support Carplay.
The rise in automotive manufacturer infotainment
Although Durach does not deepen more details, such as the percentage of drivers who use Apple Carplay or Android Auto, and he also does not mention the age or demography of those who prefer the BMW navigation system, his statements seem to confirm BMW’s reasons to reject Apple Carplay Ultra.
After all, the German brand is about to publish a brand new version of its IDRIVE system in the next IX3, which will include the most advanced and most windshield (HUD).
Currently, Apple Carplay Standard does not work with HUDs, and it cannot use specific data on vehicles in the majority of vehicles, such as the state of charge of the VE or attack something as simple as adjusting the air conditioning.
Porsche and Ford are among the few car manufacturers to try to create Apple Carplay features in their vehicles so that users do not have to leave the environment continuously to adjust some single car checks, but it remains awkward and seems Naff.
Apple Carplay Ultra is supposed to solve many of these problems, but it was greeted by resistance, not only because it puts too much control (and design decisions) in Apple, but also because it is not particularly smooth or pleasant to look at.
The fact is that the infotainment systems for car manufacturers quickly become smoother, smarter and more intelligent, and with increasing dependence on AI and LLM to offer digital companions, an increasing percentage of interaction with future vehicles will be via voice commands or natural speeches.
In addition, most smartphones applications we love and use regularly are now accommodated on native infotainment systems.
While the world pivots towards electrification, the emphasis will be placed on the planning of the intelligent route which factors of the most effective load stops. I move more and more away from GOOLE and WAZE cards for this very reason.
Due to the sandboxing data both to car manufacturers, Carplay could continue to late without a greater collaboration of the manufacturer in the future.
