Rivian CEO says Apple CarPlay isn’t going to happen…

[ohseedee]

If the goal is to sell cars, then you have to give people what they want. This feature is too important to ignore. Too many people will look elsewhere, especially as they start to get more options. It's a losing strategy.

But if this forum has taught me anything...CarPlay is what SOME people want, not ALL. I for one prefer Tesla and Rivian's approach to full ownership of experience than say Ford and GM. Maybe people like me would look elsewhere if Rivian looked like a GM ?‍. So the look elsewhere argument cuts both ways.

While I wouldn't claim the number of people that went with an F150 lightning over an R1T or an EV9 over an R1S due to AA/Carplay support is zero, I could argue more people came to Rivan (and Tesla) due to the integrated software/experience approach to their vehicles.

Now I realize there is a "they can do both" argument. While true, nothing is free. Integration would certainly be less slick, but more important there are features that others think are core that would have been bumped down on the priority list to make room for development, integration, and maintenance of carplay/AA. I'd rather have blind spot cameras for example...

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[Zoidz]

Well, it's only been a few days since last ACP argument... So let's check on the horse.
...
Yup. It's definitely dead. Still.

 

[Newtonrj]

But if this forum has thought me anything...CarPlay is what SOME people want, not ALL. I for one prefer Tesla and Rivian's approach to full ownership of experience than say Ford and GM. Maybe people like me would look elsewhere if Rivian looked like a GM ?‍. So the look elsewhere argument cuts both ways.

While I wouldn't claim the number of people that went with an F150 lightning over an R1T or an EV9 over an R1S due to AA/Carplay support is zero, I could argue more people came to Rivan (and Tesla) due to the integrated software/experience approach to their vehicles.

Now I realize there is a "they can do both" argument. While true, nothing is free. Integration would certainly be less slick, but more important there are features that others think are core that would have been bumped down on the priority list to make room for development, integration, and maintenance of carplay/AA. I'd rather have blind spot cameras for example...

This argument that CP/AA detracts has many flaws. Firstly, Rivian is duplicating maps, music and phone interfaces that AA/CP has built APIs for. These duplications are costly and require constant maintenance and hotfix support as follow-on OS updates occur by phone OS providers. Secondly, each purchase has some level of requirements and Priorities where yours may/may-not require AA/CP. but can you honestly say that if offered you wouldn’t use it? Thirdly, residual value when you sell will… will lack of CP/AA help or hinder sales down the road? Lastly, while I can commend Rivian’s stack ownership concept, they choose specific apps while ignoring the 100’s of thousands of others. Reality is that car Mfgr, do not dictate cell phone use patterns because eyeball soak time is too heavily weighted to cell phone OS where autos are a fraction of whatever phone OS is today/ongoing. CP/AA are OS extensions to the providers while enablers to car Mfgrs.

 

[rkccs257]

I find it funny that the majority of you don't like the fact that the car has no AA or AC.
They're trying to develop their own software, so be patient while they're figuring things out. Tesla took a while too to get their UI up to par. You can't compare current rivian's UI for Tesla's, who is already well established.

You all bought the vehicles, so enjoy it for what it is. I myself don't care about AA or AC. I don't text and drive. If it's important they can call. Calls are received just fine through the rivian's system. I still use Waze on top of the rivian's own navigation app without a problem. Music? Connect it through your phone.

 

[HaveBlue]

Rivian isn't going with Carplay or Android Auto. Pointless from a development perspective to go backwards. Rivian runs Android Automotive on their i.MX processors which is a custom version of Android and can already run Android apps. AA doesn't save development time. It makes it worse for Rivian. Android Automotive is part of the Android codebase. Many of the features like casting you are hoping for are dependent on Google releasing the functionality. There is an SMS module already but it is obviously not active on Rivians. It will simply use BT MAP to communicate when they sort it out. Rivian does NOT focus on the API and OS. Google does that. Rivian focuses on their codebase layer on top.

 

[ohseedee]

I find it funny that the majority of you don't like the fact that the car has no AA or AC.
They're trying to develop their own software, so be patient while they're figuring things out. Tesla took a while too to get their UI up to par. You can't compare current rivian's UI for Tesla's, who is already well established.

You all bought the vehicles, so enjoy it for what it is. I myself don't care about AA or AC. I don't text and drive. If it's important they can call. Calls are received just fine through the rivian's system. I still use Waze on top of the rivian's own navigation app without a problem. Music? Connect it through your phone.

Agree with most of what you said, but I currently have a Tesla and a Rivian, and while Tesla has more features, I prefer Rivian's UI a lot more. Rivan's approach is very intuitive and easy to use while I always feel like I need to keyword search on Tesla to find what I'm looking for.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Firstly, Rivian is duplicating maps

False assumption. Rivian isn't duplicating any maps. It isn't going out there measuring and charting its own set of maps. It is simply using a different vendor, outside of Google or Apple, for maps and navigation. And, it has already begun rolling in some Google integration, like POI searches.

Yes, we can all agree that navigation routing can get wonky. If we think we're all intelligent and informed enough to discuss the topic, we should also be intelligent enough to realize/recognize that both Google and Apple have had much more time, than Rivian, to mature their respective products. Don't forget, neither ACP nor AA were always the stellar products they are today. Even today, if you Google "Apple Maps terrible" you will still find complaints. Go ahead, try the search.

Rivian is clearly not going to offer either. Just drop it and give it a chance to develop and mature... the same way ACP/AA/Waze has been allow to mature and come to be taken for granted. If that isn't good enough resolution for you, save yourself the frustration and get a different car—because this system isn't going to get there overnight. This isn't an excuse for Rivian. It's just the course through which things run: time and labor.

 

[HaveBlue]

Exactly. Look at version history of Android Automotive and see how how early along of a product it is despite having been out for years. A platform like this has to progress very carefully or a Crowd Strike moment happens.

I feel like a bunch of color blind people are arguing about the shade of grey they used for the display screens, not realizing the Rivian rendered things in color.

 

[KimBrennan]

Rivian has...100K users, and maybe a few score programmers. Apple has more employees, than Rivian has active customers, and thousands of programmers that do things for Apple car play that aren't actually Apple employees. Rivian will NEVER be that comprehensive. They should leverage those Carplay folk for their customers, but they won't, because they don't want the competition.

 

[Newtonrj]

False assumption. Rivian isn't duplicating any maps

I concede this point while focussing to the UI not the Google or Apple Map product, specifically.

 

[racekarl]

I find it funny that the majority of you don't like the fact that the car has no AA or AC.
They're trying to develop their own software, so be patient while they're figuring things out. Tesla took a while too to get their UI up to par. You can't compare current rivian's UI for Tesla's, who is already well established.

You all bought the vehicles, so enjoy it for what it is. I myself don't care about AA or AC. I don't text and drive. If it's important they can call. Calls are received just fine through the rivian's system. I still use Waze on top of the rivian's own navigation app without a problem. Music? Connect it through your phone.

We need a bot to filter out useless "My use case is the only one and my approach is the only correct one" posts like these...

 

[iforbes]

We need a bot to filter out useless "My use case is the only one and my approach is the only correct one" posts like these...

So basically just delete this thread. ?

 

[elektrode]

Rivan’s the TRS-80 of infotainment…all the good apps are available for Apple, Commodore & IBM on disc.

Maybe it’s more like an Amiga: it can draw amazing pictures of chrome spheres hovering over a chess board, but not much else.

 

[JeffADK]

Since so many voices on this forum clamor for CP and AA, I am compelled to respectfully cast my vote. I am NOT a fan of CP and AA adoption by Rivian. I much prefer the Rivian UI, and I can wait for new features.

Full disclosure: I love my R1T going on two years and 27K miles. For me, its the best all-around vehicle that I've ever owned over a 50-year period, including ones from every US manufacturer, Toyota, Honda, Lexus, VW, and many M-Bs. It's not perfect, but nothing is, including much of the stuff from Apple (iPhone) and Google (apps) that I have to use daily. Dominance is bad, competition is good.

 

[rkccs257]

We need a bot to filter out useless "My use case is the only one and my approach is the only correct one" posts like these...

Not trying to start a verbal spat here but aren't y'all doing the same thing by stating AA/AC is the "only" correct solution?

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