Random Thoughts Thread

[ccap41]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:18 PM, David said:

@oldshurst442 @ccap41 @riviera74 @trinacriabob
Saw this and thought of you guys. I have to say this is a great modern update on the Mercury Marauder.

Finally, This Reimagined Mercury Marauder Looks Mean Enough To Live Up To Its Name (hotcars.com)

It's cool and all but it looks awkward having the same cabin shape with more modern from and rear clips/lights. I do love that color though! 

[G. David Felt]

Very Cool that the Canadian assembly plant in CAMI is now shipping the first of the BrightDrop EV vans to customers. They are totally sold out for 2023 and have added Ryder to their customer list with a contract to supply 4,000 BrightDrop EV 600 Vans.

Order Update: Your Zevo is on the Way (gobrightdrop.com)

[G. David Felt]

GM is having a great 1st quarter.

U.S. Q1 Sales: Off to a Great Start (gm.com)

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and its dealers delivered 603,208 vehicles in the U.S., up 18%, in the first quarter of 2023, growing market share by an estimated 1.5 points, the largest of any automaker.

[oldshurst442]

35 minutes ago, David said:

Very Cool that the Canadian assembly plant in CAMI is now shipping the first of the BrightDrop EV vans to customers. They are totally sold out for 2023 and have added Ryder to their customer list with a contract to supply 4,000 BrightDrop EV 600 Vans.

Order Update: Your Zevo is on the Way (gobrightdrop.com)

 

Great news for Canada.  Even better news for GM and equally better for EV adoption in the US. 

500+ units delivered and on the way to 50 000 plus annually for this plant and BrightDrop.

Ryder has an order for 4000 units through 2025.  GM has secured 30 BrightDrop customers.   Any orders for BrightDrop = better economies of scale for any Ultium Platform EV going forward which will benefit the US consumer and make GM more profit.  

Id say this is awesome news.  

Id say this is yet another milestone in an eventual surpassing of Tesla in EV sales.

Id say this also puts any Chinese manufacturer at bay.  VW and Hyundai/KIA  as well.  

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

5 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Great news for Canada.  Even better news for GM and equally better for EV adoption in the US. 

500+ units delivered and on the way to 50 000 plus annually for this plant and BrightDrop.

Ryder has an order for 4000 units through 2025.  GM has secured 30 BrightDrop customers.   Any orders for BrightDrop = better economies of scale for any Ultium Platform EV going forward which will benefit the US consumer and make GM more profit.  

Id say this is awesome news.  

Id say this is yet another milestone in an eventual surpassing of Tesla in EV sales.

Id say this also puts any Chinese manufacturer at bay.  VW as well.  

 

This also confirms a very important point that you, myself and many others have made to a certain member and a few others that said Tesla will never be removed as the leader in EVs.

GM has moved from Concept to Production faster in the last 2 years than Tesla has done in the last Decade.

2 years ago GM has the Bolt and a concept of Lyriq. Today they have 2 versions of the Bolt on the market and a luxury level LYRIQ as well as 2 semi-luxury level GMC Hummers, truck/SUV. So 5 EVs selling now that are sold out into 2024 for 3 of these 5. 

GM has the Chevrolet Equinox, Blazer and Silverado coming to market and the Commercial Silverado starts shipping to customers this month of April. They have also started to ship the Brighdrop 600 along with the Brightdrop 400 that is already shipping. 

GM will end 2023 with 8 EVs plus 3 commercial EV selling and 2024 brings us the GMC Sierra EV plus GM has already announced that for Cadillac alone, they will show off a full size SUV EV, mid-size SUV EV, and a Cadillac Car EV. 3 more EV concepts.

This will give GM in 2023 8 retail EVs selling, 3 commercial EVs selling, 3 concepts that we know of. This gives GM 11 selling EV models to Tesla 4 and 1 commercial version.

GM has already announced additional EVs to go into production by 2025 but we are not yet aware of the brand or models.

End result is that Musk is HOLDING BACK Tesla due to his distractions with Politics, Social Media (Twitter), Rockets, Tunnel boring, etc.

If stockholders of Tesla do not see the distractions, then they deserve to lose their money. The Big investors need to demand his removal and get a real CEO leader in there at Tesla.

[G. David Felt]

Very Cool

 

[G. David Felt]

I honestly find it weird that people buy these cars and then just let them sit. I wonder what the true story is behind the finds and I have to question how many more we will have as I think the 70's era muscle thing is pretty much coming to an end for being played out.

 

[G. David Felt]

OUCH, this is hard to watch and so sad.

Watch a Vintage Chevy Corvette Fall off a Transporter in Botched Delivery (thedrive.com)

[G. David Felt]

Seems tomorrow April 5th, 2023 at the NY Auto Show the Ram REV, their first Electric vehicle will be revealed to the public and details about the truck will be released.

[G. David Felt]

@oldshurst442 @ccap41 @surreal1272 @riviera74 @trinacriabob @Robert Hall @Drew Dowdell @Cmicasa the Great

Seems GM has not totally forgotten cars as their design team has published this to their instagram account for people feedback on if a Coupe EV would be of interest to the public. Using the Design language from the CELESTIQ.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by GM Design (@generalmotorsdesign)

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this profile on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GM Design (@generalmotorsdesign) • Instagram photos and videos

 

How about a Hummer EV Trailer to go with that GMC Hummer EV?

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by GM Design (@generalmotorsdesign)

 

[ccap41]

On 3/31/2023 at 4:27 PM, regfootball said:

WTH 

 

https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/31/general-motors-to-phase-out-apple-carplay/

 

I think that is a HUGE mistake, to not support Apple CarPlay going forward. Too many people love it and use it. I cannot imagine whatever they cook up will be as nice. 

[surreal1272]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I think that is a HUGE mistake, to not support Apple CarPlay going forward. Too many people love it and use it. I cannot imagine whatever they cook up will be as nice. 

The new interface and system is all Google software ( a big "yikes" for me) and yes, excluding CarPlay is a huge mistake.

Edited April 4, 2023 by surreal1272

[G. David Felt]

9 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I think that is a HUGE mistake, to not support Apple CarPlay going forward. Too many people love it and use it. I cannot imagine whatever they cook up will be as nice. 

 

6 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

The new interface and system is all Google software ( a big "yikes" for me) and yes, excluding CarPlay is a huge mistake.

GM and Google have said that you will just need to login with your Google account to sync so that you get what is on your phone on your auto. 

Seems they think for Apple folks having wireless Bluetooth to connect their phones while asking them to create a google or GM account will be good enough.

BIG, BIG, BIG mistake, I think.

We have already seen how slow GM is to update their existing Nav systems, I cannot see them once Google gives them the new system staying on top of keeping it as current as the Android phone or Apple Phone.

[ccap41]

12 minutes ago, David said:

GM and Google have said that you will just need to login with your Google account to sync so that you get what is on your phone on your auto. 

Okay, so already more steps involved... This is starting exactly how I would expect it. 

[G. David Felt]

These are the idiots that have more money than brains and are showing off in the wrong place. What a waste and yet this is also why these Hellcats will go up in value due to idiots destroying them.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Gexhaust (@gexhaust)

 

[G. David Felt]

Love Soup Dumplings. A restaurant that started in 2018 in Bellevue was great, I thought it had shutdown due to the Pandemic and here I read that it became a frozen dumpling company that is now national for eat at home and a actor has become an investor and employee to help sell their frozen soup dumplings.

Dumping Company MìLà Just Hired Simu Liu to Help Sell Dumplings - Eater Seattle

[G. David Felt]

On 4/3/2023 at 2:44 PM, David said:

GM is having a great 1st quarter.

U.S. Q1 Sales: Off to a Great Start (gm.com)

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and its dealers delivered 603,208 vehicles in the U.S., up 18%, in the first quarter of 2023, growing market share by an estimated 1.5 points, the largest of any automaker.

Update, seems GM has taken the #2 spot in the U.S. for EV sales.

GM passes Ford to take No. 2 spot in EV sales behind Tesla | AP News

GM is now the second-largest EV maker in the US | Engadget

January to March EV Deliveries:

1. Tesla - 161,630
2. GM - 20,670
3. Ford - 10,866
4. Volkswagen - 9,658
5. Hyundai
6. Kia

Interesting is that no one says what Hyundai / Kia EV sales are and looking at their quarterly reports, they do not break them out of overall sales.

AP News does state that at this time in 2022, EVs made up a 5.8% market share in the U.S. and now 1 year later it is 7.2% or just over 258,000 EVs sold in the U.S for the first quarter putting the U.S. market on track to sell 1 million plus EVs this year.

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

 

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, David said:

Update, seems GM has taken the #2 spot in the U.S. for EV sales.

GM passes Ford to take No. 2 spot in EV sales behind Tesla | AP News

GM is now the second-largest EV maker in the US | Engadget

January to March EV Deliveries:

1. Tesla - 161,630
2. GM - 20,670
3. Ford - 10,866
4. Volkswagen - 9,658
5. Hyundai
6. Kia

Interesting is that no one says what Hyundai / Kia EV sales are and looking at their quarterly reports, they do not break them out of overall sales.

AP News does state that at this time in 2022, EVs made up a 5.8% market share in the U.S. and now 1 year later it is 7.2% or just over 258,000 EVs sold in the U.S for the first quarter putting the U.S. market on track to sell 1 million plus EVs this year.

I find it highly suspect that GM is #2 on that list. I expect they are being outsold by Hyundai.  Hyundai and Kia count their sales separately, but Genesis sales get counted in with Hyundai as the parent company.

Even if GM is actually number 2, the Ioniq 6, GV60, and GV70E are on the lots today, so that position won't last long.   Ultium production ramp-up is painfully slow. The Hummers were on a stop-sale for the entire first quarter. I'm not expecting to see my EValanche until 2025 at the very earliest.

[trinacriabob]

Last night, I realized something.

I know some of the neighbors I see around, and might even know some of their names.

However, I know all the dogs and their names even better.

[G. David Felt]

12 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I find it highly suspect that GM is #2 on that list. I expect they are being outsold by Hyundai.  Hyundai and Kia count their sales separately, but Genesis sales get counted in with Hyundai as the parent company.

Even if GM is actually number 2, the Ioniq 6, GV60, and GV70E are on the lots today, so that position won't last long.   Ultium production ramp-up is painfully slow. The Hummers were on a stop-sale for the entire first quarter. I'm not expecting to see my EValanche until 2025 at the very earliest.

So adding up the numbers for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia equal as follows:

• Ioniq 5 = 5736
• Ioniq 6 = 222
• GV60 ev = 
• GV70 ev = 
• G80 ev = 
• Kia EV6 = 3392
• Kia EV6 GT

Genesis has not posted sales for the quarter yet. Kia does not break out the Niro EV sales so no idea what they might be.

Based on the numbers to date, I would suspect that Hyundai, Genesis, Kia have surpassed Ford for sure, not sure if they are close to GM yet.

[G. David Felt]

Very Cool that GM has won a contract to build the next troop transport fast response vehicle.

GM Defense Receives Full-Rate Production Decision from U.S. Army for Infantry Squad Vehicle Program (gmdefensellc.com)

GM Defense: Driving the Future of Military Mobility | GM Defense L.L.C. (gmdefensellc.com)

[G. David Felt]

Nissan has a new Convertible car concept that will be shown off at Shanghai International Auto Show. Doubt we will ever see it here, but cool car.

 

Seems Nissan is moving forward with a global two motor approach for EVs and ICE Hybrids. Nissan has a 3 in 1 motor for use in EVs and a 5 in 1 for use in ICE Hybrids.

Through the X-in-1 approach, Nissan aims to further increase the competitiveness of its EV and e-POWER vehicles. Nissan has developed a 3-in-1 powertrain prototype, which modularizes the motor, inverter, and reducer, which is planned for use in EVs. A 5-in-1 prototype, which additionally modularizes the generator and increaser, is planned for use in e-POWER vehicles.

The X-in-1 approach, which covers 3-in-1, 5-in-1, and other possible variants, has been developed to enable EV and e-POWER core components to be produced on the same line.

Nissan unveils new approach to electrified powertrain development (nissannews.com)

[riviera74]

On 4/3/2023 at 5:44 PM, David said:

GM is having a great 1st quarter.

U.S. Q1 Sales: Off to a Great Start (gm.com)

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and its dealers delivered 603,208 vehicles in the U.S., up 18%, in the first quarter of 2023, growing market share by an estimated 1.5 points, the largest of any automaker.

Good news all around.  Right product at the right time, especially for Envision and TrailBlazer (and Buick more generally).

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, riviera74 said:

Good news all around.  Right product at the right time, especially for Envision and TrailBlazer (and Buick more generally).

I feel this will be a great year as GM will continue to deliver ICE auto's the public wants and bringing out EVs that the public seems to be excited for. I expect a banner year for GM.

[G. David Felt]

Not impressed with what looks to be a huge turning radius for the truck. 3 lanes needed to do a 180 turn. WOW That is like 1980's turning radius of American Trucks.

Seems a price war is inevitable and that auto prices are about to drop by summer big time.

Oversupply of cars to trigger price war, says UBS (msn.com)

[trinacriabob]

Today, Thursday, April 6 is National Burrito Day.

You may reconsider your lunch plans.  I don't eat Mexican all that often, so I might just do that.

When I think of burritos in the most humorous way possible, I think of the teenage movie "The Last American Virgin,"  where nympho neighbor Carmela seduces three pizza or chicken delivery boys and instructs the chunky one with 'Come to Carmela, my big burrito' or something like that.  Then, Paco, her Puerto Rican sailor boyfriend, inadvertently comes home to find her entertaining three neighborhood teenagers and a chase ensues (age restricted on YouTube, so I couldn't post it).

But I can post this.

[G. David Felt]

@trinacriabob HAPPY NATIONAL BURRITO DAY!!!

Course there are more than one way to have a Burrito, my favorite is Breakfast burrito's

[G. David Felt]

Seems media is now comparing the new generation Prius Prime to what they believed was the best version of this kind of car, the Chevrolet VOLT. Volt had 53 miles of EV range compared to the new Prius Prime with 44 miles of EV range.

Review: 2023 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in reboots Volt formula (greencarreports.com)

[surreal1272]

I wonder just how much more "brand image" Tesla will have left with incidents like this @smk4565?

 

https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/04/06/if-youre-a-tesla-owner-employees-might-be-sharing-your-camera-recordings

 

If I was a Tesla, I would light that company up, legally speaking. 

3 hours ago, David said:

Seems media is now comparing the new generation Prius Prime to what they believed was the best version of this kind of car, the Chevrolet VOLT. Volt had 53 miles of EV range compared to the new Prius Prime with 44 miles of EV range.

Review: 2023 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in reboots Volt formula (greencarreports.com)

Miles on EV mode isn't the only reason why they called it that. Overall, it is a much better car than it replaces and would be nicer overall than the Volt, at this point.

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

I wonder just how much more "brand image" Tesla will have left with incidents like this @smk4565?

 

https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/04/06/if-youre-a-tesla-owner-employees-might-be-sharing-your-camera-recordings

 

If I was a Tesla, I would light that company up, legally speaking. 

Miles on EV mode isn't the only reason why they called it that. Overall, it is a much better car than it replaces and would be nicer overall than the Volt, at this point.

Facepalm to the story about Tesla and the sharing of recording, just another reason to never buy a Tesla. I honestly do not think that your private life is there for Tesla to abuse. Seems to be much like Facebook that has allowed a 3rd party to purchase the rights to photos and build the worlds largest database for digital police lineup.

Facebook policy that they own any and all photos you post is wrong.

Clearview AI scraped 30 billion images from Facebook and gave them to cops: it puts everyone into a 'perpetual police line-up' (businessinsider.nl)

[trinacriabob]

Happy Easter to those who observe it, celebrate it, or spend the day in a way other than you usually do.

I was "good" yesterday.  It's the only Friday I observe during the year.  I had oatmeal for breakfast and fish for both lunch and dinner.

[Robert Hall]

Looking forward to Easter brunch on Sunday...we are going to a restaurant in downtown Cleveland that has a great brunch..

[G. David Felt]

Happy Easter Everyone. 

Wish you all the best weekend.

[trinacriabob]

Some people say "Happy Easter" with a lot more fervor and work than others.

[G. David Felt]

6 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Some people say "Happy Easter" with a lot more fervor and work than others.

That could give little kids a nightmare or extreme joy.

This is an interesting read and explains allot of why the auto industry is going away from Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Will be interesting to see how this works out for them.

Colin Barnden on LinkedIn: #carplay #android #auto #infotainment #smartphone #processor #snapdragon… | 64 comments

What are all your thoughts on this?

@Drew Dowdell @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 @trinacriabob @smk4565 

[oldshurst442]

12 minutes ago, David said:

That could give little kids a nightmare or extreme joy.

This is an interesting read and explains allot of why the auto industry is going away from Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Will be interesting to see how this works out for them.

Colin Barnden on LinkedIn: #carplay #android #auto #infotainment #smartphone #processor #snapdragon… | 64 comments

What are all your thoughts on this?

@Drew Dowdell @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 @trinacriabob @smk4565 

I HATE the fact that ALL today's cars have a TV screen to control HVAC and radio controls and all kinds of apps LIKE the car is some sort of phone...  So...for me, this information is just to continue to hate as usual...    

Dont get me wrong, I think its a FANTASTIC thing to HAVE a TV screen to control certain ELEMENTS of the car's dynamics Such as in a sports car, the performance metrics and the like.  But on certain OTHER things, such as the radio and HVAC controls, I DO prefer freakin' buttons...  

OK...although I OLD SCHOOL it by NEW SCHOOLING the GPS map thing,...I WILL google an unknown address AT HOME on my home computer or iPhone and LEARN the streets to get to my destination a la OLD SCHOOL and DRIVE WITHOUT the help of the car TV screen or car GPS...I understand and acknowledge the BENEFITS of REAL TIME directions especially on a TV screen IN your car using live google maps directions.   I just PREFER to old school it by using new school google maps as I would have using a Rand Mcnally map back in the day.   I print or write out the directions and when I drive...I LOOK to see for the streets I need to take by actually looking at the REAL damn STREETS in REALITY...    yeah...I learn ALL the surrounding streets I NEED to look out for BEFORE I hit the street that I need to turn on to yada yada yada.  THIS way, I LEARN MORE about my surrounds and therefore need to rely LESS on google maps...   You COULD say Im a walking map of Montreal and its surroundings...    The ONLY way for someone to achieve this is to actually look at a map and LEARN the damn streets and when driving the damn streets sink in to your brain... 

So...for me...ANY technology that helps us use LESS of our brain and get us to rely MORE on tech is a thing that I HATE... 

 

[Robert Hall]

6 hours ago, David said:

That could give little kids a nightmare or extreme joy.

This is an interesting read and explains allot of why the auto industry is going away from Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Will be interesting to see how this works out for them.

Colin Barnden on LinkedIn: #carplay #android #auto #infotainment #smartphone #processor #snapdragon… | 64 comments

What are all your thoughts on this?

@Drew Dowdell @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 @trinacriabob @smk4565 

Not a good move, IMO.    Apple Car Play is a 'gotta have' feature for my next vehicle    

[surreal1272]

8 hours ago, David said:

That could give little kids a nightmare or extreme joy.

This is an interesting read and explains allot of why the auto industry is going away from Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Will be interesting to see how this works out for them.

Colin Barnden on LinkedIn: #carplay #android #auto #infotainment #smartphone #processor #snapdragon… | 64 comments

What are all your thoughts on this?

@Drew Dowdell @surreal1272 @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 @trinacriabob @smk4565 

Oh, it's' really simple. From a "business" standpoint, it's all about money. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything else is secondary.

 

Putting that aside, from a tech standpoint, I get going the hardware route they chose. Having a capable and active infotainment system, can have a lot of advantages, from a "performance" standpoint (responsive menus, ease of use, improved feature sets, etc). The mirror mode used by CarPlay and Android Auto can definitely hinder performance in terms of menu response, on top of being a nested layer on top of the existing infotainment system (and the pitfalls that entails) that sometimes just doesn't "jive" with the rest of the infotainment system. 

 

What is baffling me how Google is deeply involved with these new infotainment so it's not much of a loss for them. It's the exact opposite, as a matter of fact. Apple, however, seems to lagging on this and it's mostly because of this odd focus on their own car development. Maybe they have something up their sleeve over the next few years but with Google getting involved with a lot of these automakers, it will be an uphill fight for them by then.

 

I do know this. I will be damn if I pay for another streaming service when I have literally everything, music related, on Apple Music, which I get for a FAR lower price than services like Spotify (have a bundle deal with Apple+ which makes Apple Music less than $5 month). Everything I have in my house, has some kind of Apple related connection to it so these auto makers better think long and hard about cutting out one whole demographic just for the sake of pushing their own redundant nonsense for a "small fee" every month. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by surreal1272

[G. David Felt]

8 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

I HATE the fact that ALL today's cars have a TV screen to control HVAC and radio controls and all kinds of apps LIKE the car is some sort of phone...  So...for me, this information is just to continue to hate as usual...    

Dont get me wrong, I think its a FANTASTIC thing to HAVE a TV screen to control certain ELEMENTS of the car's dynamics Such as in a sports car, the performance metrics and the like.  But on certain OTHER things, such as the radio and HVAC controls, I DO prefer freakin' buttons...  

OK...although I OLD SCHOOL it by NEW SCHOOLING the GPS map thing,...I WILL google an unknown address AT HOME on my home computer or iPhone and LEARN the streets to get to my destination a la OLD SCHOOL and DRIVE WITHOUT the help of the car TV screen or car GPS...I understand and acknowledge the BENEFITS of REAL TIME directions especially on a TV screen IN your car using live google maps directions.   I just PREFER to old school it by using new school google maps as I would have using a Rand Mcnally map back in the day.   I print or write out the directions and when I drive...I LOOK to see for the streets I need to take by actually looking at the REAL damn STREETS in REALITY...    yeah...I learn ALL the surrounding streets I NEED to look out for BEFORE I hit the street that I need to turn on to yada yada yada.  THIS way, I LEARN MORE about my surrounds and therefore need to rely LESS on google maps...   You COULD say Im a walking map of Montreal and its surroundings...    The ONLY way for someone to achieve this is to actually look at a map and LEARN the damn streets and when driving the damn streets sink in to your brain... 

So...for me...ANY technology that helps us use LESS of our brain and get us to rely MORE on tech is a thing that I HATE... 

 

I understand, I no matter what am like you that I learn and know my surroundings and it is amazing how many people cannot tell you which way is north, south, east or west. Basic knowledge is lacking in many people. Yet with that said, I always log into my google maps for one important feature, the notification of speed traps and basic freeway traffic updates to find faster routes to where I am going as you can learn all the streets and back roads, but with today's cameras everywhere at least here in Washington state, I am able to save massive time by finding alternative routes that are faster and even then I usually know side roads to cut through to make those options faster.

[G. David Felt]

51 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Oh, it's' really simple. From a "business" standpoint, it's all about money. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything else is secondary.

 

Putting that aside, from a tech standpoint, I get going the hardware route they chose. Having a capable and active infotainment system, can have a lot of advantages, from a "performance" standpoint (responsive menus, ease of use, improved feature sets, etc). The mirror mode used by CarPlay and Android Auto can definitely hinder performance in terms of menu response, on top of being a nested layer on top of the existing infotainment system (and the pitfalls that entails) that sometimes just doesn't "jive" with the rest of the infotainment system. 

 

What is baffling me how Google is deeply involved with these new infotainment so it's not much of a loss for them. It's the exact opposite, as a matter of fact. Apple, however, seems to lagging on this and it's mostly because of this odd focus on their own car development. Maybe they have something up their sleeve over the next few years but with Google getting involved with a lot of these automakers, it will be an uphill fight for them by then.

 

I do know this. I will be damn if I pay for another streaming service when I have literally everything, music related, on Apple Music, which I get for a FAR lower price than services like Spotify (have a bundle deal with Apple+ which makes Apple Music less than $5 month). Everything I have in my house, has some kind of Apple related connection to it so these auto makers better think long and hard about cutting out one whole demographic just for the sake of pushing their own redundant nonsense for a "small fee" every month. 

I understand where you are coming from as I have friends and coworkers who are all about the Apple Universe. My son and Daughter are both heavy on Apple, yet I am as they say behind the times as while they both have apple everything in the house and the amazon doorbell ring system so they can see who is at the door anywhere in the house. I have nothing like that except for my android phones. My wife is not a tech person and as such, I am her tech support as she is finally all in on her Samsung Galaxy 22 with using the calendar and phone book rather than her old manual pen and binder. So getting her to handle other tech changes is rather hard. She has become used to plugging in her phone since I replaced the deck in her SS so she can have google everything. Has come to love it.

Like you, I totally get this change to the Qualcomm auto system as it gives a massive computer system to run the auto that will be lighting fast and even Tesla has embraced this approach as what they use is a customer Qualcomm system that they are moving away from to move to the cheaper qualcomm system.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Qualcomm has on their website that they had invited Apple and Google at the start to join in the co-development of their auto Controller system, Apple choose to decline and focus on their own auto. 

In this regard, I think Apple failed to realize that they could have had a massive impact on the future of autos, and it could come back to bite them in the ass.

Instead, Apple choose to over the last decade Sue in court Qualcomm over their tech and failed loosing out many times which has led us to this point. I believe Apple is going to walk away from the auto market and focus on other things. How this works out for Apple fans will be interesting to see.

I think it will go for some like my kids that have no problem connecting via bluetooth to existing systems like my kids do in their Jeeps GC autos. For others, I suspect they will turn to when they buy an auto, then stop off at a 3rd party show for an aftermarket deck that supports Apple Carplay.

[Robert Hall]

9 minutes ago, David said:

I understand, I no matter what am like you that I learn and know my surroundings and it is amazing how many people cannot tell you which way is north, south, east or west. Basic knowledge is lacking in many people. Yet with that said, I always log into my google maps for one important feature, the notification of speed traps and basic freeway traffic updates to find faster routes to where I am going as you can learn all the streets and back roads, but with today's cameras everywhere at least here in Washington state, I am able to save massive time by finding alternative routes that are faster and even then I usually know side roads to cut through to make those options faster.

I do seem to have a pretty good sense of direction.   But having vehicles the last 25 years or so w/ a simple 'N', 'S', etc indicator on the dash does help, independent of the nav system.   I love maps, having grown up w/ Rand McNally maps and Thomas street guides.   I usually  pull up a place on my computer on Google Maps before I travel there the first time and study the various routes...I rely on my phone and Google Maps navigation in the car  when I go to a place the first time, after that, I usually can find my way pretty well w/o nav or a map. 

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

I do know this. I will be damn if I pay for another streaming service

I do know this.   I am NEVER gonna be  paying for streaming services. Like EVER.  And I am certainly not paying for pay to play  monthly car services for an automaker to 'unlock' heated seats or air con or ABS brakes. 

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

I have literally everything, music related, on Apple Music, which I get for a FAR lower price than services like Spotify

 

I have a USB key with a couple a hundred songs on it.  If I want to listen to a song, I just plug in the USB key into whatever car I am driving, press the media button and I have FREE access to songs that I have PURCHASED  over the DECADES.  I have chosen my favorite "drive" songs on this USB key.  Sure, these are songs that I have LITERALLY listened 1000 times to,  but I am FAR removed from the demographic that the CURRENT rock stars and pop gods entertain to. So its OK.  I do listen to the good ole radio.  The FREE radio.  Not the FM dial. But the good ole reliable AM dial listening, for free, to what people  MY demographic listen to.  No..it aint political or religious or social.  Id rather drive my car off a cliff if I ever do that.  Sports talk radio is what I do.  And THAT is useless bad drama too sometimes...    I pay for internet service so if I want to listen to music at home...I do youtube.  I do youtube often as there is plenty of entertainment.  I pay for sattelitle TV.  But that may becoming to an end as in Canada, internet and TV service costs more than buying  gold....     

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

Everything I have in my house, has some kind of Apple related connection to it

 

My home has slowly become an Apple home...   Thanks in part to my kid's schooling.  Its soooooo much easier to have phones and Macs and Macbook airs to connect to each other.  I havent delved into the Apple world fully. I havent done Apple TV.  I dont know if I ever will.  

Just to say...nickel and diming for every little aspect of my life is something I will never adhere to.    I willgladly pay for services, but when certain services were free or one paid for in a bundle, like between a base stripped car versus a fully equipped one, I aint NEVER payin' a MONTHLY service for heated seats.   Or for satellite radio.  Or for Spotify  or whatever. I LEGALLY bought and PAID for that Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet CD in the late '80s sometime.  Ive listened to Wanted Dead or Alive a million times.  Why the phoque am I gonna pay for a monthly service JUST to listen to it on Spotify or satellite radio?  I OWN it already.  I own LEGALLY, LOTS of 1970s/1980s/1990s songs...  I took the time to BUY a USB key and I took the time to DOWNLOAD some of these SAME songs that I own LEGALLY, bought and paid for that play ENDLESSLY on Spotify...  

 

 

[Robert Hall]

My home is mixed Apple (moi) and Google/Samsung (my sister).  She loves Android Auto in her new Equinox...works very well from what I've seen.  

In my Jeep, I mostly listen to Sirius XM channels for New Wave, Classic Rock, Alternative, or podcasts streamed from Overcast on my iPhone or music from Amazon music... once in a while I'll pop in a CD (CD player is in the center armrest, awkward to use).  I've tried playing music from a USB flash drive, but the interface on the Jeep's touch screen is so slow when reading from a USB drive...haven't used AM or FM in years...

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, David said:

, the notification of speed traps and basic freeway traffic updates to find faster routes to where I am going as you can learn all the streets and back roads, but with today's cameras everywhere at least here in Washington state, I am able to save massive time by finding alternative routes that are faster and even then I usually know side roads to cut through to make those options faster.

That is a usefull tool.  Yes. 

 I live in the Montreal area.  I dont commute to the Montreal downtown core all that much anymore, but Montreal's traffic patterns are predictable.   So with experience, I know how to avoid traffic problems instinctively.   So for me, I dont really need it.  Yes, it be a great tool to use, but I do get by without it. 

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

I rely on my phone and Google Maps navigation in the car  when I go to a place the first time, after that, I usually can find my way pretty well w/o nav or a map. 

 

With all the ranting I done hatin' on TV screen GPS directions,  THIS what you do  right there is what I sometimes do as of late.  I have my co-pilot,  my wife or my kids,  use their phone to navigate us through.  I will have studied the streets before hand, but use the Google maps phone live direction that my co-pilots use,  to be better prepared,  as traffic and impatient drivers are more of a concern.  To avoid any accidents. My co-pilot using the directions on the phone,  leaves unnecessary unattention by me,  to better control the driving aspect rather than the direction aspect.  My wife also uses me or my kids as co-pilots when driving to unfamiliar places.   Its a GREAT  driving tool for safety.  So I applaud THAT aspect of this kind of technology.  The safety part.   IF its done by a co-pilot and not the driver taking his eyes off the road... 

Edited April 10, 2023 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

49 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

That is a usefull tool.  Yes. 

 I live in the Montreal area.  I dont commute to the Montreal downtown core all that much anymore, but Montreal's traffic patterns are predictable.   So with experience, I know how to avoid traffic problems instinctively.   So for me, I dont really need it.  Yes, it be a great tool to use, but I do get by without it. 

 

With all the ranting I done hatin' on TV screen GPS directions,  THIS what you do  right there is what I sometimes do as of late.  I have my co-pilot,  my wife or my kids,  use their phone to navigate us through.  I will have studied the streets before hand, but use the Google maps phone live direction that my co-pilots use,  to be better prepared,  as traffic and impatient drivers are more of a concern.  To avoid any accidents. My co-pilot using the directions on the phone,  leaves unnecessary unattention by me,  to better control the driving aspect rather than the direction aspect.  My wife also uses me or my kids as co-pilots when driving to unfamiliar places.   Its a GREAT  driving tool for safety.  So I applaud THAT aspect of this kind of technology.  The safety part.   IF its done by a co-pilot and not the driver taking his eyes off the road... 

Like you I have no reason to go into Seattle, but with the growth here and so many idiot drivers that do not know how to drive in rain or snow, Google Maps to avoid accidents and congestion caused by accidents is a need now. Crazy, used to take me 20 min to get from my house to where my parents live in Kirkland and now it is a 1hr drive due to the idiots that do not know how to drive and congestion.

@oldshurst442 I used to do the USB thing, but the older auto's that have media seem to also have some of the slowest terrible designed systems to make it just not a good experience. As such, I have found for the $9 a month I can enjoy commercial free Spotify that I build on my desktop so many mixes to enjoy everything from Jass to pop, K-pop and classic rock. I have come to really appreciate the Spotify service.

[surreal1272]

2 hours ago, David said:

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Qualcomm has on their website that they had invited Apple and Google at the start to join in the co-development of their auto Controller system, Apple choose to decline and focus on their own auto.

Also because Apple offers their own competing chipset with their M line of CPUs. They are in everything "Apple" now (save for the technically ARM sourced A series chips in iPhones and TV streaming boxes) so telling Apple their "OS" needs to jive with competing hardware and subsequent OS (and often times, slower hardware) is a tough sell for them, knowing that they are involved in their own project. I just don't get the automakers willing to wholesale abandon a rather sizable user base, in the long term though. Me, personally, I can adapt to any tech thrown into these cars but being that two major sources of data (on my travels) involve my phone, that is a potential issue for me when I decide to go the EV route. GM will be S.O.L. if they decide to keep on this path.  

Edited April 10, 2023 by surreal1272

[surreal1272]

2 hours ago, David said:

I think it will go for some like my kids that have no problem connecting via bluetooth to existing systems like my kids do in their Jeeps GC autos.

That is a sound quality issue for me. Bluetooth audio sucks the highest order donkey. I use at home occasionally but in my car, it's a direct hookup and much better sound quality. Controls are far easier for use on the hardware than it is over bluetooth as well IMO. The kids can have it. This old fart has a different set of expectations on his drive.

[oldshurst442]

57 minutes ago, David said:

Like you I have no reason to go into Seattle, but with the growth here and so many idiot drivers that do not know how to drive in rain or snow, Google Maps to avoid accidents and congestion caused by accidents is a need now. Crazy, used to take me 20 min to get from my house to where my parents live in Kirkland and now it is a 1hr drive due to the idiots that do not know how to drive and congestion.

@oldshurst442 I used to do the USB thing, but the older auto's that have media seem to also have some of the slowest terrible designed systems to make it just not a good experience. As such, I have found for the $9 a month I can enjoy commercial free Spotify that I build on my desktop so many mixes to enjoy everything from Jass to pop, K-pop and classic rock. I have come to really appreciate the Spotify service.

 Both the Acura and Ford that I own, which are now 10 years old and older, and are from one of the OLDEST of the USB media systems...I dont seem to have ANY issues of the system being slow.   The Acura also has as memory to store my favorite songs and that too aint slow...   

9 dollars a month to listen to songs?  

OK...to create playlists...  THAT is a cool feature.  And I would agree with you that it may be worth it.  

But yeah...Thanks Spotify.  But NO thanks!