BMW confirms it will not support CarPlay Ultra

AppleInsider

While German luxury car maker BMW has previously avoided committing to Apple's CarKey Ultra, it has now announced that it will not be adopting it.

CarPlay Ultra is supported by Aston Martin, but not BMW - Image credit Apple

BMW was among the very first manufacturers to adopt Apple's CarKey system for unlocking cars from an iPhone, back in 2020. It was also quick to adopt CarPlay, although initially selling it as a subscription extra before even more quickly listening to customers and dropping that charge.

As far as CarPlay Ultra, though, BMW did not rush to support it, but never quite said that it wouldn't -- until now. In a statement reported on the unofficial BMW Blog, a spokesperson for the manufacturer said: "BMW currently has no plans to integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra."

It's still not a definite no, except that of course it is. Apple has been pushing CarPlay Ultra since unveiling it as a sneak peek in June 2022. The BMW Blog claims that BMW was initially listed as a future partner, but it was not among the companies mentioned by Apple at its WWDC 2022 unveiling.

The closest the company appears to have come is in an announcement shortly after that unveiling, in which it seemed to be hedging its bets.

"Currently, we have placed a clear focus on further enhancing our iDrive user interface system and, as part of this development, will continue the seamless integration of Apple's ecosystem," BMW said at the time. "Integral to these efforts will be an evaluation of how the latest innovations announced at WWDC can be integrated into our solutions."

Three years later, it seems optimistic to think that BMW might still be evaluating CarPlay Ultra. Unless it is, then it appears to have joined the rather growing series of car manufacturers who have rejected CarPlay Ultra as an Apple overreach.



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kkqd1337

Car manufacturers are not going to give all their screens to Apple or want to reply on them for their onboard computing.

It just won’t happen. 

If Apple want to push this they need to partner with a manufacturer to make a reference vehicle. 

victormortimer

And I confirm that I'm not ever going to buy a BMW car.

(Wasn't anyway, they're maintenance nightmares.  But CarPlay Ultra looks MUCH nicer than anything I've seen out of a car manufacturer.)

blackwhitepanda

kkqd1337 said:

Car manufacturers are not going to give all their screens to Apple or want to reply on them for their onboard computing.

It just won’t happen. 

If Apple want to push this they need to partner with a manufacturer to make a reference vehicle. 

For me, it was the right decision to not strive for Apple Car.

As I work in the car industry, I can tell that the car industry is a terrible business because it is just a low margin business. 

I am pretty sure that Apple will find a compromise with the rest of OEMs.
Premium brands like BMW or Mercedes will limit or will not support Apple Car, but there are tons of others like Stellantis, Dacia etc., which have no capability of developing their own eco-system.

quakerotis

Anyone who thought otherwise about this or any other manufacturer is just wrong.

avon b7

VictorMortimer said:

And I confirm that I'm not ever going to buy a BMW car.

(Wasn't anyway, they're maintenance nightmares.  But CarPlay Ultra looks MUCH nicer than anything I've seen out of a car manufacturer.)

Apple's problem was falling between two worlds. 

Infotainment connections from an iPhone and deep integration within the car's onboard compute systems.

The latter could well mean the 'tail wagging the dog' for many auto makers as things got evermore digital.

The potential solution for that was for Apple to move to providing different levels of car platforms that included hardware and software on different levels.

That never happened. 

CarPlay was way behind even in 2021. It's just that US owners never got to see the best of the best solutions. 

Even back in 2021 HarmonyOS was far, far ahead of CarPlay. So much so that even CarPlay Ultra can't touch it today. 

And for years now (in the 'self driving' space) cars have needed mini data centers onboard, with 5G communications, sensing capabilities etc

And anyone providing digital car platforms would be even better positioned if they also provided powertrains, LiDAR, batteries and charging infrastructure.

Apple was never going to be able to move all those pieces at the same time.

Many of the major EU brands are signing up for Huawei's solutions in China and all the real advances are there.

The German brands are really having a hard time competing. 

scoony7

avon b7 said:

VictorMortimer said:

And I confirm that I'm not ever going to buy a BMW car.

(Wasn't anyway, they're maintenance nightmares.  But CarPlay Ultra looks MUCH nicer than anything I've seen out of a car manufacturer.)

Apple's problem was falling between two worlds. 

Infotainment connections from an iPhone and deep integration within the car's onboard compute systems.

The latter could well mean the 'tail wagging the dog' for many auto makers as things got evermore digital.

The potential solution for that was for Apple to move to providing different levels of car platforms that included hardware and software on different levels.

That never happened. 

CarPlay was way behind even in 2021. It's just that US owners never got to see the best of the best solutions. 

Even back in 2021 HarmonyOS was far, far ahead of CarPlay. So much so that even CarPlay Ultra can't touch it today. 

And for years now (in the 'self driving' space) cars have needed mini data centers onboard, with 5G communications, sensing capabilities etc

And anyone providing digital car platforms would be even better positioned if they also provided powertrains, LiDAR, batteries and charging infrastructure.

Apple was never going to be able to move all those pieces at the same time.

Many of the major EU brands are signing up for Huawei's solutions in China and all the real advances are there.

The German brands are really having a hard time competing. 

In what sense do you mean HarmonyOS being far ahead of CarPlay? I don’t think CarPlay was also given the opportunity to shine either in the US or Europe.

I feel the majority of OEMs (US/Europe) have finicky systems and are rarely intuitive, not even considering UI or UX yet. They are just not software companies and have little regard for customers ease of use. And privacy in the automobile space is like a leaky ship.

avon b7

scoony7 said:

avon b7 said:

VictorMortimer said:

And I confirm that I'm not ever going to buy a BMW car.

(Wasn't anyway, they're maintenance nightmares.  But CarPlay Ultra looks MUCH nicer than anything I've seen out of a car manufacturer.)

Apple's problem was falling between two worlds. 

Infotainment connections from an iPhone and deep integration within the car's onboard compute systems.

The latter could well mean the 'tail wagging the dog' for many auto makers as things got evermore digital.

The potential solution for that was for Apple to move to providing different levels of car platforms that included hardware and software on different levels.

That never happened. 

CarPlay was way behind even in 2021. It's just that US owners never got to see the best of the best solutions. 

Even back in 2021 HarmonyOS was far, far ahead of CarPlay. So much so that even CarPlay Ultra can't touch it today. 

And for years now (in the 'self driving' space) cars have needed mini data centers onboard, with 5G communications, sensing capabilities etc

And anyone providing digital car platforms would be even better positioned if they also provided powertrains, LiDAR, batteries and charging infrastructure.

Apple was never going to be able to move all those pieces at the same time.

Many of the major EU brands are signing up for Huawei's solutions in China and all the real advances are there.

The German brands are really having a hard time competing. 

In what sense do you mean HarmonyOS being far ahead of CarPlay? I don’t think CarPlay was also given the opportunity to shine either in the US or Europe.

I feel the majority of OEMs (US/Europe) have finicky systems and are rarely intuitive, not even considering UI or UX yet. They are just not software companies and have little regard for customers ease of use. And privacy in the automobile space is like a leaky ship.

This is from way back in 2021 and even then it had deep access into the car systems (because it was already tied to the car system as a result ofnHuawei providing a huge amount of the digitally dependent systems within the car. 

Not only the air-conditioning but also the GOD network system and communication with road infrastructure (traffic lights etc). 

https://m.gsmarena.com/aito_m5_harmonyos_system_quick_review-news-54285.php

Obviously, the whole thing ties in seamlessly with Huawei phones, Huawei whole smart house solutions etc. 

mwschaf

I use CarPlay in my BMW for music and podcasts.  The built-in BMW navigation is an order of magnitude better than Apple Maps  Google Maps and Here are also significantly better than Apple Maps.  If BMW provides the ability to use Apple Music or something that accesses my Apple Music and a podcast.app I don’t care about CarPlay.

ashsaturday

BMW losing out on users just because they think they are better. 

Glad I never drive a BMW. Now never will. 

anthogag

It is understandable, a serious company like BMW doesn't want CarPlay Ultra to takeover the entire driving display setup. Would it be a BMW if the display was Ultra? Yes, because BMW is supposed to be about the driving, the connection between the driver, the car, and the road. 

sflagel

Once Apple controls the user interface for the entire car, it would only a matter of time until they make demands for the rest of the stack, to “provide the best user experience”. 

It may end up the other way round: Apple will give access to their data/platforms for a seamless integration with manufacturer’s interfaces. 

My Audi interface is much nicer than CarPlay, but there is no eco-system behind it. Let the tug of war begin. 

danox

Blackwhitepanda said:

kkqd1337 said:

Car manufacturers are not going to give all their screens to Apple or want to reply on them for their onboard computing.

It just won’t happen. 

If Apple want to push this they need to partner with a manufacturer to make a reference vehicle. 

For me, it was the right decision to not strive for Apple Car.

As I work in the car industry, I can tell that the car industry is a terrible business because it is just a low margin business. 

I am pretty sure that Apple will find a compromise with the rest of OEMs.
Premium brands like BMW or Mercedes will limit or will not support Apple Car, but there are tons of others like Stellantis, Dacia etc., which have no capability of developing their own eco-system.

In time like Apple Watch, Apple Pay, or AirPods, Apple CarPlay will breakthrough because there will be one or two car companies across the world that will adopt it, All Apple has to do is keep iterating and improving it’s abilities……

edited July 24

williamlondon

What a strange thing to say, “We WON’T be supporting something.” Companies are notorious for hedging bets, especially in PR statements.

charlesn

Blackwhitepanda said: I am pretty sure that Apple will find a compromise with the rest of OEMs.

Premium brands like BMW or Mercedes will limit or will not support Apple Car, but there are tons of others like Stellantis, Dacia etc., which have no capability of developing their own eco-system.

They don't need the capability to develop their own system--GM didn't have it either and just partnered with Google to develop their own system that ended support for CarPlay and Android Auto. And the success of that system, with its abilities to collect all kinds of customer data to be sold to the highest bidders, plus a subscription model for its most desirable features, achieved a kind of holy grail for a car manufacturer: a steady stream of continuing income from every car sold after it leaves the dealership. Prior to his, there was nothing, unless you count money made on OEM parts for repairs. Trust me: nobody in the auto industry hasn't taken notice of this and it's the death knell for the adoption of CarPlay Ultra. Why turn over your screens to Apple when you can turn them into an all-new profit center? Of course, Apple isn't going to partner with any company on a system that profits from abusing customer privacy while setting up subscription paywalls to use desirable features--Google has no such consumer concerns. The company motto long ago became, "Dont be evil. Unless it pays well." 

edited July 25

danox

anthogag said:

It is understandable, a serious company like BMW doesn't want CarPlay Ultra to takeover the entire driving display setup. Would it be a BMW if the display was Ultra? Yes, because BMW is supposed to be about the driving, the connection between the driver, the car, and the road. 

That would be Porsche the BMW is known as the Ford Mustang GT of the German Nurburgring slow and always crashing and spinning out .

edited July 25

temperor

I was ready to upgrade from my iX to the new iX3 when announced … glad they took away that option, will upgrade to a Porsche when they launch their first car supporting it. Life can be simple ;-p 

ts007

Apple should pull an EU move on everyone..
EU forced Apple to open up their systems to others.

maybe it’s time for some level the playing ground…

If I had a choice between a GT3 RS with ultra and an AMG GT Black w/o - that’s an easy one.

9secondkox2

Huge loss for BMW owners. Been looking forward to this and now it's gone. That sucks.

9secondkox2

TS007 said:

Apple should pull an EU move on everyone..
EU forced Apple to open up their systems to others.

maybe it’s time for some level the playing ground…

If I had a choice between a GT3 RS with ultra and an AMG GT Black w/o - that’s an easy one.

Dang. That's brilliant. 

dewme

Apple’s secret sauce has always been the very close and complementary integration between their hardware, their software, and their services. Why would we believe that automobile manufacturers would not want exactly the same thing?

Apple may have had a window of opportunity to wrap their tentacles around unsuspecting automakers who didn’t recognize the value of everything we would expect modern cars to do beyond basic transportation. Now that the picture is getting a bit clearer for everyone, that window has closed. It’s not like Apple would go back to living with a dependency on Intel chips now that they’ve realized it’s a hell if a lot better for them to control their own chip destiny. 

The only way Apple could have locked-in a dependency on a system wide Apple CarPlay for an automobile manufacturer was to become one themselves. Once they stopped, or maybe simply postponed that effort, they were on thin ice. For all we know, Apple CarPlay Ultra was an an attempt to recoup some of their investment in the Apple Car project. CarPlay Lemonade. The very first time I saw the early Ultra renderings my first thought was that no significant automaker would ever cede control of that to Apple. 

Pretty much every product manufacturer is a computer company today. They want to tap into the vast potential of what that means and aren’t keen to share it with anyone if they don’t have to. 

There are obviously a few folks in this site who may actually gate their purchase of a $74K-$150K automobile purchase based on what is essentially an accessory. I don’t think I’m out of line to speculate that the number of car buyers who fall into that category is very very tiny. Apple is never going to win every category of products that consumers purchase. They don’t have to as long as what they do go after is something that they can do extremely well.