alandail

sflagel said:

alandail said:

sbdude said:

Tesla can get away with it because no other manufacturer has the rabid (and often blind) fan base that Tesla does. One need only look at manufacturing defects, reliability and other objective measures as they relate to "satisfaction" ratings to determine that Tesla drivers often overlook the shortcomings simply because of their adulation for the brand. CarPlay is but one of the features you won't find in a Tesla compared to other brands: satellite radio, branded (premium) sound systems, a speedometer in front of the steering wheel, an external/internal refresh every 7 years or so.

I went from Mercedes E Class with upgraded audio to Tesla Model 3 Performance. The Tesla Model 3 sound system absolutely blows away what I had in the Mercedes. Everyone who rides in my car is amazed at how good the sound system is.

Maybe take the time to understand why Tesla absolutely blows away customer satisfaction surveys instead of assuming everyone who owns one is wrong.

Going from the Mercedes to the Tesla was like going from a flip phone to an iPhone.

We replaced our second Mercedes within 2 weeks because we both only wanted to drive the Tesla.

And the longer we own them, the better they get though over the air software updates, just like our phones and computers.

Maybe it was going from an ICE car to an electric car that blew you away, rather than Mercedes to Tesla? There are definitely excellent electric alternatives to Tesla now available (although I hear that the US struggles to build good alternative charging networks, which is not an issue in Europe). 

Nope, it's everything else about the car that blows away the Mercedes. Again, it was like going from a flip phone to iPhone. I only had the car for a week and a software update gave me features that didn't exist when I bought the car. And that keeps happening. So many things the car does that no other car does, many of which come straight from customer suggestions.

The whole thing is vertically integrated the way Apple does, including using custom designed chips. Tesla takes that all the way to manufacturing. Constantly iterating, improving, and simplifying, every aspect of the car at a rate no other company can match because they aren't vertically integrated. Most car companies don't even realize just how far behind they are.

Every Apple fan would become a huge fan of Tesla if they try out the car.

Car unlocks when I walk up to it with my phone, locks when I walk away
It's already on when I sit down, it's turns off when I leave
Has dog mode to keep the car comfortable for pets
Has cabin overheat protection so car doesn't get too hot in the sun.
Has sentry mode so if anyone damages the car when you're gone, you have footage
Last year they added viewing the sentry mode cameras from your phone
Seat, mirror, steering wheel, and many other settings are tied to your profile. So two different drivers have all of their settings set when they get in the car
Profile is now stored in the cloud, so if you rent a Tesla, you get all of your settings.
Constantly is recording the surroundings when you drive, so if you are in an accident, it has footage that can prove it's the other driver's fault
Are the safest cars ever built
- least likely to get injured in an accident. The 4 Tesla models are the 4 safest cars ever tested. They relentlessly improve the design to improve this here.
- least likely to have an accident. And they keep improving this.
The fleet is all connected, so Tesla has more safety data than anyone, they analyze this data to improve their AI to prevent more accidents and to improve their pre-crash behavior when an accident is unavoidable.
Tesla insurance (in Ohio), cut my insurance bill by 75%.
Summon to pull car out of a tight parking spot. Our garage is tight, we use it to park and unpark our cars.

The list goes on and on, some of these existed when I bought the car in 2019, others have been added since then.

And on top of that, Autopilot and FSD have gotten massively better since then. And keep improving. Car does over 95% of my driving now. recognizes and adjusts for speed limit changes so I don't get a ticket, recognizes and responds to traffic lights, stop signs, navigation automatically reroutes if there is a traffic jam ahead and rerouting saves times, and with FSD, it does all of the driving to handle the reroute.

I live in Ohio, but drive to Florida a couple times/year. The fastest way there is back roads for the first hour. I hate going that way so take the highway/interstate. Takes longer, but easier driving. I changed the last trip, just as easy to let the car drive the back roads as it is to let it drive the highways. 3400 mile, month long trip, I drove 100 miles. We go again in the fall, I suspect the percentage the car drives doubles for that trip.

No other car company does all of that. Being an EV has little do with it. Competition has no idea how far behind they are. And most people really have no idea how far ahead Tesla is.

Flip Phone vs iPhone
Command Line vs Macintosh
Mercedes vs Tesla

I lived through all 3 transitions, Feeling was the same with all 3 transitions.

I had a flip phone I barely used, I'm never without my iPhone
I've gone on many trips where in the past I would have flown, I let my car drive me instead. I would have never taken that 3400 mile road trip if I still had the Mercedes.

auxio said:

JP234 said:

Here's my personal favorite part of this story:

"Games and video services are not available unless the vehicle is parked."

You would hope this is true, and it is, unless you really, really want to watch movies and play games while you're driving. In that case vehicular suicide is readily available. Here's just one of thousands I found…

https://getjerry.com/questions/how-can-i-bypass-the-factory-dvd-player-in-a-car-while-driving

I actually thought this line was bizarre:
"Tesla charges $99 a year for its premium connectivity, but it doesn't limit people from using navigation or games."

Games? That's the thing they chose to give for free (aside from the basics)? Most people who can afford a Tesla and have kids will likely have bought them a much better portable gaming system.

Model S and X have full Steam support with PS5 quality graphics, better than portable gaming systems.

https://twitter.com/Tesla/status/1602789357156536321

elehcdn said:

The point that the article and most posters seem to forget is that a modern in-auto entertainment system requires a connection to the internet. Teslas have it because of their OTA update strategy (and likely Starlink support) and GM has been partnered with OnStar forever for satellite service. CarPlay/Android Auto works because of the extensive cellular network in the US, although it does have issues in remote areas where cellular service is spotty and the device has to resort to using pre-downloaded content and GPS.

Satellite systems have an inherent advantage because coverage of the US is almost universal - I had a GM with OnStar for a while and there was nowhere that I didn't coverage. But the downside is having to share your information that is being carried in your smartphone with the auto system. I wonder how many people are truly comfortable with sharing all that information with yet another party in the case of an automaker when your phone/tablet/computer already has such a large footprint.

I am still beholden to CarPlay because so much of my digital life is tied up in the Apple eco-system and all the apps that Apple allows in the iTunes Store. Individual auto manufacturers are going to box you up in their ecosystem and are less likely to allow support for other online developers, especially smaller developers. And as happens with big conglomerates, they will make deals with some content providers and block out others meaning that you are at their mercy in hoping that they are able to negotiate decent terms with content providers who will also have to develop applications for their auto-based operating system.

Apple (and Android) are always going to have a lot more apps loading to CarPlay because it is a gateway to their whole cellular ecosystem whereas until Tesla or GM produce a phone and an application store developers are going to have to weigh development and support for their apps with the number of devices (vehicles) it will play on.

Quite the opposite. Tesla Model X and S have full Steam support with PS5 quality GPU behind it. You can play any steam game you can play on a high end gaming PC on those cars. 

edge57 said:

siretman said:

I don’t rent a car unless it has CarPlay. I am ready with my USB cable and all waypoints set as favorites in my Maps app. 

The only way to go in a new city with least amount of errors and screwups. 

I totally agree... and I won't buy a new car unless it has CarPlay integration either. It's just so much easier to have your Maps destinations and favorites, Apple Music playlists, Messages, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders integration, etc. directly from your phone than it is to set up something new. 

Tesla integrates messages. It reads and displays incoming messages, you reply with voice.

Tesla integrates the calendar. Not only can you view your phone's calendar on the Tesla screen, if the address is in the calendar, it automatically navigates to the appointment when you get in the car. Including routing in charging stops if you're going somewhere far away. And preconditioning the battery for faster charging as you approach the charger.

Tesla integrates your contacts. you can call and text people by their name, and their name shows up when they call or text you.

Apple Music is on the Tesla, complete with your playlists. The native Apple Music client works better than CarPlay.

Tesla has its own navigation, you can forward an address to your car as easily as you would forward it to a friend and it adds the navigation to the address.

There really is no reason to even have CarPlay on the Tesla since they added Apple Music last year. That was the one feature I missed from CarPlay the first few years I owned the car.

This is coming from someone who wouldn't buy a car without CarPlay and held off buying a Tesla for 2 years longer than I shoudl off because it didn't have CarPlay. Day one of owning the car I wished I hadn't waited.

Buying my first Tesla vs my old car was like buying my first Mac, my first iPhone, my first iPad.

prokip said:

I need a VR  headset like I need a hole in my head....but wait...

I've been waiting for 5 years for Apple to do VR. I'm ordering as soon as they go on sale. VR is the best home exercise equipment ever made.