big kc

zroger73 said:

The only reason I keep an SXM satellite radio subscription (always renew on the 6-for-30 "promotional" plan) is because it is so darn convenient - it's "instant" and requires no extra devices, no wires, no data plan, no cell towers. I wouldn't pay more than $6 a month for it, though, and I certainly wouldn't pay $16+ for a streaming plan that required tethering my phone to the vehicle with a cable, keeping an eye on data usage, and dealing with loss of service when I drive through areas with poor cellular data coverage.

I'm with you - I renew with the $30 deal and at that price for the "almost everything" plan, it's a very reasonable price. The only way I'd pay more for it via CarPlay would be if the bitrate were significantly higher - then it might actually be worth the additional cost. The satellite-delivered streams are incredibly compressed. If the CarPlay version could deliver iTunes-like compression - say 256k AAC or equivalent - the difference in sound quality would be drastic. Just did some Googling - apparently the app has 3 settings: normal, high and max. The corresponding bitrates are 128k, 160k, and 320k. WOW. That's MASSIVELY better quality than what's delivered by satellite, which is rumored to be around 32k (and variable). For those of you wondering how to get this $30 deal, here's a good article that discusses it... http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/how-to-get-the-best-deal-on-sirius-xm-radio-subscription/

My wife is a Red Cross volunteer. It's a fantastic organization with a bunch of really dedicated people. What the hell is the accusation above all about? If you're going to besmirch the name of this organization, please be specific with your grievances. Apple is trying to help and you drop a turd like this? SMH

$900? They're smoking crack. It's at least 2x more expensive than it should be (or likely needs to be), and still lacks a volume knob, which is a huge annoyance. Somebody needs to come out with a similar unit, mechless (no CD transport) for simplicity and mounting ease (unit can be very shallow w/o the transport), at $450. With a freakin volume knob. They'd sell like hotcakes. Alpine won't sell many of these at this crazy price.