Apple To Unveil Its 'iOS In the Car' Project Next Week

"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by mrspoonsi · 2014-03-01 12:09 · Score: 5, Funny

Way to go to kill the product before it begins...

Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 12:10 · Score: 1

Maybe you have to pay more to not have this feature, and trade up to a decent navigation system instead?
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 12:14 · Score: 0

The reviews that went along with iOS 7 appeared to suggest that Apple Maps had improved dramatically.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by fiziko · 2014-03-01 12:18 · Score: 1, Interesting

Most Apple Maps issues were a side effect of an early launch. They thought they'd have another year with Google Maps, and development was incomplete, but they opted for poor navigation rather than no navigation. I find it about as effective as Google Maps for my region these days. They've had the time to make it the product they always wanted it to be.

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- W. Blaine Dowler
http://www.bureau42.com
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by jonwil · 2014-03-01 12:20 · Score: 3, Insightful

Apple Maps is still better than the out-of-date-before-it-even-launches navigation systems in most cars these days. The ones where you might (if you are lucky) be able to get a set of 2-year-old maps as an "update" to your system if you can find a dealer willing to sell it to you and you are willing to pay the big price.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by gIobaljustin · 2014-03-01 12:39 · Score: 1, Troll

That might be the case, but it might also not be the case.

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Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by _xeno_ · 2014-03-01 12:48 · Score: 1

Most Apple Maps issues were a side effect of an early launch.
Maybe, but as far as I can tell, they've never fixed the somewhat hilariously misplaced POIs near me. They appear to be untouched from when I first checked them back when iOS 6 was released. (Although I see that the power substation is now a Men's Wearhouse instead of a Nordstroms, so I guess something has been updated.)
The other Apple Maps issue is that they don't show the difference between "there's no traffic here" and "we don't collect data for this road" making their traffic reports entirely useless.
Combine the two, and no one I know with an iDevice bothers with Apple Maps for navigation, they stick with the Google Maps app. It's still better.

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You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Phurd+Phlegm · 2014-03-01 12:54 · Score: 2

The last time I seriously tried to use the map app was in November. I wanted to visit a Volkswagen dealer that I knew was in the area, but not its exact location. I searched for "Volkswagen" and it showed me six hits around the metro area. None of them were the VW dealer, though one did include the string "Volkswagen" in its name. All of them were further away than the dealership, too. At other times, searching shows me locations in the San Francisco Bay area when I am in Minnesota. As far as I can tell, the "side effects of an early launch" are still there and the map app has been demoted to the back page of my phone again.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:00 · Score: 1

How very insightful.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Savage-Rabbit · 2014-03-01 13:13 · Score: 3, Insightful

Most Apple Maps issues were a side effect of an early launch.
Maybe, but as far as I can tell, they've never fixed the somewhat hilariously misplaced POIs near me. They appear to be untouched from when I first checked them back when iOS 6 was released. (Although I see that the power substation is now a Men's Wearhouse instead of a Nordstroms, so I guess something has been updated.)
The other Apple Maps issue is that they don't show the difference between "there's no traffic here" and "we don't collect data for this road" making their traffic reports entirely useless.
Combine the two, and no one I know with an iDevice bothers with Apple Maps for navigation, they stick with the Google Maps app. It's still better.
I know it borders on sacrilege to point this out but Google Maps conks out on you the moment you don't have network coverage and while it has a caching function I'll still put my trust in an old fashioned Garmin unit any time. I haven't tried the Garmin iPad app yet but if it's any good, combining it with the Garmin HUD looks like it would bee too good a nerd toy to pass up.

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-- Henning von Tresckow
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by rmdingler · 2014-03-01 13:42 · Score: 3, Funny

Son of a bitch!
There is no way you're wrong.

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Ernest Hemingway
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:49 · Score: 0

It's funny because with Apple the client is the product.
As opposed to other brands where the client is the product but one doesn't have to pay piles of cash in order to look retarded with such a locked down device.
Also fuck /. beta.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 14:40 · Score: 0

On the contrary -this is the big difference. Apple is pretty much the only company out there where the client isn't the product these days.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:03 · Score: 0

Maybe you have to pay more to not have this feature, and trade up to a decent navigation system instead?
Not to mention that Apple are so late to the game they don't have their usual first-mover advantage to lean on. Even Blackberry beat them to market.
They'll have to find another way to compete with the existing players, and I actually think how they go about it will be the acid test for post-Jobs Apple. If they come up with something game-changing that stands on its own as an innovative and useful product, they have a future. If not, and they try to leverage iPhone/Pod/Pad compatibility or lock in, then they're dying.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:13 · Score: 0

Apple is pretty much the only company out there where the client isn't the product these days.
Oh really?

Christensen et al v. Apple Inc.
“As a condition of using their credit cards, plaintiffs were required by Apple to enter personal identification information associated with the credit card, including their full and complete zip codes. Apple would not allow plaintiff to complete their purchases without supplying such information.”
Apple acknowledges openly on their website that they reserve the right to “make certain personal information available to strategic partners that work with Apple to provide products and services, or that help Apple market to customers.”
“First, Plaintiffs and the Class have been injured because they have received unwanted marketing materials from Apple as a result of having provided their zip codes when using credit cards at Apple. Second, Plaintiffs and the Class have been injured by Apple's sale of Plaintiffs' and the Class' PII to third-parties, which was collected by Apple in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws chapter. 93 105(c)"
http://dockets.justia.com/dock...
At least you know where you stand with companies that are honest about their advertising practices.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by MightyYar · 2014-03-01 15:48 · Score: 3, Insightful

Their usual first-mover advantage? Has Apple ever been a first-mover? Maybe the Lisa 30 years ago, and that sold horribly. Apple's last 3 successes have been taking something that mostly sucked with a tiny market and blowing it up by making something that sucked a lot less and thus expanding the market.

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re: "Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:52 · Score: 0

Apple maps may have improved, but battery drain, network connection stability and resource usage all became major problems.
Even though i never use iOS maps, the rest of my system is completely fucked. I can have one or two apps running, max...and they will freeze.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 16:46 · Score: 0

Right, you're *much* better off with the company that you absolutely know is selling you up the river for every dime they can get, than with the company that just has it in their ToS to cover their ass.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by drinkypoo · 2014-03-01 18:08 · Score: 1

I know it borders on sacrilege to point this out but Google Maps conks out on you the moment you don't have network coverage and while it has a caching function I'll still put my trust in an old fashioned Garmin unit any time.
Nexus 4 owner here. When I want to get somewhere, especially someplace in the mountains, I use my Garmin. It's a LMT model and I paid $100 for it as a refurb or last year's model or something. It has no features beyond navigation; that's what my phone is for.
With that said, my phone actually gets better GPS reception than my GPS... it just doesn't get better phone reception than my GPS gets GPS reception.

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Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Hognoxious · 2014-03-01 22:30 · Score: 2

Second mover.
Confucius he say: last penguin into water get no fish, but first penguin into water get eaten by seal.

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Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Hognoxious · 2014-03-01 22:31 · Score: 1

Most Apple Maps issues were a side effect of an early launch.
Unlike Google Maps. That looks like it was caused by a liquid lunch.

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Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by linuxci · 2014-03-01 22:47 · Score: 1

Combine the two, and no one I know with an iDevice bothers with Apple Maps for navigation, they stick with the Google Maps app. It's still better.
If there was no Apple Maps then there'd be no fully featured Google Maps on iOS.
Prior to Apple Maps being launched Google Maps on iOS didn't feature turn by turn navigation or a bunch of other features.
When Apple Maps was released Google then released a fully featured maps product on iOS.
So there was a few months of pain, but in the end we were better off on iOS as Apple releasing their own maps forced Google to implement the maps features they were keeping for Android.
That said, in the UK I actually prefer Apple maps now. One thing I hated about Apple Maps in iOS 6 was they coloured all the UK roads incorrectly (UK maps have traditionally used certain colours to represent certain types of roads, and Google Maps used to respect this), now the new Google Maps colours the roads incorrectly and Apple Maps iOS7 uses the correct colours (blue for motorway, green for primary route, etc).
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-02 00:32 · Score: 1

Do you really want to have to manage the music library in your car with iTunes though? Android + an SD card or cloud storage would be much better, and you could install whatever navigation app and home screen you liked.

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Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-02 00:49 · Score: 1, Informative

The real problem is that they use TomTom data for the maps, and it is shit. It's a common problem with TomTom sat navs as well.
I think they underestimated what it would take to have a world class mapping application like Google or Nokia/Bing. Those two have search engines to gather data too, so would have picked up the VW dealer from there. Their search engines are smart enough to rank the dealer highest in the list too. Then you have their street-view cars and the fact that they use image recognition and OCR to spot things like one-way signs, business names, the number written on the door of a building and so on. It took a massive effort in many countries over several years, and TomTom hasn't even started.

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const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by jonwil · 2014-03-02 00:56 · Score: 1

Yeah Google Navigation as an in-car GPS would be awesome.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 01:11 · Score: 0

agree completely. I have a bmw and I have pretty much given up trying to use the navigation.
the system is frozen in an early 2000s pre-iphone timewarp - the interface is like the sony jogwheel - not bad at the time but things have moved on.
I much prefer my 2006 TomTom which gives me sensible routes and someone (not gernan, not japanese) has thought about the interface.
the thing is they could easlity have updated the software to something more intuitive using the same kit but have chosen not to, and that is just annoying.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by gnasher719 · 2014-03-02 01:45 · Score: 1

The joke is old, and Apple Maps now looks absolutely fine in the areas of the UK, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe that I know. On the other hand, there is for example Bruce Tognazzini (www.asktog.com), who remarked that Apple was nice enough to move the main road that had been running through his living room on Google Maps for many years.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by gnasher719 · 2014-03-02 01:47 · Score: 0

Do you really want to have to manage the music library in your car with iTunes though? Android + an SD card or cloud storage would be much better, and you could install whatever navigation app and home screen you liked.
That's your prejudice. Most people disagree. And cloud storage for in car music???
Re: "Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 04:33 · Score: 0

...buffering. ....buffering. ......buffering.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 05:23 · Score: 1

Combine the two, and no one I know with an iDevice bothers with Apple Maps for navigation, they stick with the Google Maps app. It's still better.
Most certainly not in Germany. Actually relying on Google Maps is dangerous here. Just in a few miles distance GMaps will tell me to do U-turns and go left where it isn't allowed, and tell me to drive through buses-only roads. Not to mention not routing me through a public road that is perfectly legal and visible in Google Maps.

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Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 05:44 · Score: 2

Yeah Google Navigation as an in-car GPS would be awesome.
Yeah, it would reduce the number of cars on the road drastically.

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Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 08:29 · Score: 1

Apple is pretty much the only company out there where the client isn't the product these days.
Oh really?
If they weren't, there would be no need for Apple Maps, instead they'd just give Google all they want.

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Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Curtman · 2014-03-02 08:54 · Score: 1

Third mover.

eBay search keywords: 2din android
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:05 · Score: 1

Do you really want to have to manage the music library in your car with iTunes though?
What manage? It'll have the same music collection you have on your other devices. Automatically.

Android + an SD card or cloud storage would be much better
How is sneaker-net better? And in what way is Android cloud better than iTunes and iCloud?
You do talk a lot of shit.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:16 · Score: 1

Also, if they are really launching "iOS in the car" next week, it seems like a good time to announce an improved Apple Maps app to go with it.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 11:08 · Score: 0

Yeah, 'cause download only navigation in Bumf*ck, Idaho is an awesome idea.
They might a bit out of date, but the on device maps are at least always available and not prone to signal degradation from mobile towers.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by mjwx · 2014-03-02 12:27 · Score: 1

Their usual first-mover advantage? Has Apple ever been a first-mover?
Apple's never been a first mover. Apple are only ever successful when they move into an existing yet uncontested market.

However the in car entertainment market is far from uncontested. You've got everyone from Pioneer to Microsoft to small outfits putting Android onto head units. This is the environment where Apple typically fails because the competition can move faster and produce better products.

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Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by mjwx · 2014-03-02 12:30 · Score: 1

Third mover.

eBay search keywords: 2din android
Erm, they're pretty much the last to market here with everyone from Pioneer and Kenwood to Microsoft producing in car entertainment products.

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Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by mjwx · 2014-03-02 12:34 · Score: 1

I know it borders on sacrilege to point this out but Google Maps conks out on you the moment you don't have network coverage and while it has a caching function I'll still put my trust in an old fashioned Garmin unit any time.
That may have been the case years ago, but not any more. I drove from Las Vegas to San Francisco using Google Maps on my Galaxy Nexus and ran out of data (AT&T prepaid... I was a tourist) somewhere around Pismo Beach thanks to a self updating app. Once you've got your course locked in, you don't need a data connection.

That being said, most dedicated nav units will calculate and recalculate routes faster. But I'm of two minds about this because I'm yet to find one that's as nice to use as Google Maps on my GNex. They all seem to use horrible UI's and terrible, unresponsive resistive touch screens which... Also the last Garmin I used had a horrible dataset that hadn't been updated in a while (to be fair, it was a rental)... I was looking for an aerospace museum but found Venice beach entirely by accident.

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Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by cluening · 2014-03-02 16:03 · Score: 1

There's a pretty major intersection in the town I live in that was wildly reworked in around 2005 or 2006, and Apple's maps still don't know about the change. Every single other mapping site I've looked at has it right. Take a look at the wonky intersection here:
https://maps.google.com/?ll=35...
and compare it to the same view in Apple's maps. It's like going back in time 8 years!

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Posted from the wireless couch.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by MightyYar · 2014-03-03 02:08 · Score: 1

I'm not sure I can agree. Smartphones were very contested, they all just kind of sucked for internet browsing. Windows phone had been around for, what? 10 years? Blackberries were ubiquitous among management. And then there were the Palm and Symbian offerings... lots of competition. And it is telling that the low-cost competitor most-similar to Apple's offering, Android, is the current marketshare leader. Microsoft practically fell all over themselves trying to make an iPhone clone (and an iPod clone before that, and a Mac clone before that, and now an iPad clone).
I think I can make a similar case for tablets and mp3 players.

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 04:33 · Score: 0

And Apple Maps will increase the number of cars in houses, hospitals, schools, rivers, oceans, airport runways, and fiery crashes drastically :)
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 04:40 · Score: 0

Actually, Microsoft sells less user data to third parties than Apple does. Look it up.
Re:"Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Polo · 2014-03-03 05:35 · Score: 1

I disagree.
"the competition can move faster" - the auto manufacturers move on 4 or more year cycles. Most aftermarket units are ridiculous -- who uses CDs anymore? But they still ship with CDs and DVDs.
"and produce better results" - I see zero car systems, from manufacturers or aftermarket, that I would enjoy owning. I actually like the controls from manufacturers, but the systems themselves suck and are obsolete before they ship. The aftermarket gives you the ability to upgrade your car to keep up with the times, at the expense of of a crappy user interface and low-margin-hardware-manufacturer-software.
Seriously, the answer is to integrate with your phone, which actually does move fast and produce better products.
Re: "Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 06:30 · Score: 0

My dad had a Garmin Nuvi tell him to drive down a pedestrian-only walkway that ran through a park in Wittenberg (IIRC) about ten years ago.
The nice German guy who explained to us why we were the only car on the road during rush hour was highly amused.
Re: "Apple Maps as in-car navigation" by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-04 05:37 · Score: 1

My dad had a Garmin Nuvi tell him to drive down a pedestrian-only walkway that ran through a park in Wittenberg (IIRC) about ten years ago.
The nice German guy who explained to us why we were the only car on the road during rush hour was highly amused.
Yeah, a bug in a Garmin 10 years ago is a totally cromulent excuse for Google Maps' shortcomings today.

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Of course news about a fake are Fake News.

Volve by future+assassin · 2014-03-01 12:13 · Score: 2

I though Volve was going with Valve Steam OS for the cars.

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Re:Volve by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 12:22 · Score: 0

No, that deal involves Valvo.
Re:Volve by ColdWetDog · 2014-03-01 12:22 · Score: 1

Nah, too proletariat - notice the companies that Apple has targeted. Ferrari, Volvo, Mercedes. Owners who are not terribly price sensitive.
No free lunch.

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Re:Volve by hi-endian · 2014-03-01 12:50 · Score: 1

No, you're thinking of Vulva.
Re:Volve by Marginal+Coward · 2014-03-01 13:23 · Score: 1

No, that was one of Jerry's girlfriends on "Seinfeld".
Re:Volve by PolygamousRanchKid+ · 2014-03-01 13:33 · Score: 0

Maybe it is the Swedish car company Saabo, located in Maalmo . . . ?

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Re:Volve by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 14:00 · Score: 0

Those are the ones this week. Hyundai and Kia are on the list too, along with Chevrolet, Nissan, Honda, and Toyota.
Re:Volve by Bing+Tsher+E · 2014-03-01 14:09 · Score: 1

And Apple is only a Buick class of device provider. Movin' on up, I guess.
Re:Volve by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:24 · Score: 0

One day they'll get to be the Toyota Camry of electronic devices. If they don't screw up.
Re:Volve by Austerity+Empowers · 2014-03-01 15:30 · Score: 1

The only auto maker you can fuck back.
Re:Volve by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:57 · Score: 0

No, that was Mulva.
Re:Volve by Marginal+Coward · 2014-03-01 17:21 · Score: 1

No, that was Mazda.

bad ide by jaymz666 · 2014-03-01 12:14 · Score: 1

proprietary stuff like this in cars is a bad idea. Look at all those cars from 200x that had startacs integrated... how dated. It may seem inconceivable for apple to disappear before the end of life for the car, but apple had no problem changing their connector cable and obsoleting millions of add on devices.
There needs to be something platform agnostic.

Re:bad ide by Tau+Neutrino · 2014-03-01 12:33 · Score: 1

Right, because once Apple switched to the Lightning connector, all those old 30-pin connectors stopped working, and everybody with older phones had to buy new cables. And we all know that Mercedes, Volvo and Ferrari use nothing but industry-standard parts that are compatible with those from all other manufacturers.

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Lemmings are silly; dinosaurs are extinct.
Re:bad ide by hi-endian · 2014-03-01 13:03 · Score: 1

Don't forget that once Apple switched to the Lightning connector, they also didn't release any sort of adapter that would let a person connect to a 30-pin device, nor did anyone else
Re:bad ide by CastrTroy · 2014-03-01 13:05 · Score: 1

My old iPod still works with my old iPod dock, but the new iPod, iPhone, and iPad will no longer work with my old dock. If my old iPod stops working, i'll have to buy a new dock just to hook up my new devices.

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Re:bad ide by Marginal+Coward · 2014-03-01 13:28 · Score: 1

You're a little early. Wait until the 15th to beware.
(for those who didn't get this obscure joke, see parent's title)
Re:bad ide by jaymz666 · 2014-03-01 13:54 · Score: 1

very funny!
Turning a typo into a plus!
Re:bad ide by jaymz666 · 2014-03-01 13:59 · Score: 1

right, those work flawlessly
Re:bad ide by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 14:04 · Score: 0

Thank you for pointing-out how Apple fucked everyone with 30-pin accessories. They were happy to sell $600 B&W speakers that were obsolete and now allowed to work the very next day. My boyfriend got fucked over by that. His iPhone 5 does not work with his speakers, and Apple doesn't care. The Republicans have created a business environment in this country that not only allows, but encourages companies to fuck over their customers like this. CONservatives love Apple for doing this. Apple represents everything those people love. Apple is pure greed.
Re:bad ide by R3d+M3rcury · 2014-03-01 15:23 · Score: 1

That's what's brilliant about this. You buy a new phone and then you have to buy a new car to go with it!
Re:bad ide by jaymz666 · 2014-03-01 15:40 · Score: 1

very few used different formats for connecting to your music, though.
Re:bad ide by linuxci · 2014-03-01 22:50 · Score: 1

So you're saying Apple are not allowed to improve their connectors? They had the 30 pin adaptor for at least 8 years before replacing it for something better. No other manufacturer has used the same connector for that long.
Re:bad ide by DarkOx · 2014-03-01 23:01 · Score: 1

All of these cars can speak Bluetooth now. The only thing the cable needs to do is charging.

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Re:bad ide by Blaskowicz · 2014-03-02 01:11 · Score: 1

RCA connectors have been used for 70 years and jack connectors have been used for about 120 years. That is longer than 8 years.
The 30-pin connector wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't patented, with a lawsuit-happy Apple. I have a device with the 30-pin dock, it is useless because making something compatible with it will get you sued. How rude.
Re:bad ide by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 09:25 · Score: 1

RCA connectors have been used for 70 years

When was the last time you saw a phone with a RCA connector?

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Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Re:bad ide by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:26 · Score: 1

jack connectors have been used for about 120 years
And are of course available on iPods and iPhones.

The 30-pin connector wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't patented, with a lawsuit-happy Apple. I have a device with the 30-pin dock, it is useless because making something compatible with it will get you sued. How rude.
Bullshit. Many manufacturers make devices with 30 pin connectors. And Apple resell many of them in the Apple Store.
Re:bad ide by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:28 · Score: 1

Or one of the adapters.
Re:bad ide by Blaskowicz · 2014-03-02 19:21 · Score: 1

You're correct ; as far as I know you need to pay a license to Apple, to not get sued. You get many Philips, BOSE etc. stuff with a dock connector.
Except that is the male dock connector. You won't find ANY mobile music player or cell phone with a female dock connector that can plug into a dock. Maybe there's some rare "pirate" asian stuff and that's all.
Re:bad ide by BasilBrush · 2014-03-03 07:17 · Score: 1

You're correct ; as far as I know you need to pay a license to Apple, to not get sued.... Except that is the male dock connector. You won't find ANY mobile music player or cell phone with a female dock connector that can plug into a dock.
Correct. Having created their own connector for accessories because nothing else was suitable puts them in the position of having control of it. Why would they do extra work to open it up for competitors to their core products? Companies tend to act in their own financial interest. Even when they use industry standards they do so because they see that as in their best financial interests.
Re:bad ide by hi-endian · 2014-03-03 13:39 · Score: 1

You're right! Apple should totally have put RCA + S-Video jacks on the original iPod in addition to the original FireWire cable. I'm sure if they had done that, the iPod wouldn't have been such a commercial failure!

watch out by Xicor · 2014-03-01 12:18 · Score: 0

they'd better watch out and make sure it doesnt rout them off highways or through lakes

Volve? by JabrTheHut · 2014-03-01 12:25 · Score: 1

Is that a new brand I've never heard of? Maybe the editors are so busy f*cking up beta that they no longer have time to introduce more than one obvious mistake into each thread...

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Re:Volve? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 17:25 · Score: 0

Is that a new brand I've never heard of? Maybe the editors are so busy f*cking up beta that they no longer have time to introduce more than one obvious mistake into each thread...
Cars evolve just like life.

One button mouse by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 12:32 · Score: 0

It only works in cars with one pedal on the floor...

Re:One button mouse by mark-t · 2014-03-01 13:01 · Score: 1

So, like... a golf cart?

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File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Re:One button mouse by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 05:13 · Score: 0

That is how I see a lot of people drive. Either full acceleration or full brake. This would make it even simpler for them. Press pedal to go, release to brake!

No more Volvo? by marcroelofs · 2014-03-01 12:37 · Score: 1

I hope Volvo will think again before committing itself to a brand that has only 13% market share and is disliked by most of the rest. I will look for another brand after 18 years of loyalty.

Re:No more Volvo? by noh8rz10 · 2014-03-01 12:50 · Score: 2

i imagine that amongst volvo's target market (people who drive volvos and those who could afford one) the share of iPhones is much much higher. i personally am holding off on a new car purchase until the iOS car integration is expanded further.
Re:No more Volvo? by Zero__Kelvin · 2014-03-01 12:56 · Score: 2

Disliked by most of the rest? I think you have Slashdot slanted glasses on, because most people don't displike Apple; they simply can't afford it. They quite literally don't know if they like it or not, because ... wait for it ... they can't afford it.

--
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Re:No more Volvo? by Bing+Tsher+E · 2014-03-01 14:15 · Score: 1

I have three devices that run iOS. Of course, all three of them are now obsoleted by Apple. One was bought brand new less than two years ago. I dislike all of them at this point.
I still like my SE/30 but I run NetBSD on that.
Re:No more Volvo? by Zero__Kelvin · 2014-03-02 02:55 · Score: 1

... and since you don't read or post to Slashdot your anecdote is an exceelent example of how non-Slashdotters see Apple.

--
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Re:No more Volvo? by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:31 · Score: 1

It is notable that you don't mention the model or generation.
Re:No more Volvo? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 12:23 · Score: 0

I own a dozen Android phones, some of them don't even ship yet. None will ever be upgradable to KitKat.

Uhmmm... what? by mark-t · 2014-03-01 12:56 · Score: 4, Insightful

Drivers will be able to use Apple Maps as in-car navigation, as well as listen to music and watch films.

Say what?

No.... seriously... what?

Is Apple fucking insane?

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File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'

Re:Uhmmm... what? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:13 · Score: 0

This is for passengers in the back seat, using headrest monitors or a flip-down central monitor, just like is currently built in to millions of cars already (using a DVD reader in the head unit). Are you fucking stupid?
Re:Uhmmm... what? by rmdingler · 2014-03-01 13:46 · Score: 1

Are you fucking stupid?
Nope. His mom had him tested.

--
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Re:Uhmmm... what? by mrprogrammerman · 2014-03-01 13:55 · Score: 2

The summary clearly says "drivers".
Re:Uhmmm... what? by gutnor · 2014-03-01 14:11 · Score: 1

That has been a common feature on BMW: the navigation screen - so in the middle of the console, meant mainly for the driver - had a DVD player. Never really understood that. The marketing about it is awkward, similarly targeted at the driver. I can imagine/hope it is ultimately for the passenger.
Re:Uhmmm... what? by bloodhawk · 2014-03-01 16:24 · Score: 1

Not sure about your BMW, but I had that in mine as well as in my VW. Both of them would not allow playback of video if the car was not stationary, So yes they are for the driver, but not while your driving.
Re:Uhmmm... what? by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-02 00:20 · Score: 1

I have noticed that Japanese cars allow you to watch TV while driving too. However, I would assume that in this case they mean stream films to the passenger screens for the kids to watch on long journeys, not the driver.

--
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Re:Uhmmm... what? by MightyYar · 2014-03-02 02:15 · Score: 1

It's for Atlanta snowstorm drivers.

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:Uhmmm... what? by bill_mcgonigle · 2014-03-02 03:58 · Score: 1

So, you don't have ferries where you live?
For the millionth time on Slashdot - don't assume that because you don't have a personal use case for a technological feature that it's a bad idea.

--
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Re:Uhmmm... what? by mark-t · 2014-03-02 04:22 · Score: 1

A person who is sitting in the driver's seat of a car that is not moving is not actually "driving" the car anywhere, and thus is technically not really a driver at that moment.

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File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Re:Uhmmm... what? by mark-t · 2014-03-02 04:27 · Score: 1

Yes, but summary did explicitly say "driver".

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File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Re:Uhmmm... what? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 04:43 · Score: 0

I have two friends with BMW's and the DVD player in the console. Both of them keep a portable DVD player in their passenger seat to watch movies while they drive.
Re: Uhmmm... what? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 05:51 · Score: 0

Do you seriously, _seriously_ think that Apple intends for drivers to watch feature-length movies while they're barreling down the highway at 70+ miles an hour? Is it not painfully obvious that the summary is either poorly worded or just plain wrong (hardly a first for a Slashdot summary)? The fact that your brain-dead comment is currently modded +4 Insightful (!!) makes me embarrassed to be a member of this community, hence posting as AC.
Re: Uhmmm... what? by mark-t · 2014-03-04 03:48 · Score: 1

Is it not painfully obvious that the summary is either poorly worded or just plain wrong
The summary quoted the article. Yes, it's probably true that it's poorly worded, but if you can't find the whole idea laughable then you may be missing the point.

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File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'

Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by EmperorOfCanada · 2014-03-01 13:04 · Score: 3, Interesting

Ford goes from Microsoft's sync (which most people call MS Stink) and signs up with the zombie corpse of a phone company blackberry. I wonder which genius company (who's shares are about to get another boost) will team up with Apple? Tesla maybe? Fiat? Ford having Blackberry will probably cause exactly 3 customers to pick ford. But Apple will attract hoards of people not only can they put an apple in their pocket but they can get into the pocket of an apple.

Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 14:07 · Score: 0

Just because they don't work, doesn't mean it was Microsoft's fault. My roommate is an admin with the team that worked with Ford, and the Microsoft team is competent. It was Ford that implemented the Microsoft design so poorly that the radios don't work. In my Fusion, I can't listen to the radio because of Ford's poor implementation. It was not Microsoft's fault that Ford regressed 60+ years to a time before cars didn't come with working radios. It was Ford that sold the broken radios that also refuses to fix them. I would love to have a radio in my car, and I know who is responsible for not allowing that to happen. It was not Microsoft.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by oscrivellodds · 2014-03-01 17:04 · Score: 1

Are the problems with MS Sync something that doesn't show up when you're test driving the car?
From what I have read, Sync sucks big time and not in any hidden way. If that is the case, why are people buying cars with such a crappy system? Would you buy the car if the windows didn't go up and down or if the engine didn't work properly?
Then again, I have wondered why people buy American cars at all- a few minutes with the consumer reports guide tells you which cars are reliable and which are not, and American cars have been low on the lists for years. That's why the commercials tout surveys of initial customer satisfaction, not satisfaction two or three years down the road.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by Marginal+Coward · 2014-03-01 17:49 · Score: 1

I've got a 2012 Ford with Sync, and it's actually fine. Just don't expect its voice recognition to play the actual music track you've asked for. Fortunately, the juxtaposition between what you asked for and what it gives you can be more entertaining than hearing the track you requested. It's a feature.
I don't know if the voice recognition in Apple's system would work any better, but that seems to be the hard part of the problem. Maybe Apple will solve that by phoning home to the mother ship to decode what you say. Then think of all the fun you'll be missing, gentlemen - you won't have voice recognition to kick around anymore.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 18:03 · Score: 0

Of course it was Ford's fault. I mean look at all of the other successes of Windows Embedded for cars. Oh wait, there are none. Do you know why? It's a piece of junk that's just as bloated and flaky as their desktop OS.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by EmperorOfCanada · 2014-03-01 18:18 · Score: 1

I would think that they largely wouldn't in that few people would try to hook up their phone on a test drive. But if they did then they would find it hard. But that wasn't the worst. It was that the system would offer to hook up to emergency services. I presume that it would phone 911 if you crashed. But I don't like crappy cars making phone calls. The last thing I want happening is that I back into a lamp post and it calls 911 in some area known for its jackbooted thugs.

So you think, no problem I just say no to that option; except that every time you start the car it would speak up and remind you that you hadn't selected that option.

I am not an audiophile and am generally happy with any working radio in a car. But if for some reason I was forced to have a Ford I would spend whatever it took to get that piece of crap out of the car even if it just meant no radio at all. But I am willing to bet that the worst pile of crap with bluetooth from the bottom shelf of Walmart would be a dozen times better.

So to answer your question about a test drive, I suspect that most people would at best turn on the radio and ask, does it have bluetooth, and be happy that it did. I am a tech person and still can't figure out most car systems on the first go. To set my mother's clock the up and down is the station selection nob. But other up/down options are chosen with different buttons; most cars systems suck but Sync took it to a whole new level of bad.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by EmperorOfCanada · 2014-03-01 18:19 · Score: 1

I agree. I suspect that the same people who made ActiveX made this.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 18:58 · Score: 0

ummm there is actually a lot of cars that have windows embedded for automative in them. Off hand I can think of Nissan, kia and Fiat. Now I am not going to claim their in car system is fantastic, but they are all a 1000 times better than the shitty Sync system ford built. It won't matter what OS ford move too when they obviously have such incompetent developers. It doesn't matter what OS you run the lemon on, it will still suck.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by Solandri · 2014-03-01 19:24 · Score: 3, Informative

Ford goes from Microsoft's sync (which most people call MS Stink) and signs up with the zombie corpse of a phone company blackberry.

Blackberry owns QNX - one of the oldest and most-respected real time operating systems in production. It's got a rock solid reputation for reliability and stability in embedded applications. Ford made a good choice going with them.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by bill_mcgonigle · 2014-03-02 03:57 · Score: 1

Ford having Blackberry will probably cause exactly 3 customers to pick ford
Did you completely miss that Ford is going with QNX, not Blackberry's phone OS, both properties of the not-dead-yet RIM?
QNX will survive whatever re-org comes because it's valuable - there are some robots rolling around Mars right now powered by QNX.
I'd rather see something open source, but as I understand the market, QNX's real-hardtime is still better than linux can do. There's even a solution out there which runs linux on top of QNX and linux gets hard-realtime via the underlying QNX.
Presumably, Ford is has learned its lesson and will do an IP network inside the car and not have a dozen proprietary stacks running incompatible half re-inventions of various flavors of tech. QNX is suitable for running your brakes - iOS is barely passable for running your entertainment system, and after two major releases your car will be abandoned. Trusting Apple with a 20-year commitment is fiduciarily incompetent.
I wouldn't buy a Ford vehicle made after the early-80's but that doesn't mean they're not making a good decision now.

--
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by EmperorOfCanada · 2014-03-02 09:30 · Score: 1

The Mars missions absolutely do not use QNX, they use vxWorks; a completely different OS. Plus I don't think that QNX or Apple is going to be used for brakes, just the in car stuff. Keep in mind that as cars go driverless the car will become people's livingrooms; I want an Apple in my livingroom not a playbook.
Re:Ha ha Ford just signed up with Blackberry by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 04:51 · Score: 0

Ford made a good choice going with them.
QNX is a fine embedded OS, but I'd argue they made a bad choice anyway.
First of all they went with a product from a company on the brink of bankrupcy, or at the very least, major restructuring. Investment in a in-car entertainment system has to be a long-term affair, and they can't even guarantee that the company behind the OS will still exist by this time next year.
Secondly, they're surely paying quite a bit for a license fee which they could've simply avoided by going with Android or an embedded Linux solution.
Thirdly, they're throwing away the UI maturity, development tools and developer expertise they could've gotten for free by going with either Android or an existing distribution.
In b4: By developer expertise I don't mean third-party devs building apps, though that might be interesting as well. Even their in-house development team will have to learn the system and will be dependent on existing tools and code maturity.

orly? by slashmydots · 2014-03-01 13:07 · Score: 1

"Drivers will be able to use Apple Maps as in-car navigation"
And why the hell would anyone want to do that?

No Thanks by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:10 · Score: 0, Insightful

Just trading one proprietary heap of shit for another.

With the cost of hardware as it is now, it would be very easy and economical to create a dockable/interchangable infotainment system for cars.

Of course, car makers would have no part of that as they wouldn't be able to gouge customers for multi-thousand dollar navigation/infotainment systems with crappy software, shitty UIs and horrendous voice control.

Re:No Thanks by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:22 · Score: 1

About the only reason I would want to replace my 12 year old vehicle is that I would like to have a nicely integrated nav system, satellite radio, hd radio, etc. Other than that? Cars runs great, has been well cared for, and should last another 8-10 years easily.
Car makers don't want this, which is why they will continue to purposefully make it difficult/expensive to upgrade those kinds of things. Other than MPG improvements, there hasn't been a must have (for the average joe) improvement in overall vehicle quality/experience in more than a decade. The focus has been on efficiency and "green' tech rather than creature comforts that are huge selling points for new cars. The last bastion of that is infotainment.
Re:No Thanks by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 17:53 · Score: 0

Wouldn't it be great to have a Linux-based car infotainment system? I look forward to recompiling the kernel every time I put a new CD in.
Re:No Thanks by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:52 · Score: 1

With the cost of hardware as it is now, it would be very easy and economical to create a dockable/interchangable infotainment system for cars.
Did you learn nothing from dockable/interchangable car radios/CD players of the past? Widely stolen. The main reason you'd come back to your car to find the window broken.
Model specific, build in HiFi and sat nav systems are not there just because they look good. They also more or less kill the market for criminals.

soylentnews.org by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:11 · Score: 0, Offtopic

it's good.

Re:ukraine! by NekSnappa · 2014-03-01 13:16 · Score: 1

Don't worry they will soon. Then there will be a bunch of people bitching about how it's not news for nerds.

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I want to shoot the messenger!

If Cars Were Macs... by um.yup. · 2014-03-01 13:24 · Score: 0

From my experience with Macs, I'd imagine the ignition would be placed near the exaust and the volume controls are placed underneath the seat (because it makes sense...ish), only one door would be available (no matter how many seats), and you could only go to the places the car tells you you can go. Plus, at the car dealership, if you ask how the car works, the dealer will smile politely, not say a word, and calmly and carefully rub your arm, ensuring you everything works the way it's supposed to.

Re:If Cars Were Macs... by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:56 · Score: 1

None of which makes any sense. You're not very good at analogy.
Re: If Cars Were Macs... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 06:57 · Score: 0

that was the worst anology I have ever seen. you make 0 sense.

We use apple maps to get lost in Northern Virginia by ralphaostrander · 2014-03-01 13:26 · Score: 1

It is really that bad.

Re:ukraine! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:30 · Score: 1

Probably because it has nothing to do with news for nerds?

Re:We use apple maps to get lost in Northern Virgi by cbhacking · 2014-03-01 13:40 · Score: 2

As in, "Hey, lets go for a joyride!" "Sounds good, anywhere in particular?" "Nah, I've got it covered though" *pushes button* "Siri, directions to the nearest 7-11"?

Because that would be hilarious.

--
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...

Glad someone is finally getting in on this one by GodfatherofSoul · 2014-03-01 13:44 · Score: 3, Interesting

Every in-car nav system I've looked at has terrible reviews; even the dealership told me not to sweat going for the GPS option in my new car. I've got this big fancy LCD and a fancy audio system and a cell phone, but no one to tie them together.

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I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!

Re:Glad someone is finally getting in on this one by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-02 00:22 · Score: 2

Take a look at Pioneer's AppRadio. Basically mirrors your phone's screen on its own larger LCD, complete with touch control. It isn't perfect but seems to be the best option at the moment, as long as your car has a double DIN slot to take it.
There are a few other similar options. Search for head units that have MirrorLink compatibility, it's basically the same thing only standardized.

--
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC

Re:ukraine! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:52 · Score: 0

Is it even on twitter yet ? Major events happen on twitter. People with ipads make history.

iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '06 by swb · 2014-03-01 13:52 · Score: 3, Informative

For my '07 S80-V8 an iPod connector and in-dash stereo integration was a factory option (which I added).

It works pretty well -- playlists, artists, etc. It's the "older" dock connector so a 30 pin iPhone complains about it and won't charge, but I just put in an old 60 GB iPod and leave it in there and run my iPhone off a ProClip holder with a lightning-30pin adapter run to a split USB/aux cable that connects to the AUX in, so I can have iPhone audio on the stereo, too. It's kind of a Rube Goldberg setup, but the cables are neat and its nice to do podcasts or Pandora if I want.

Bluetooth would be better overall (less stuff, less cords) but the bluetooth from that year isn't as nice as the iPod control is.

I wonder why Apple can't make AirPlay mirroring with touch to an in-dash display a standard. For makers, it would make it something Android could support with an additional protocol and it would eliminate the need for most of the horrible in-dash infotainment systems car makers come up with.

Re:Apple maps... really... by ClaraBow · 2014-03-01 13:53 · Score: 1

Apple doesn't get it anymore. Five years ago they were cutting edge on trends (maybe not on actual tech). Now they are a little behind. The trend isn't looking good.

What trend are they behind? Just curious.

Hm by Kartu · 2014-03-01 13:55 · Score: 2

Google didn't just ban Google Maps on iOS.
Apple wanted more features, Google wanted to have more prominent branding in return, Apple didn't want to give that.

So they chose poor user experience just not to say "oh it's google's map apps" more prominently.

Re:Hm by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 05:42 · Score: 2

Google wanted them to hand over user data. Only Fandroids would want that. That's why AmiMuMu cheers for the crappy Google Maps.

--
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.

Re:Apple maps... really... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 13:59 · Score: 0

Apple maps are a million times better than the piece of shit google maps.

Funny how liberals equip Ferraris... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 14:00 · Score: 0

while the Republicans equip Fords with their Microsoft garbage. I wish my Focus had a working radio, but the CONservatives in this country just don't allow that. Instead, I'm forced to illegally listening to headphones. It is illegal here in CA to do so, but that is what the Republicans have forced us into.

Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by swb · 2014-03-01 14:05 · Score: 2

This is what they should be doing, but I fear it will be something more idiotic than that.

They can already do Airplay mirroring now and it's hard to believe that there's not an as-of-yet unimplemented protocol extension that would allow the touch input on the remote display to be sent to the phone. About the hardest part would be making sure the in-dash display was big enough and the right aspect ratio.

It'd be the most elegant solution -- all your apps with cellular data on the in-dash screen. No cords. They'd have to suppress messaging and maybe the keyboard in any app except maps or when not moving.

But I fear it will be iOS somehow adapted to the car itself and running on its hardware with a mandatory cellular data contract to make any of it useful and the 'apps' will be limited to a half-dozen or so and we'll still just use bluetooth for music and phones.

Re:Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by malakai · 2014-03-01 17:34 · Score: 1

I heard from Tim Cook that they plan on replacing the gas and brake pedals, with just one pedal. The context of applying pressure to this single pedal will determine whether the car speeds up or slows down.

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-Malakai
A Dragon Lives in my Garage
Re:Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-02 00:26 · Score: 2

They can already do Airplay mirroring now and it's hard to believe that there's not an as-of-yet unimplemented protocol extension that would allow the touch input on the remote display to be sent to the phone. About the hardest part would be making sure the in-dash display was big enough and the right aspect ratio.
There is already a standard for this, MirrorLink. Several manufacturers produce compatible head units. They screen doesn't need to be the same aspect ratio as the phone because Android apps can cope with different/changing screen resolutions and aspects. iOS may have a problem though since it is designed for a number of fixed resolutions and screen sizes.
Unfortunately these systems are likely to suck. I just hope they are not iOS specific and can support Android as well, because there is no way I'd want to lock myself into owning an iPhone for the lifetime of the car. Hopefully wireless charging will be included too, so it can be a true no-cable solution.

--
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Re:Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by Bogtha · 2014-03-02 06:01 · Score: 1

Android apps can cope with different/changing screen resolutions and aspects. iOS may have a problem though since it is designed for a number of fixed resolutions and screen sizes.

Don't mistake what's common for what's designed in. There's very little about iOS that is resolution dependent. While applications generally make assumptions about resolution, iOS and its UI frameworks are fairly flexible. In fact, you've been able to develop iOS applications that use varying screen resolutions for years now - AirPlay lets you set up views on external displays.

I just hope they are not iOS specific and can support Android as well, because there is no way I'd want to lock myself into owning an iPhone for the lifetime of the car. Hopefully wireless charging will be included too, so it can be a true no-cable solution.

These two are very unlikely. Apple's general MO is not inclined towards interoperability. The last major move in that direction was to support the iPod and Safari on Windows, and that was when they were very much the underdog. Since then, they've been moving away from interoperability. Wireless charging will require handset support and they've indicated the technology isn't there yet to do it to their high standards yet.

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Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
Re:Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 11:00 · Score: 2

Many EVs essentially work that way. In ordinary driving, releasing the accelerator engages regenerative charging, which slows the car. They do have a brake pedal too, but you only use it for emergency braking or extreme downhill slopes.
Re:Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 04:54 · Score: 0

Don't mistake what's common for what's designed in. There's very little about iOS that is resolution dependent. While applications generally make assumptions about resolution, iOS and its UI frameworks are fairly flexible. In fact, you've been able to develop iOS applications that use varying screen resolutions for years now - AirPlay lets you set up views on external displays.

Really? Why have I never seen any combination of iDevice, AppleTV, and any TV that can scale the smaller screen to the 1080p screen? All of my Apple fan friends just accept it, and use a screen that occupies less than 1/3 of their TV's screen real estate. I amaze people with my Android TV all the time because it auto-scaled for whatever resolution it needs to display on (though it would not work well for SD TV... but I've never seen one of those with an HDMI port).
This is a solved problem that Apple has gratuitously failed to fix for years now. They only get a pass because people are used to the ways in which Apple sucks, and give them that pass.
Re:Airplay mirroring with touch to in-dash display by Bogtha · 2014-03-03 05:54 · Score: 1

Why have I never seen any combination of iDevice, AppleTV, and any TV that can scale the smaller screen to the 1080p screen?

I don't know, why haven't you?

This is a solved problem that Apple has gratuitously failed to fix for years now.

This was never broken. Go back to the first devices and the first version of iOS that implemented AirPlay and write an application yourself to test it out. The functionality is there. If you only use applications that don't support varying resolutions, that's not Apple's problem.

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Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha

Last time I've checked by Kartu · 2014-03-01 14:05 · Score: 1

Top Android phones had prices on par of Apple's, please stop repeating that myth.

There are things which I don't like about Android (app permissions being the worst thing), but iOS's dull grid of icon UI is years behind it.

Re:Last time I've checked by Zero__Kelvin · 2014-03-02 02:53 · Score: 1

top Android phones have nothing to do with it. The point is the barrier for entry is far, far lower. If Apple had low cost devices you would have a point. Unfortunately for you that is not the case, and you therefore have no valid point.

--
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Re:Last time I've checked by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 12:21 · Score: 1

top Android phones have nothing to do with it. The point is the barrier for entry is far, far lower. If Apple had low cost devices you would have a point. Unfortunately for you that is not the case, and you therefore have no valid point.
You actually believe the price of an iPhone will keep people from buying a car with an advanced control system? While people who buy those ultra-cheap Androids can even afford any car?

--
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Re:Last time I've checked by Zero__Kelvin · 2014-03-02 12:34 · Score: 1

No, but I do know for a fact that you are too stupid to follow a thread and understand the discussion. Hint: Nobody gives a shit about the small subset of the population that can afford high end cars in this thread. In fact those people are quite explicitly excluded from the discussion, as we are talking about people to poor to afford an iPhone (i.e. the vast majority of the poulation of the US)

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Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun

Lost? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 14:13 · Score: 0

Who would want this? Maybe It'd be nice to have an OEM Mac mini in the dash, but iOS? LOL!!!!

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by whoever57 · 2014-03-01 14:36 · Score: 1

I wonder why Apple can't make AirPlay mirroring with touch to an in-dash display a standard. For makers, it would make it something Android could support

I think that you just answered your own question.

--
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by melchoir55 · 2014-03-01 14:39 · Score: 1

For my '07 S80-V8 an iPod connector and in-dash stereo integration was a factory option (which I added).

It works pretty well -- playlists, artists, etc. It's the "older" dock connector so a 30 pin iPhone complains about it and won't charge, but I just put in an old 60 GB iPod and leave it in there and run my iPhone off a ProClip holder with a lightning-30pin adapter run to a split USB/aux cable that connects to the AUX in, so I can have iPhone audio on the stereo, too. It's kind of a Rube Goldberg setup, but the cables are neat and its nice to do podcasts or Pandora if I want.

Bluetooth would be better overall (less stuff, less cords) but the bluetooth from that year isn't as nice as the iPod control is.

I wonder why Apple can't make AirPlay mirroring with touch to an in-dash display a standard. For makers, it would make it something Android could support with an additional protocol and it would eliminate the need for most of the horrible in-dash infotainment systems car makers come up with.

Apple's business philosophy has always been about total control. You will never find Apple sportingly participating in a market, even if it is to their advantage. They built their own maps system in order to compete with a completely free and very effective one(google), they are the last manufacturer of note clinging to using proprietary cables, the list goes one. Apple wouldn't want to do what you are suggesting because that means other systems could participate in the environment. They don't want that. They want all Apple, or they don't want to be involved.

Glad my car uses Google instead by AaronW · 2014-03-01 14:58 · Score: 3, Interesting

I'm glad my car uses a combination of Google and Garmin for the GPS. On the main screen (Tesla Model S) it shows a satellite view of the map, with pinch-zoom and rotation support via the touch screen whereas next to the speedometer it shows a more traditional 3-D GPS view which I understand is supplied by Garmin (I could be wrong though). For voice recognition it uses Google's service. The next major update due out soon improves the time estimates in real-time using the live traffic information that is overlayed over the Google map. The main screen map caches data along the route (except satellite data) for when the 3G signal is lost and the other display relies entirely on in-car maps.

My car also runs Linux for the main screen using the Qt toolkit for the UI. The only complaints I have heard are that the radio doesn't handle the proprietary Apple audio files but it handles MP3, Ogg and Flac just fine (with my USB drive formatted EXT4). Now if only Waze were integrated.

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Re:Glad my car uses Google instead by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 11:06 · Score: 1

Huh? Using maps from two different systems seems like a bad decision. What happens when they don't agree?
Also, there was a slashdot story about Apple and Tesla meeting last year. So maybe they are going to have iOS for cars on the Model X. Or maybe nothing came of the meeting...
Re:Glad my car uses Google instead by AaronW · 2014-03-02 11:15 · Score: 1

I suspect the meeting with Apple may have more to do with the Gigafactory since Apple is a huge consumer of batteries. I don't see Tesla moving to iOS for the car, though they might be able to add better integration with it. They already have a very good responsive UI based on Qt and Linux and I'm sure they have a lot of processes running under Linux. It would be a big job to port from Linux to iOS and probably not worth it.
As for the maps from two different vendors I have never had a problem. I'm not sure how they do it but they always seem to agree. You don't want to rely exclusively on Google since what happens when you don't have 3G connectivity?

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Re:Glad my car uses Google instead by BasilBrush · 2014-03-03 07:21 · Score: 1

Yes, the Gigafactory is also quite likely.

They already have a very good responsive UI based on Qt and Linux and I'm sure they have a lot of processes running under Linux. It would be a big job to port from Linux to iOS and probably not worth it.
Well, as you've pointed out with the GPS, Tesla doesn't seem to feel they need to use the same computer system for everything...
Anyway, no way of knowing for now.
Re:Glad my car uses Google instead by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-09 10:27 · Score: 0

What proprietary Apple audio files are you referring to? Are there any of those that are still popular?

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:00 · Score: 0

Yep... and it "Just works". Sheesh!!

Re:Apple maps... really... by jaymz666 · 2014-03-01 15:44 · Score: 1

as long as you don't want to get anywhere

Apple Maps by anethema · 2014-03-01 15:48 · Score: 1

"Drivers will be able to use Apple Maps as in-car navigation"

Not sure how that compares to most in-car navigation, but Apple maps is still a pile of garbage. They maps are much harder to see than googles, the POI database is terrible, the routing is unusable, at least in small-town Canada.

Be interesting to see what they come up with but I sure hope it has an App store to switch out the maps.

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No thanks, I've had enough of Apple's "design". by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 15:54 · Score: 0

Examples :

* The recent crippling of local sync in Mavericks.

* The security flaws in iOS and OS X which Apple did not resolve
nearly as quickly as it could or should have done.

* The disappearance of useful user interface details without notice to the user community
beforehand.

Tim Cook might be a good accountant, but he is leading Apple into the abyss of mass market mediocrity,
and though I have been an Apple user for a long time, I am now working on making sure I am not using
Apple products at all within the next calendar year. I've had enough of capricious design changes and
the arrogance that Apple shows toward its long time faithful customers.

And by the way, all this "in car" stuff is bullshit. The car is meant to be driven by a DRIVER who is
paying full attention to driving, not by a consumer who interacts with iTunes etc. while driving.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by ArhcAngel · 2014-03-01 16:00 · Score: 1

For my '07 S80-V8 an iPod connector and in-dash stereo integration was a factory option (which I added).

I believe your '07 S80-V8 is running QNX. The option you purchased was a module for QNX that talks to iPhones/iPods. QNX/BlackBerry are partners with Apple and the reports I've read indicate that iOS for car will still be running the QNX kernel.

I wonder why Apple can't make AirPlay mirroring with touch to an in-dash display a standard. For makers, it would make it something Android could support with an additional protocol and it would eliminate the need for most of the horrible in-dash infotainment systems car makers come up with.

QNX supports Miracast and Mirrorlink so if it is enabled by the manufacturer any device with those technologies will be able to just what you are asking for. In fact QNX demoed the tech at CES 2014 (Jump to 7:00)

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one thing you can be sure of: by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 16:24 · Score: 0

The iCar won't have any windows.

Re:one thing you can be sure of: by Chrisq · 2014-03-01 22:17 · Score: 1

The iCar won't have any windows.
By default, but one will be available by subscription at the store

Re:ukraine! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 16:42 · Score: 0

You mean that an angry mob of rioters in Kiev - backed by the US & UK - caused the democratically elected president to flee to Russia for safety?

Yeah, I wish there were more comments about that.

Re:ukraine! by noh8rz10 · 2014-03-01 16:48 · Score: 0

no that I mean russia is sending troops into crimea. that kind of invasion.

Re:ukraine! by Applehu+Akbar · 2014-03-01 16:49 · Score: 3, Funny

It will be if those tank drivers are using Apple Maps.

Re:Apple maps... really... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 18:06 · Score: 0

That's funny because all of the POI's in Apple Maps point to shit dumps.

Re:Apple maps... really... by Austerity+Empowers · 2014-03-01 18:08 · Score: 0

Better: what trend have they ever been ahead of?
- Computers? Nope.
- Phones? Nope.
- Tablets? Nope.
- Media convergence? Nope.
- Navigation? Nope.

Yet their revenue is insane. So it must be something other than timeliness.

This needs to be standardized by Solandri · 2014-03-01 19:30 · Score: 3, Interesting

At some point, automakers settled on a standard stereo plug for their cars, meaning you could install any aftermarket stereo into any car. The same thing needs to happen to car nav and entertainment systems. A standard plug should allow access to the car's GPS antenna, radio antennas, power, speakers, climate control, rear back-up camera, etc. Then you can plug in whatever you want to control these functions, be it an iPad, an Android tablet, a Garmin tablet, or some new doohickey which hasn't been invented yet. For bonus points they can have the car transmit various sensor readings through the plug, allowing the device to display things like fuel consumption, engine maintenance logs, hybrid battery charge state, etc.

Re:This needs to be standardized by StripedCow · 2014-03-02 01:45 · Score: 1

First, they weld shut the hood. And now they lock down the navigation system...
It is only a natural progression...

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Re:This needs to be standardized by Fazeshift · 2014-03-02 04:02 · Score: 2

At some point, automakers settled on a standard stereo plug for their cars, meaning you could install any aftermarket stereo into any car.

Except that they never did standardize. The closest to standardization was probably mid-90's vehicles, when you could at least count on a car maker to have 1 type of connector across all models, and that harness contained standard power and speaker connections. It was still necessary to get the other gender plug for it, and match/connect wires to the aftermarket brand harness included with your aftermarket stereo. It has only degraded from there.
Some aftermarket stereo misadventure examples:
Got a GM vehicle from the last decade? Want that aftermarket radio to turn on/off with the ignition key? Don't want to lose the warning chimes? You need this $100 module and harness that taps into the class 2 serial bus and provides the missing "ignition switched" power wire and speaker for chimes. (Or before that was available, you could buy a bizarre harness that moved your factory radio to the trunk to retain OEM chimes)
Opted for that "premium" factory stereo on that Nissan? No harness available that retains factory amp. You can either cut the amp out and redo all the speaker wiring, or try to be clever and build your own harness with RCA line-level plugs to connect to the factory amp, only to discover that the factory amp inputs are not standard line-level or "speaker level" so you get noise/pops unless you spend another $40 on ground loop isolators.
Or how about a recent vehicle that has modern USB and Bluetooth features on the base stereo? (I'm going to pick on Subaru here) Sure you can still get a harness plug for the basics, but all other connections (overhead mic, USB/aux jacks in console, steering wheel buttons) have no standardization, even between other models from the same maker. (mic has goofy amp circuit on the mic - cannot reuse for aftermarket, USB/aux jack harness - one guy made a business out of custom harnesses like this, steering wheel buttons - need a aftermarket interface module) It quickly turns into several hundred dollars in harnesses, modules, dash mounting kits, etc just to get an aftermarket stereo installed, with difficulty beyond what an average do-it-yourself'er can handle.
Or then there's the stereos integrated with HVAC controls. 3 of the 4 vehicles a considered recently had this. Good luck going aftermarket on those.

Harman for the Win by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-01 19:42 · Score: 0

Doesn't matter what Apple does - Harman is on a roll and has too much of a lead. Sure, Apple wants a piece of everything, but sometimes Goliath gets slain by David.

Re:ukraine! by Chrisq · 2014-03-01 22:13 · Score: 0

how come slashdot hasn't posted yet on the invasion of ukraine?

At the moment there's only riots, deaths, and a military build-up. We need to wait until someone cuts an internet trunk before it's worthy of SlashDot.

Re:ukraine! by Hognoxious · 2014-03-01 22:27 · Score: 2

I don't think they have those kind of people in the Russian military.

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Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-02 01:03 · Score: 1

This is why we need to avoid using proprietary connectors and protocols in something like a car that is expected to last at least 10 years, hopefully longer. 10 years ago the iPhone didn't even exist and iPods only charged from Firewire, not USB.

We already have device agnostic standards for all this. USB/Qi for charging, Wifi for audio/steaming/phone. MirrorLink for mirroring the device's screen on the car's screen, complete with touch control. There is BlueTooth as well but it seems to be a pain in the arse most of the time. NFC to auto-configure everything.

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Wrong approach by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 01:03 · Score: 1

I don't get why car makers think I want this. I already have a GPS/Music/Phone system that I like and can upgrade more frequently than my car -- it's my smartphone. Just give me a place on the dashboard where I can dock it so it's charging and so I can see the screen for navigation. A very simple protocol for integrating into the car's speakers and enabling hands free calling and I'd have a better system than anything existing cars provide. If the automakers standardized on the protocol, Apple would be forced to play ball. Too much to ask?

Re:Apple maps... really... by Blaskowicz · 2014-03-02 01:34 · Score: 1

Apple II was one the the first commercial, everything-included-and-assembled micro-computers. Maybe Commodore PET came before.. no idea, they were probably not far off from each other at all.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by gnasher719 · 2014-03-02 01:51 · Score: 1

Apple's business philosophy has always been about total control. You will never find Apple sportingly participating in a market, even if it is to their advantage. They built their own maps system in order to compete with a completely free and very effective one(google),

Google Maps on iOS wasn't free. Was never free. Apple paid major amounts of money for it. It may have been free to you, but not to Apple.

Re:ukraine! by vettemph · 2014-03-02 02:29 · Score: 1

Iran also claims to have no gays in their country.

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The government which is strong enough to protect you from everything is strong enough to take everything from you.

Re:Apple maps... really... by gnasher719 · 2014-03-02 04:04 · Score: 1

What trend are they behind? Just curious.

The trend for smart watches that only nerds without any taste and stalkers could love. (See embarrassing Samsung ads).

Welcome to the OS wars! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-02 04:53 · Score: 0

I pity the first car salesman trying to sell an iOS car to an Android fanboi.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by _xeno_ · 2014-03-02 05:04 · Score: 1

Google Maps on iOS wasn't free. Was never free. Apple paid major amounts of money for it. It may have been free to you, but not to Apple.

Oh, and Apple Maps is free to them then? Before they were paying Google to deal with gathering the map data (maps, imagery, POIs) and running the servers. Costs that were shared by Google's other users, meaning that economies of scale are in play.

Now, Apple has to collect all that map data on their own, has to run their own back-end for dealing with that data, including writing their own (still hilariously broken) search over it, their own routing software, their own traffic monitoring software, and maintain the servers running said back-end. And don't forget, they had to build all that, so you need to factor in buying servers and writing all that back-end software.

I find it quite likely that sticking with Google would in fact have been far, far cheaper than building their own. The only reason they didn't is because they hate Android that much.

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You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by bdcrazy · 2014-03-02 05:19 · Score: 1

This is also why they don't give you an option to put a cell modem in their laptops. Their solution: JUST BUY AN IPHONE. That is so convenient, WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO??

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proprietary Apple audio files? by ashpool7 · 2014-03-02 06:09 · Score: 1

AAC is no more "proprietary" than MP3.

iOS Security by jawnah · 2014-03-02 08:21 · Score: 1

Let's bring all the security of iOS to your car... sounds great.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:39 · Score: 1

They built their own maps system in order to compete with a completely free and very effective one(google)

Google Maps isn't free. With Google maps the user is the product. The reason Apple did it's own maps app is that when it came time to renegotiate the Google Apps license, Google wanted Apple to pass user data on to them. Apple will not do that.

they are the last manufacturer of note clinging to using proprietary cables

Apple use standard connectors when there is one that fulfils their requirements. Otherwise they create a proprietary one that fits their needs. Apple don't let themselves be held back by old or inadequate standards.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:42 · Score: 1

The only reason they didn't is because they hate Android that much.

Android is a platform to collect user data for Google and advertise to it's users. The same goes for Google Maps.

The reason Apple went to the expense of creating their own Maps app is that in renewing the contract Google were demanding Apple share user data with them. Apple wouldn't do that.

With Google you are the customer. With Apple they just want to sell you a device. They defend your privacy.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:44 · Score: 1

The only reason they didn't is because they hate Android that much.

Android is a platform to collect user data for Google and advertise to it's users. The same goes for Google Maps.

The reason Apple went to the expense of creating their own Maps app is that in renewing the contract Google were demanding Apple share user data with them. Apple wouldn't do that.

With Google you are the product. With Apple they just want to sell you a device. They defend your privacy.

Re:Apple maps... really... by BasilBrush · 2014-03-02 10:55 · Score: 1

Back in the land of reality:

Better: what trend have they ever been ahead of?

- Computers? Yep.
- Phones? Yep.
- Tablets? Yep.
- Media convergence? Yep.
- Navigation? Nope.

Yet their revenue is insane. So it must be something other than timeliness.

In part it's because you are blind to their excellence.

Re:iPod connectors/compatibility since at least '0 by Plumpaquatsch · 2014-03-02 12:29 · Score: 1

10 years ago the iPhone didn't even exist and iPods only charged from Firewire, not USB.

That's because USB couldn't charge shit back then. I wonder why you forgot to mention that. Today most companies abandon standard MicroUSB, because it takes more than a night to charge the battery.

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Of course news about a fake are Fake News.

jAMES by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-03 07:25 · Score: 0

Apple Launched 'iOS In The Car' With Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLQphfs_2So

If you must know by SinisterEVIL · 2014-03-04 05:39 · Score: 1

Google maps is far superior in every aspect to every map service available. This isn't opinion, but easily provably fact.

Slashdot Mirror

Apple To Unveil Its 'iOS In the Car' Project Next Week

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