Porsche Chooses Apple Over Google Because Google Wants Too Much Data
countach44 writes: As reported in number 5 of this list from Motor Trend, Porsche went with Apple over Google for the infotainment system in its new 911. Apparently, Android Auto wants vehicle data (throttle position, speed, coolant temp, etc.) whereas Apple Play only needs to know if the car is in motion. Naturally, people are curious what Google, as a company building its own car, wants that data for.
They're creating a walled garden around my data! How dare they!
/duck
/run
Delete App.
You want to offer voice command only if you give microphone access? Fine. But to demand it is not acceptable.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Information about the car is what CONSUMERS want. Google is asking for it because we are asking for it.
Google isn't making a car, iirc they've said they're going to license the technology. On the other hand Apple does seem to be seriously interested in make its own cars and is hiring people. The information isn't that interesting either, the most likely use would be applications to help people, but invariably car makers feel that the vehicles are appliances and that they should be able to charge customers for information about their own vehicle.
Ultimately however Porsche's strategy doesn't work, if their customers use Android having CarPlay isn't a vehicle feature and they'll eventually be forced to support Android Auto or a third party (e.g. Pioneer) will make one.
Isn't all that information readily available via OBDII anyway? What's the issue with getting a direct feed of it?
Google Dashboard:
Throttle position
Speed
Coolant temp
Fuel Consumption
etc.
Apple Dashboard:
The car is moving.
Do you work for the people, or something?
For some values, it would make sense for Google to not just collect, but also use it. Google Maps is commonly used for navigation. One of its useful features is its predictive ETA based on live traffic data. Collecting speed and location gives data to feed that model and give better accuracy on current traffic conditions in a given area. I'd say that's a good use of it, as long as it's anonymized.
I do I.T. contract work for the government. So?
Did you mix up your tumblr and slashdot windows again?
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
...thinks it's indistinguishable from God.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
Here: http://recode.net/2015/10/06/g...
Anybody can get that kind of info by just plugging into the standard OBD-II port. Several aftermarket solutions provide that.
cops let's get away with 70 in a 55 in Chicago land.
It's seems like posted 55 (few areas at 60-65) have a real speed limit of 70-75
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1...
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
I, for one, welcome our new Goople overlords.
Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
How? Both companies are so rich and valuable the other doesn't have enough funds to buy out the other, let alone the stock premiums and regulatory costs involved.
Perhaps in a decade or two when one of them has driven itself into the ground but most likely by then they will both have devalued so much they'll be in the same boat and another player may buy one or both of them.
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
All of my car stereos so far, have never had to have any connection to car info to play my songs as I barrel down the road. On custom installs, I've never hooked to any of the car data, etc.
Why would an entertainment system need to know any of that information at all?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
In 10 years, it will still be a fine car but the dash computer will be an antique. My car has bluetooth and a phone jack, and that will allow me to hook up the latest equipment to navigate and entertain me, for a long time, and replace it on my own schedule.
Bruce Perens.
I can neither confirm nor deny that I work the for the NSA. But I had worked for Google back in the day. The roasted duck and Mac & Cheese on Fridays was excellent.
All I want is tell the automakers that I'm not changing my phone for my car to work correctly. That should be the case for anyone, especially for those in the tech community. All features/interactions between phone and car computer need to work regardless of the vendor. If not, I don't want your car.
Apple is notoriously poor at this. Just look at the Apple Watch, or unreleased APIs of iOS working with OSX for chat and phone calls.
Google is only marginally better. They're usually late with iOS support and it can be incomplete. It took how long to release iOS support for android wear? Plus, if I don't have a google account, I want to still get maps and services.
I don't want vendor lock-in is the point here. Amazing though that we don't have some sort of standards body out there that could help with these sorts of things.
My information *may* be outdated as I did the work over a year ago.
Google and Apple both *want* a similar (small) set of data, neither actually *require* much of the data to operate. Car companies are really weird about providing the access (although the Head Unit either as a vendor, the common case, or the company itself, need the data anyway).
IIRC Google's version wants to know if you are in reverse, and compass heading. Apple will infer.
The biggest difference as an integrator for the systems is that Apple call audio used the same USB channel as entertainment / navigation audio.
Google's call audio requires the Bluetooth HFP 1.5 which most head units already support.
Each solution had it's own challenges, Apple with it's USB wackiness that severely the hardware options[1] and Google with the Bluetooth adding to the audio mux logic.
Personally I find it *MUCH* more likely that Porsche vendor has CarPlay(tm) working and has a USB hardware issue with using the same port for both systems and/or dropped the Bluetooth from the CarPlay(tm) head unit to save cost.
Basically most vendors had over a year longer to get CarPlay(tm) working before they had access to AndroidAuto but getting AndroidAuto working once you have done the work to get CarPlay(tm) to work was pretty trivial. As always getting things into production quality takes time and effort and for many of these head units it may only require a software update to get either/both systems working. In my initial prototype I supported the use case of AA for navigation and ACP for playing music handling phone calls [in part because my initial HFP work kinda stank, damn you Broadcom :-)].
[1] Original described as variation of USB-OTG but it really isn't ... any chip with hardware/firmware OTG is unlikely to work.
Really apple was willing to pay more.
Prove it, or GTFO.
So Porsche is so concerned about our privacy that they refused to enable Android Auto? Why don't they let us choose? GM's MyLink supports both...
cops let's get away with 70 in a 55 in Chicago land.
It's seems like posted 55 (few areas at 60-65) have a real speed limit of 70-75
Wow, what slowpokes!
Down here in Indianapolis, the Cops routinely go at LEAST 90 in a 55. Seriously.
is things do one thing well. You know, that old UNIX tenet. It nicely extrapolates to life as well.
I'd really like to see a mobile device that is not tied to any ecosystem. I've rather grown tired of Apple, Google, and Microsoft sticking their noses where they don't belong. I really do hope Blackberry can make a comeback. I miss the relative privacy of a Blackberry.
I don't know about the rest of them, but leave Apple out of it, willya? They simply DON'T do that shit, and when they do, they at least give Users a nice, GUI way to turn it off.
Prove me wrong, or GTFO.
How? Both companies are so rich and valuable the other doesn't have enough funds to buy out the other, let alone the stock premiums and regulatory costs involved.
I know this is very, very unlikely, but what if they decided to merge?
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
I work for the taxpayers. Taxpayers are people, including corporations.
*In version 0.1
Subject to terms changing further at Googles discretion. Just because they are so nice we should trust that they always will be when they have control over market and are in hard need to monetize it.
Weren't the founders worried about Russia and data collection from the government? They've created away of collecting data about you across multiple devices and environments that the CIA/NSA/KGB/The Stasi do/would dream about. As indicated by the NSA trying to use Google cookies to track users. The additional irony of Google then being pissed that the NSA using those cookies to track. Hey only WE can track people across everything, not agents of an elected government.
(The last sentence is not saying NSA are choir boys in this, just that Google a company that 99.999999% of humans have no control over is tracking me with much greater efficiency than a government that i can conceivably vote out of office).
You do realize that data doesnt need to reach Google. It can very well be on your computer considering well its your data not some marketing companies.
It's not just the cops they also let people go way over the limit as well.
A bit to much traffic to do 90 much at times in chicagoland some times going 15-20 is good.
Having worked on early GPS navigation in the PocketPC days, I would have killed for speed and direction (i.e. forward or reverse gear). It might seem like a simple thing, but it can make a huge difference in initial prompting for navigation cues.
As for the rest, why *not* give access? Fast and Furious fans would get a kick out of it, and surely it opens up opportunities for things like, say, notifying central dispatch when one of the rental cars begins overheating. Instead, people will have to plug in a Bluetooth OBDII reader to get the same information, but with less standardization.
People pay taxes. Non-multinational corporations pay taxes. Hence, they are all taxpayers.
If you got crayons, I can draw a picture fore you.
If this becomes the norm, I think I'll find the last decent car which doesn't have any of this data mining crap masquerading as an infotainment system, buy a few of them, and rotate among them as cars, hopefully to last until I can't drive anymore. It's good to see that Porsche didn't get suckered in, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous with the amount of data they want to know.
As for the connected car, well, I think the concept of a car has worked reasonably well for the last 100 years, maybe people can make apps for cars or something which is google's excuse for the data, but seriously, this 'innovation' is the google equivalent of razor blades; add more blades. I can't see much of an advantage just throwing 'smarts' into everything.
Exactly - people want to see all this data
Yes (well, some).
and have Google log/display it.
HELL NO.
Why do you think we (or anyone) want Google to log it? That is not needed, if I want it logged I would GREATLY prefer that be done by a local app of some kind, where I control the data from it directly.
I can imagine future politicians, where it's leaked exactly how many times the driver of his car went over 75MPH... as just one example why not everyone wants Google to log it.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Cross-thread whoosh?
CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
True, this "middle class joe" doesn't have a porsche or a smart phone, nor am I interested in what data my car can provide. However my mechanic is interested and it would be neat if he could pull my car's diagnostics with an off the shelf device rather than have to pay the manufacturer thru the nose for proprietary equipment and certifications. My car even has a sticker behind the visor proudly boasting that only approved Mazda dealers can install upgrades for the car's software, for my safety of course, nothing to do with their after market sales figures...
Google are also interested in monetising my car's data but in a different way, the people who buy my data cannot link it to me, selling it to a third party has no direct/indirect impact on me other than dictating who pays for the adverts I see, it doesn't add to the cost of maintaining my car, in fact it could help to reduce servicing costs.
Data (information) has intrinsic value, it is the fuel that has driven the technological explosion over the last century, it can be traded for cash or used as a tool for 'good' or 'evil'. When everybody has access to it, technological and cultural progress goes into hyperdrive and everyone has a better chance of "keeping the bastards honest". When it is in the hands of a few, human nature dictates it will be used to extract/deny resources from/to those who don't have access.
Disclaimer: If I swapped my Mazda 6 'Sports model' for a real sports car, I would definitely want it to have a geeky performance display on the dash. If the car had an open API, it might even inspire my artistic side to write my own display layer.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Is that you, Edward?
-- I have monkeys in my pants.
Nor is a trope a "hard fact" as much as you wish it to be. Try offering actual evidence, if you want to claim the status of a fact.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
All the companies provide options.
Android doesn't work very well when you turn all the tracking off (ie: google now/voice commands). Microsoft hides the options and still sends some tracking home. Apple had their big fiasco sending all iphone WAP data home in plain text.
I wouldn't give anyone a free pass on this issue. Google is the only company that's main business model is based off of this data though.
All "fandom" aside, I really do think that Apple is the only one of the three that honestly isn't trying to actively data-rape it's Users.
And to set the record straight, Apple made a clean breast of the Location Tracking info's raison d'être, what was in it (cell and WiFi hotspots), what it was for (anonymous crowdsourced location data), how it was never sent outside of Apple without the User's express permission EVERY TIME, and the steps taken to improve the security (encryption, and the ending of backing up in iTunes) and reduce the size of the "Location" database stored on the device.
So, Apple's explanation "feels" like an honest description of something (crowdsourced location data) that a bunch of geeks would dream up to solve a problem (slow response when the USER asked for the current location of the Device). Or else why wouldn't it simply be a "bread crumb trail" of a SINGLE Location (the Device's current computed Lovation?), instead of a "tile's" worth of Location data of pretty-much everything BUT the Device???
The two are basically a duopoly and it is highly unlikely for a duopoly to merge. As well as the regulatory obstacles there is very little benefit for either of them to merge together.
Abour 15 years ago I had a camper -an average European camper, based on a very robust Ford base, the only issue was the noise when driving.
I bought, at that time 15 years ago, a radio that simply detected the speed based on the variations in the 12V mains line, that visibly is modulated by the engine rate.
I thought there would be some settings to adjust, at least.
It worked out of the box. 15 years ago.
Without GPS, numeric car speed indication, or 'engine fluid temperature'.
That we need a numeric connection to the car to perform this is a lie. I know it. Not sure I convinced you, since I sold the camper since then and forgot the radioset name...
But I know it.
Herve S.
Ideally, what it should do if you say 'no' is proposing to download Openstreetmap instead;-)
Preferably from the F-Droid repository.
But now, now. You get what you want...
Herve S.
Put it on it's own separate Canbus and feed it crap data... it should never be connected directly to the real bus.
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
Take a look at Google Earth, it already shows the speed of the cars on highways determined by the android phones of the drivers, this would just make it more precise and perhaps predict blockages.
Apple is said to start their production line in 3-4 years. Is Google starting one earlier?
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Hint: You are NOT a Google customer. You are Google's PRODUCT.
Not quite. Information about me is the product. If I were the product then that would be called slavery. I am the vendor and sole distributor of information about me. In a sense I am "selling" said data to Google in exchange for online services. Arguably this is a rather bad deal for me but I'm not the product - I'm the one selling the product. It just is that most people don't value data about themselves very highly.
Google's CUSTOMERS are INTERNET ADVERTISERS looking to strip mine your life for data.
Exactly. Google's customers want DATA about me. The data is the product. I just happen to be the source of said data and the only one that can "manufacture" actual true data about me.
Or because they're developing an automotive computing system which is intended to be able to replace an entire dashboard should the market want. It needs this data to function properly. If it was just a dumb music player/gps system you'd have a point, but as it isn't, you don't have a point.
Did he hurt your wittle feewings? Awww poor boy. It's OK the nasty man is gone.
The article itself doesn't say that Google wants the data... Maybe Maybe my assumptions were wrong, but I assumed that Google was asking for their system to be able to probe deeper into the ECM and get access to other vehicle computers - in order to allow apps to use this data, where Apple just wants to know if the engine is on or not. I'm not sure that they're actually asking to phone this data home.
Ask Mitt Romney about that one. :)
Did he hurt your wittle feewings? Awww poor boy. It's OK the nasty man is gone.
So, let me get this straight: You, who (like me) put their Karma on the line (like me), are actually DEFENDING an Anonymous COWARD?
Yeah, ok.
I know, I know....but what if they did? The odds against it are a trillion to one or more.
I'm just putting it out there as kind of a "what if" thing or a thought experiment.
I know it will probably never happen....but what if it did?
All hail our new Gapple Overlords!
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
I can totally relate to the invasions by Google! And other apps! I went to install GasBuddy on my Droid, and it wanted access to GPS. Okay, that is fine; it makes sense - you need to know where I am to see what gas stations are nearby. Yet, when you also want access to my contacts, camera, and local files (like pics and audio), I DEFINITELY draw the line! WHY do you need that? How about installing an option to enable/disable any of those things. And, let us know what will not work if we disable anything.
Self-importance and self-indulgence is the root of ALL evil.
If Google wants the data, it's probably because the NSA wants the data.
NSA will likely get it anyway. Google is just an easy source!
Self-importance and self-indulgence is the root of ALL evil.
It'd be conflicts of interest all the way.
Apple serves the consumer, and puts restrictions on advertisers.
Google serves the advertisers, and farms user information to do so.
It'd be conflicts of interest all the way.
I'm sure that some substantial cash payments to the right parties would allow this minor concern to be legislated away and/or ignored.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
No doubt. The point is that Apple wouldn't do it because of the conflicts.