- GM’s software chief says the automaker’s controversial decision to drop Apple CarPlay in favor of its own Ultifi system was the right one.
- Baris Centinok worked at Apple for a decade but is convinced GM’s tech can provide a better integration of car and apps for drivers.
- Centinok told The Verge that a bespoke setup would become even more important when vehicles gain semi-autonomous Level 3 ability.
The man in charge of software in all of GM’s cars says he’s convinced junking Apple CarPlay in favor of a bespoke software system called Ultifi was the right decision. And that’s despite him having previously worked at Apple for a decade before arriving at GM a year ago.
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Baris Centinok, General Motors’ senior vice president, software and services, product management, program management, and design was speaking on The Verge’s Decoder podcast when he doubled down on the automaker’s move away from CarPlay – one that has proved controversial with some drivers and tech fans.
Related: GM Phasing Out Apple CarPlay And Android Auto From Its Vehicles
Centinok said GM owed it to its customers to “create the most deeply integrated experience that you can create with the vehicle,” something the automaker believes is only possible by building a bespoke system from the ground up.
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“We are not shipping devices with just monitors; we’re not a monitor company,” he told host Nilay Patel. “We’re building beautifully designed, complete thoughts and complete convictions.”
Although Centinok landed at GM after the decision to drop both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was taken, he says trying to use a smartphone mirroring system feels clunky and antiquated compared with GM’s digital experience.
“When you want to create something so seamless, it’s hard to think about getting into a [CarPlay or Android Auto-equipped] car and going, ‘Okay, so I’m doing highway trailering, but let me flip to a totally different user interface to pick my podcast,’” Centinok said.
“So I pick my podcast, flip back to trailering. Oh, now I can also do Super Cruise trailering. Let me manage that. Then, wait, we’re now getting into potentially Level 3, Level 4 autonomy levels that should be deeply integrated with talking to the map where the lanes lie. But wait a minute, the map that I’m using doesn’t really talk to my car.”
When the topic switched to GM’s motivation for ditching CarPlay being it wanted to keep millions of dollars of subscription royalties for itself, Centinok claimed his team’s primary motivation is “to first create a great customer experience.”
But he said he believed that customers would see value in subscription services like Super Cruise, and claimed that although there are also “some opportunities…around entertainment, around gaming,” those are of secondary importance to GM.
Do you think Centinok is right? Or has GM made a mistake by dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
You can listen to the full podcast or read the transcription over at The Verge.
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