snagitseven

I still have hope that this thread won't turn in to an Apple vs. Android thing. Whether or not one feels either of the two leading systems is "crap", it's not germane to the business model of appealing to the widest possible spectrum of upscale, potential Audi customers. While Android may have 70% share of the global phone market, it's not clear how many of those are lower end, entry level customers who would never consider (or afford) an Audi.

In any case, share aside, my point is with over 500 million iOS devices already sold worldwide, it would make good business sense for Audi to support both leading share players, especially when the marketing of a luxury auto is aimed at the same users who purchase high end portable devices. If Audi limits to supporting only one OS, it could lose an edge in their share to BMW, Mercedes and others. I have to believe the engineers at Audi are fully capable of designing the tech necessary to support both.

houyhnhnm

I just typed up a message expressing my disappointment here:
http://www.audiusa.com/help/contact-audi
...and the Submit button didn't work.

Luckily, I found an older customer feedback page that still seems to work:
http://secure-www.audi.com/us/brand/...formlayer.html

If you, like me, are disappointed with Audi's priorities here, be sure to let them know!

miwung

Make my MMI screen a tablet I can pop off my dash, program, adjust settings, enter navigation then snap it back into the dash, All wireless or through base. Maybe make it OS agnostic, possibly a few apps that sit on top of any mobile OS. Would love to take it with me when I get out car.

Audi - Call me I have ideas!

Maverick61

And as I said, IF a automobile company has to choose, it is easy to see why they would choose to support the system with the largest worldwide market share.

You can talk high end vs low end all you want, 70% market share is nothing to sneeze at. And Android has numerous high end devices that outperform an iphone - they just don't carry the same markup Apple does. Technologically, Android has led the market adding features that Apple scrambled to catch up with.

What is germane to me is that Audi or any auto company not be locked into a closed system - and that is what Apple's OS is. If Apple's OS can sit on top of Audi's system, fine but until that is proven there is no sense to go down that path. The worst decision an auto manufacturer could make would be to implement solely Apple technology for a number of reasons.

Yes, I agree that in a perfect world everyone would offer everything so no one would be unhappy, but that utopia does not exist. And the path Audi is taken is one that makes sense worldwide and shows a good sense of caution at this point

AudioBear

Thanks. It's always good to receive the recognition of your mates on a forum. At least I can be best at something. The fact is that Audi is not perfect and I harbor no religious fervor about the brand as some seem to do. It's a nice car -- a great car -- but it's got flaws like every other car and buyers have lots of good choices in this price range. I happen to like Mercedes and BMWs to name two good choices, others may like Lexus or Porsche. The differences for someone who is not a purist, a brand snob, or an enthusiast are not so great. It really depends on what is important to each individual buyer. I happen to use an iPhone and want to be able to interface that with my car system. That's important to me. Obviously it isn't to you. I have no problem with people using an Android system and am not interested in which is better or which has a bigger installed user base. I just like my iPhone. I also hate the Bose system and refused to be coerced into shelling out $6000 for a decent stereo so Audi was probably going to loose me anyway. All manufacturers have to make choices. The best choice for all of them would be to be able to accommodate all of their customers preferences in mobile devices. I hope that happens because i do like my Audi and am looking forward to considering the next version of the Q7 when it comes out. The lack of a decent stereo and phone integration may well determine my choice. It really wasn't so stupid on my part to say that because to me most SUVs are pretty much the same--I don't like them but my wife does. I can at least have good music and good connectivity if I have to drive an SUV. Does it make more sense now?

DirkM

There is no need to pick a side and no need to change much of the MMI either. A black box either connected via AMI cable or directly to the MOST ring (like the TV tuner in ROW) could be the interface to either carPlay or ChromeCast, via it's own WiFi or the MMI WiFi network. MMI control **** controls device (via MOST or CAN messages) like Apple Remote instead of touch display. Steering wheel multi-function or voice control button activates Siri. Same with Google.

With Mercedes and BMW announcing support for carPlay (at least as an option) I have no doubt that Audi will do the same. Maybe months or years later but it will come.

snagitseven

Again, this thread isn't about which os is best, which has more share or being all things to all people. It's about Audi recognizing that there are adherents to both iOS and Android, together representing over 90% of the market, and that they should not abandon either one, in this case as it seems to stand now, CarPlay. Someone who has, for whatever reasons, invested their ecosystem in one or the other and is happy with their choice, may very well take that into consideration with their next car if it doesn't support it. If Audi decides to ignore a half billion and growing iOS users, they will proactively place an obstacle for those vested owners considering the brand - it's marketing 101.

Omeletpants

The bullchit in this thread about Apple being garbage is over the top. As someone that has been in the computer industry for 30 years with extensive experience with all the major IT suppliers and the biggest customers in the world, I can tell you Apple is a world class company and maybe the best customer service company I have ever dealt with. Dont let the Best Buy buyers here tell ya differently

PJRed2008

No, it isn't important to me, I buy a car as an automobile, not a sound studio or mobile office. I am also neither a purist, brand snob or otherwise. Well, mostly anyways. I would personalily see much more sense in changing phones rather than the opposite.

Your explanation was excellent BTW and your decision does make more sense now. Still don't agree with you though, a phone is fairly unimportant to me, as is an ultra-high performance sound system in a car.

I also don't like Apple, but that's a different issue and goes back to the early 80s.

My Outback's Harmon Kardon has Apple built in, in case you wanted to trade off your Audi

Aatish11

To be honest, I really don't like the idea of text messaging and web surfing in a car's infotainment. I like the idea of being able to input addresses straight from my phone into the navigation, and the music systems and all that. Since Audi partnered with Google, the would mean Google maps integration in the car systems. Since Google maps is available for both iPhone (which is what I use btw) and Android, I'm pretty confident that Google will make some useful features for both iOS and Android. Anyways, car companies are just a new battle ground for these tech giants, hopefully this doesn't escalate to far or else we are going to have a bunch of people buying cars because of phone choice, and not because of the cars themselves. Unnecessary segregation. "sigh"