gb4.2

I don't see myself straying from either Audi or Apple as a result of the Audi/Google partnership. Both are major product platforms/choices/lifestyles. Audi/VW is smart enough to recognize that there are a very high percentage of iPhone users who own Audis and will likely purchase them in the future so I expect some reasonable level of iOS functionality that will keep iPhone owners on board, even in the first generation of the Audi/Android interface.

josedebardi

What percentage of Chinese Audi drivers have Apple/Android?

As Audi are pushing this market HARD, it would stand to reason it would play big role in the decision...

gb4.2

Excellent point and probably the largest single market driver for Audi's decision to go with Google/Android....market penetration by the iPhone in China is very small compared to Android---Android had over 90% market share there in 2012. Apple's deal with China Mobile was just sealed so the door has really just been opened for iPhone growth there. And with Audi's lead in the premium segment in China, they really had to consider that market and weight it accordingly. China is Audi's single biggest market.

snagitseven

With the announcement last week of China's largest carrier now on board with the iPhone, I suspect we'll see Apple's numbers there increase significantly.

markcincinnati

Frankly the "3G" T Mobile alliance is a huge pile. About 50% of the time I enter the command "On line destination XXXXXXXX (some destination I know Google should find) only to have the response be "try again later."

This happens regardless of the notation on the screen that says 2G or 3G. The Audi help desk first had me put in a new dealer supplied SIM chip and finally said it was a signal strength issue (4 bars?). Maybe it is a T Mobile issue in Cincinnati.

It seems to me there could have been a way to come up with a system that would use the owner's mobile phone and piggy back on it. Having a separate phone built in just for Audi Connect is, based on our experience, a joke. I'll not be turning this on, at any price, once the 6 month trial expires. I want my "money" back for the extra cost of this useless technology (yes I know, the hardware costs about $1.50).

This is worse than Audi's flirtation with On*Star a few years back.

Otherwise, I love the MMI+ and the better than ever voice command system.

josedebardi

Ummmm, it already supports using your phone to get Internet access!!!

As long as your phone supports rSAP for Bluetooth (which is most non Apple devices!) the car will use it rather than the SIM in the dash. When you pair your phone you will be using the handsfree profile, if the 'car phone' profile is available as a connection option it uses rSAP and so uses the cars built in antenna and gives data access to the car rather than just calls.

Not sure on the relevance of your post to this thread TBH. The T-Mobile alliance is nothing to do with Audi Connect, or technology sharing, they are just using their SIM's for network access... (in the UK they have no network partnership - you have to provide your own SIM or connect via rSAP per description above)

mirekmal

Android and iOS are platforms designed for completely different purposes. iOS is designed to be device platform, e.g. is closed to run on specific device with specific set of functionalities (the only 'deviation' is Apple TV). Not talking about Apple licensing policy, that would definitely prohibit installing iOS on 3rd party hardware. Android, on the other hand, is more open and available to be licensed/installed on broad selection of devices, not only handhelds, but also different 'boxes' that provide not only phone/multimedia functionality. And readily available for licensing. So I think Audi had no other choice but to partner with Google. Old platform (which is RTOS from QNX, subsidiary of Blacberry) is probably no go, given current BB situation/prospect.

snagitseven

rSap is not available in North American Audis. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to use a phone as the source for Audi Connect in the U.S., only a sim installed in the car using the T-Mobile 3G network (an AT&T sim will work but only at 2G speed). Other providers like Truphone and P-Tel sims also work as they operate on the T-Mobile network.

josedebardi

I suspect vagcom could fix that... Its the same hardware.

Redd

jose-
The Wikipedia indicates that rSAP is basically available in the Samsung Galaxy series of Android phones, and very little else.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueto...2C_SIM.2C_rSAP)

Popular phones and nice if you have it--but many folks won't.

I have frequently gotten the "magic8Ball" type prompt of "Try again later" when attempting to use Google Maps, with AT&T, with good coverage. Sometimes the cellular data networks in the US simply don't work. Not just "don't work at high speed" but simply don't connect and won't work. I suspect this is something to do with the nature of the Android operating system because as the saying goes, Android sometimes "goes out to lunch" and the phone will not respond to any input for one minute or longer, while it is doing internal tasks. This appears to be an inherent weakness of the Android OS, which I've seen in several phones from several makers.

All the more reason to have tasks like navigation broken out from the car, and running on a dedicated tablet or other device that is integrated into the dash--but separate from it. My GPS never drops a driving instruction because a phone call is coming in, or vice versa. Smartphones? Suffer from that all the time. Neither is perfect yet, so it is nice to have choices.