At BMW, we want to make buyers pay for CarPlay annually!

At the recent motor show in
Detroit,BMWmade a little announcement
surprising. Whereas until then, in a car from
German manufacturer, you had to pay several hundred euros for
take advantage of the iOS CarPlay display solution in car, from now on, you will have to
pay an annual subscription. According to BMW, this should allow
users to change their smartphone more easily, to an Android by
example, without ending up with an auto connected system incompatible with its
new mobile.

Until then, BMW was rather ahead of the competition in terms of
concernedthe integration of CarPlay into its vehicles. In
Indeed, the German manufacturer was one of the first to offer the solution
of Apple in its cars. BMW remains one of the only manufacturers to
have the wireless version of CarPlay in the catalog of options.

Until then, having CarPlay in a car from the German brand required
to pay asupplement of a few hundred euroscorn BMW
announced that the implementation of the Apple auto system will now require
subscribing to aannual subscription of $80 per year(65
euros), after a first year free.

Several journalists and specialists have already criticized this decision,
but BMW claimed that the idea behind this strategy is toallow
the user not to depend on a system and to be able to
changerthe day it changes mobile ecosystem.

First problem, BMW does notnot propose, for the moment in any case,
Android Auto in its cars. Then, you should know that a
precurring payment in the form of a subscription is not in line with
possible royalties paid to Apple. Indeed,like the
details Cnet, the integration of a CarPlay system is “free” for
manufacturers. The only costs correspond to the subscription to the program of
certification from Apple to validate the hardware and integration, and to
electronics (possibly additional) deployed, but nothing recurring
and linked to each car. Unlike a mobile subscription for example
for data transmissions.

At the same time, many other manufacturers include both choices in the
options: the Apple system and that of Google, at flat rates
and not recurring. It's up to everyone to see if this new strategy from BMW could
weigh in the balance when purchasing a vehicle, if not
financially, at least morally.

What do you think?

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Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.