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Not trying to start a flame war, just start a discussion and educate myself before I buy 1 991.1 or 991.2 (with Apple Car Play). FWIW - I am an "Apple guy." iPhones, iPads, Mac Books, iMac, I've bought it all. However, I am concerned about buying a car with Apple CarPlay... perhaps someone can educate me... my concerns (perhaps unwarranted?):
1. Apple CarPlay will require that I have an Apple device in order to use all of its features/functions
2. Apple CarPlay will require that I continue to upgrade Apple devices I own (or any device -e.g. Droid Phone) in order to use itin the future (as it upgrades its software)
3. I will have to pay for another internet/carrier connection for my car. I have enough of these already...
4. I will be "locked" further into Apple
5. I plan on owning this next 991 for my foreseeable future... will the day come when I need to replace Apple CarPlay in the car because... hey it's Apple... and that's just what they do to get you to buy something new
I kind of like the concept that my car's entertainment system does not have a 3rd party dependency to be operational into the future. I know. I know. I'm not talking about the 8-track player that came in your 70s Chevy that has a media type that is no longer available, but... I have to wonder if the entertainment system in the 991.1 will have longevity that the 991.2 Apple Car Play will not.
The other entertainment system is still there (nav, radio, Bluetooth, etc.) CarPlay is in addition to it. So even if you aren’t on CarPlay you get the normal system (CarPlay is so much better as well).
No additional data required, just use your phones if you need it. I download my music onto my phone (both iTunes and Spotify) so no data draw from those. Will use data for maps and stuff like waze but it’s minor.....and I always have the normal car nav if needed.
You are right that at some point apple stops supporting old devices....but they still function fine and CarPlay will still work without the update. (Still better than regular Porsche system that is obsolete so quickly....at least CarPlay can be easily updated).
Your concerns are valid but mis-placed. I think you need to understand how Apple Carplay works a little better.
The PCM is perfectly capable of functioning on it's own without CarPlay. All functions of the infotainment are not at all dependent on your phone for anything, with the exception of bluetooth or wired music of course. CarPlay is a nice enhancement which allows you to use your phone through the car's interface. You can text, use third party mapping apps like Waze, Maps, and Google Maps, listen to podcasts, etc. But All Carplay is doing is allowing you to control your phone with the headunit. You can still do all of those things on any other phone, connected through bluetooth or the USB interface. You just won't see your phone displayed on the main PCM screen. Again, all it's doing is mirroring you're phone's display and controls (albeit only on certain apps, and only in limited ways) on the PCM screen. It's NOT an integral part of how the PCM works.
For 991.2 guys that have android phones and can't run Apple Carplay, their PCM functions as normal. They can still stream music, pay for Porsche Connected Services and apps through the PCM's internal data plan and modem, etc. They just can't mirror their phone on the PCm display.
I like having Apple Carplay, because it allows me to text, and to make more selections on audiobooks, streaming music and podcasts more than just "track forward or back". Plus my GTI, where I have Carplay, doesn't have Nav.
My 991 has no carplay, and I still do all of the above. I just connect the phone through the USB cable, and have it mounted next to the PCM so that I can use Amazon Music, Podcasts, etc. through my phone. When I use waze on the phone, it displays on the phone, next to the PCM screen.
So, no worries, you're fine.
Last edited by Needsdecaf; 10-26-2018 at 04:42 PM.
I think your questions are good. As mentioned above, the system is fully functional without using CarPlay. It's just an add on.
I don't have CarPlay in my 991.1, but I have it in my GMC Denali truck. I have to say, that overall I don't like it, and I don't use it very often. The factory navigation in my truck works great. It does everything that iPhone apps do. I can't stand Waze - the navigation algorithms in Waze are horrible. I mostly listen to satellite radio. The head unit already has text messaging capability. So what does CarPlay do for me? Virtually nothing.
I wouldn't worry too much about electronics being obsolete. That's going to happen, no matter what car you buy.
Have a 991.2 on order and just got a replacement smartphone for my trusty Samsung S4.
Yes, I've become an Apple acolyte (shudder!). My son was in the market for a work phone (separate from personal) so we took advantage of a discounted offer.
This was solely done to utilize the Apple Car Play. Would've stayed w/ Android otherwise.
As to obsolescence, they have to be able to sell you new stuff to make money, that's smart business.
Do not buy a car based on a single feature like CarPlay. If you find a 991.1 that checks all the boxes for you, that's what you should get. As stated above, CarPlay is just an add-on and you lose no other PCM functions without it. And there's an active thread on this forum showing you how to add it later on. I happen to like CarPlay because I can get navigation apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps with free traffic info which is something Porsche makes you pay for.
Last edited by SeymourButts; 10-27-2018 at 02:25 PM.
What Seymour said ^^^ ' Do not buy a car based on a single feature like CarPlay. If you find a 991.1 that checks all the boxes for you, that's what you should get.'
I drive 35-40K miles/yr in various with and without CarPlay however, I rarely use it. Its nice but definitely not a necessity since the iPhone itself does so much more. Get a good functional magnetic phone mount and your good to go.
My personal device is a Galaxy S9+ so I prefer Android Auto. My girlfriend, however, is an iPhone user and her 718 has Apple CarPlay. The only point I would add that hasn't been addressed is about navigation. It is possible, at least in a base 718, to get CarPlay and not Porsche Navigation. If the car comes equipped that way you will need an iPhone connected for Waze or Apple Maps as you will not have Navigation through the standard PCM.
And while she does use CarPlay all the time, I'm not a fan. I prefer to just connect for music streaming and ignore the CarPlay interface. I do like Android Auto though. And since the Fiesta ST has both, I get to tool around with it. Meanwhile my GT4 has neither.... And I get along fine without it. Definitely don't let this feature dictate your choice.
**edit - I should add that updates of CarPlay are through the iPhone. It isn't like Apple will update CarPlay on the PCM and suddenly your phone needs to be updated. It's essentially mirroring off the device, so when you cant update your phone to a new iOS version, no worries.
I find the CarPlay interface way more intuitive than the PCM which I never use anymore. Now that Waze works, between the WiFi hotspot, Escort 360c, their native crowd sourcing App, and Waze, it is also a very effective multi-layered speeding ticket avoidance strategy.
PCM sucks. I use it for satellite radio and the backup camera. The Germans are truly terribly bad at software design... which is maybe why they all have their tech labs here in the Valley, even Bosch, and why the Hasso Plattner School of Design is at Stanford and not the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. I’m excited about the Taycan but am wait-and-see solely on the tech UI. The car will be fantastic but if the software is at the level of the typical Porsche... no bueno.
Android. I am a Mac user for many years and enjoy this forum through my ipad pro each morning. However, I was a long time Android user and once I had the experience of Nexus and then Pixel phones, I was really happy. Android Auto is coming to Porsche, they say, after holding out along with Toyota and BMW. I had managed without it, plugged a Google Fi SIM in my PCM and had cellular connectivity even though I noticed that the car sends *a lot* of data even when not using the PCM apps. Gigabytes per month a lot, which was pretty surprising.
But then Google, you broke my heart. First they didn’t show up in front of Congress with Facebook and Twitter, which was poor form, and then there is Dragonfly, which is completely hypocritical, and final straw was the major data breach on Google+ that the company hid disclosure of (violated the law btw) for fear of reputation damage. Oh yeah, and now we have leaked reports showing the extent the company went to in order to protect executives, including Andy Rubin, who were accused of sexual misconduct. Wow. After the first 3 things I sat back and said “*uck Google, I’m outta here” and went over to an iPhone, giving up Google Fi in the process. Before anyone chimes in, yes I still use Gmail and Google Maps/Waze, but I have been using DuckDuckGo as default for the last 6 months (Apple does send search queries to google). Gmail... I’ll never give that up but my use of email, like many people, is declining and the most important stuff I get is text-message based now. Google Maps is just a lot better than Apple Maps. I have dramatically reduced my Google footprint down to a fraction of what I prevously used them for, and they don’t get any of my cellular traffic, phone location data, or any of the other pieces they really crave.
CarPlay is really nice, I’m starting to plug my phone into the car by default now and really like the big buttons and integration with Siri for easy task management while driving.
The evolution of technology over the last couple of decades shows that whatever you think is "the" high tech solution today isn't going to be the best solution 5 years from now (and that number is probably optimistic). In the years since I've been with Porsche the tech in each sub-generation has changed dramatically and I'd expect that to continue.
Like others have said, the current models have several possible solutions built in. There are even three different navigation options. Even though I'm an Apple developer, I still prefer to use the Google Maps option that live-streams all of the map data directly to the car via a cellular connection. The map imagery is great. But then, I just love tech and am willing to pay a little extra for the additional cellular connection to get it easily.
Just for grins, here's a photo I snapped of the Google Maps display on the PCM just the other day for a discussion like this.
The evolution of technology last couples of decades shows that whatever you think is "the" high tech solution today isn't going to be the best solution 5 years from now (and that number is probably optimistic). In the years I've been with Porsche the tech in each sub-generation has changed dramatically and I'd expect that to continue.
exactly, and that is why de-coupling the infotainment display and making the smartphone the head unit is so sensible. It relieves the auto maker from having to be good at a lot of things they will never be good at, like maps.
I find the CarPlay interface way more intuitive than the PCM which I never use anymore. Now that Waze works, between the WiFi hotspot, Escort 360c, their native crowd sourcing App, and Waze, it is also a very effective multi-layered speeding ticket avoidance strategy.
Originally Posted by dribar
right there with you! Siri also works very well with the stalk button. Hey Siri, call my wife. I do it every day. Love it.
I became sold for good when I received a Pothole Ahead alert. Useful.
10-25-2018, 10:12 PM
Apple CarPlay = Future Obsolesene?
