BMW Wants to Charge Owners $80 a Year for Apple CarPlay
BMW says it would like to charge owners $80 a year to use Apple CarPlay, rather than offering it to them as a regular, one time payment option.
According to The Verge, this will be done in case a customer wants to switch from iOS to Android, or vice versa, while they own their BMW. CarPlay will be free for one year after the purchase of a new BMW vehicle, the automaker’s technology product manager Don Smith explained, but will be $80 a year after that.
“A lot of people buy [Apple CarPlay] and think it’s okay, but sometimes they stop using it or switch to Android,” he told the publication.
SEE ALSO: BMW, Mercedes Plan to Test Subscription Services in US
Despite CarPlay’s appearance in entry-level cars, BMW still charges users $300 for it for it on vehicles already equipped with navigation. The automaker also does not offer Android Auto on its vehicles either. This during a time when virtually the entire world has a mobile phone running iOS or Android, and CarPlay is standard on a $13,000 Chevrolet Spark.
But don’t worry, future BMW cars will at least have Amazon Alexa. That way you can yell at your car to order you some picture frames and a Bluetooth speaker while you’re supposed to be driving.
[Source: The Verge]
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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Ridiculous...