Will GM Regret Kicking Apple CarPlay off the Dashboard?
The uneasy relationship between Detroit and Cupertino is on display in a flawed rollout of GM’s new software.
The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV was the nicest ride Michael Waldron had ever owned. When he purchased the $62,000 electric SUV last November, he was enamored with its “radiant red” paint, buttery acceleration and deluxe interior with slick displays stretched across the dash. There was just one big thing missing: Apple CarPlay.
General Motors Co., Chevy’s parent, had revealed the prior spring that it was ditching support for Apple Inc.’s infotainment hub in its new EVs so it could bolster GM’s in-house Ultifi platform. It was a buckle-your-seatbelt move. For tens if not hundreds of millions of drivers, CarPlay has become the default home screen of the center console, an iPhone-enabled grid of apps available in vehicles ranging from Fords to Ferraris. According to Apple, as of 2022, 79% of US car buyers would only consider purchasing cars that were CarPlay compatible.