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MN7119

macrumors 6502
Mar 7, 2011
486
564
It was a very customer-hostile and foolish pricing exercise, which could easily have been predicted to be met with extremely negative feedback.

It was completely unnecessary, and only succeeded in pissing off their (decreasingly) loyal buyers—which they are free to do, if they so wish. Which they apparently did.

That’s not how a smart business rolls, and no kudos are due. Whoever implemented that little doozie without any market research should probably be fired, as they don’t understand how a stupid pricing exercise can lead to a loss of hard-earned customer good will, as well as potentially lasting brand damage. Penny wise and pound foolish.
Agree that was stupid for BMW to charge but cannot disagree more with your comment about "decreasingly" loyal buyers. Really? Based on what? With BMW now having every single series from 1 to 8 and many versions of the same cars I see more BMW on the road than Ford or Chevrolet. So not sure where the decrease in loyalty comes from.
 

s54

Suspended
Sep 25, 2012
505
586
BMW has become so incredibly stingy over the years that it makes me not want to own one again.

They have a history of increasing maintenance plan coverage while at the same time increasing maintenance intervals. There was a time when the maintenance plan was relatively short while the oil change intervals were 7,500 miles. As maintenance plan duration increased, so did oil change intervals; from 7,500 to 10,000 to 15,000.

What a joke. They play these marketing tricks on everyone.
 
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wesk702

macrumors 68000
Jul 7, 2007
1,809
368
The hood



BMW in early 2018 decided to begin offering BMW customers CarPlay access for a subscription fee rather than a one-time fee, requiring BMW owners to pay $80 per year to use CarPlay after the first year of owning a BMW vehicle.

No other car manufacturer that offers CarPlay charges a monthly fee, so this change was understandably unpopular with BMW customers. Prior to the subscription fee, BMW charged a one-time $300 upgrade fee.

bmw_carplay_main-800x511.jpg

Given the negative sentiment over the subscription charges, BMW is now changing its plans. According to a BMW spokesperson that spoke with British site AutoCar, BMW will now offer CarPlay for free for the lifetime of the car on all models that have the latest ConnectedDrive infotainment system installed.

Models that do not use the latest system, such as the i3 and the i8, will now require a one-time fee instead of the subscription access. Going forward, in vehicles with the new system, CarPlay will be available at no cost.

U.S. site Autoblog has confirmed that BMW is also making this change in the United States. "BMW is always looking to satisfy our customers' needs and this policy change is intended to provide BMW owners with a better ownership experience," a BMW spokesperson told Autoblog after being asked why the change was made.

It's not yet clear when BMW customers who already pay for a subscription will be able to stop paying for CarPlay access, nor is there word on whether BMW will be reimbursing customers who already paid for a longterm CarPlay subscription.

Article Link: BMW No Longer Charging Monthly Fee for CarPlay in Cars With Newest Software
Ditching the BMW for a Model 3 has been the best decision ever. Used to love the 3 series and x5, but absolutely sick of them now and good riddance.
 

PictorGuy

macrumors member
Sep 28, 2016
31
31
Seattle
BMW's ID6 and ID7 are generally better than CarPlay and supports the inputs (scroll wheel touch pad) and display (HUD) that CarPlay doesn't. I'm glad this is now included at N/C but CarPlay has a ways to go before I start using it again on a modern BMW. However, it's a great alternative to the poor infotainment available in rental cars.
 

Ghost31

macrumors 68040
Jun 9, 2015
3,338
5,144
Ditching the BMW for a Model 3 has been the best decision ever. Used to love the 3 series and x5, but absolutely sick of them now and good riddance.
A model 3 as in Tesla? They have no CarPlay at all. Something I would sorely miss
 
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vipergts2207

macrumors 601
Apr 7, 2009
4,275
9,532
Columbus, OH
You can tell who the BMW owners are in this thread lol.

BMW: "Here's an expensive luxury car. By the way you have to give us money in perpetuity for a minor feature that comes standard on basically every other car, including Hyundais and Toyotas, and that has no recurring cost on our end."

The original decision to make CarPlay a subscription service was laughable and garbage, and BMW is tacitly admitting as much by doing away with it. What kind of respectable luxury car doesn't come with CarPlay standard?

Perhaps we missed where BMW made turn signals a subscription feature?
 

BlargKing

macrumors 6502
Apr 17, 2014
470
821
NewBrunswick, Canada
Are you talking about Apple or BMW?

BMW.
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BMWs aren't overpriced. Neither are Apple products. Confused.
BMW are overpriced. Their cars offer nothing meaningful over any other brand that costs less. Your paying more for that little blue and white badge on the front.
 

gaximus

macrumors 68020
Oct 11, 2011
2,241
4,375
I tried the free demo and just found that the built-in infotainment (Deezer subscription) and sat nav was already great. Never worried me that I couldn't use CarPlay. I assume I can use it to for free now, which is okay, I guess.
What about in 5 years when the built-in infotainment center is outdated. With CarPlay and Android Auto, you cars infotainment system is always as up-to-date as your phone is. Also there are some great benefits, like when I start my car, Car Play knows what meetings and appointments I have and can start navigating to them. Alsop third party apps like Waze lets me know when there are accidents and can reroute me.

Car manufactures should leave infotainment systems to the phone software companies, UI is what they are good at.
 

Baymowe335

Suspended
Oct 6, 2017
6,640
12,451
BMW.
[automerge]1575488727[/automerge]

BMW are overpriced. Their cars offer nothing meaningful over any other brand that costs less. Your paying more for that little blue and white badge on the front.
Really? "Any" other brand? So BMWs and Kias are the same? LOL....

Go test drive one.

Meaning has a different definition to everyone. Just because you don't value something, doesn't mean it doesn't have value. BMWs are objectively better performing vehicles than Kias, so a person who values performance in their vehicle would rather own the BMW.
[automerge]1575489147[/automerge]
You can tell who the BMW owners are in this thread lol.

BMW: "Here's an expensive luxury car. By the way you have to give us money in perpetuity for a minor feature that comes standard on basically every other car, including Hyundais and Toyotas, and that has no recurring cost on our end."

The original decision to make CarPlay a subscription service was laughable and garbage, and BMW is tacitly admitting as much by doing away with it. What kind of respectable luxury car doesn't come with CarPlay standard?

Perhaps we missed where BMW made turn signals a subscription feature?
Yeah, but then you have to drive a Hyundai. Yuck. And no one signals these days. It's a stupidity thing...not a car thing.
 
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Baymowe335

Suspended
Oct 6, 2017
6,640
12,451
Ditching the BMW for a Model 3 has been the best decision ever. Used to love the 3 series and x5, but absolutely sick of them now and good riddance.
Of course you think it's a great decision. You made it. You have to tell yourself that was the right thing to do. Not saying the Model 3 is garbage or anything, but you certainly can't go on road trip, at least not in the same way. The fit and finish on Teslas is suspect too. Panel gaps and cheap finishes might be something you don't mind though.
 

NickName99

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2018
946
2,752
What a relief. Can you imagine being a BMW salesperson and trying to justify that? How embarrassing.

It’s like if Apple charged a monthly fee to use AirPods with your Android phone.
 
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zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,170
17,694
Florida, USA
It's unbelievable that BMW is trying to make money. What a bunch of greedy corporate running dogs!

Cars should be free! Everything should be free! Just like in the worker's paradise of the USSR! Those were the days, comrades, when we could ride our Volgas and marvel at the glory of our society.

The issue here is BMW charging a monthly fee to be able to use another company's products in its cars, when there is no server or service component to this (CarPlay is entirely local and doesn't require a server run by BMW) and when every other car maker, including far less expensive cars, provides it for free.

It's the equivalent of charging a monthly fee to be able to connect your phone with Bluetooth.

It was petty and ridiculous. If BMW wants to make a little extra money they can surely find a better place to do it that isn't insulting to the car buyer. Even a one time fee for CarPlay support to cover development costs and the Apple licensing would make more sense.
 

vipergts2207

macrumors 601
Apr 7, 2009
4,275
9,532
Columbus, OH
Really? "Any" other brand? So BMWs and Kias are the same? LOL....

Go test drive one.

Meaning has a different definition to everyone. Just because you don't value something, doesn't mean it doesn't have value. BMWs are objectively better performing vehicles than Kias, so a person who values performance in their vehicle would rather own the BMW.
[automerge]1575489147[/automerge]

Yeah, but then you have to drive a Hyundai. Yuck. And no one signals these days. It's a stupidity thing...not a car thing.

My point wasn't for or against Hyundai, just that everyone else but BMW, including the budget automakers, are offering CarPlay as a standard feature.
 
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NickName99

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2018
946
2,752
BMW.
[automerge]1575488727[/automerge]

BMW are overpriced. Their cars offer nothing meaningful over any other brand that costs less. Your paying more for that little blue and white badge on the front.

If they don’t sell well because the price is too high, that means they are overpriced. If they are premium products with premium prices that sell well, then I would not necessarily call them “overpriced”, just “expensive”.

This goes for any product, including Apple products.
 

falkon-engine

macrumors 65816
Apr 30, 2010
1,212
2,890
What a dumb move. Basically making an already expensive car even less attractive. If I wanna use Carplay, then why buy a BMW when Audi, for example, doesn't charge extra? Marketing 101.
 

entropys

macrumors 65816
Jan 5, 2007
1,230
2,334
Brisbane, Australia
I agree. If you don't like their business model, don't buy the cars. They disclose this beforehand at the dealership. I chose to pay for the subscription because I wanted the convenience of CarPlay. I welcome this change and don't expect other services BMW offers to follow.
Well yes. That is what I told the dealer when I said I won’t buy their stinking car! BMW do not pay Apple money for carplay, but wanted to charge a subscription to use it. Despicable policy.
I think BMW saw people like you as a cash cow, and you did not disabuse them of that view. Clearly though, many otherwise customers thought differently.
 

az431

Suspended
Sep 13, 2008
2,131
6,122
Portland, OR
It's unbelievable that BMW is trying to make money. What a bunch of greedy corporate running dogs!

Cars should be free! Everything should be free! Just like in the worker's paradise of the USSR! Those were the days, comrades, when we could ride our Volgas and marvel at the glory of our society.

Not single person who complained about the subscription fee argued that the entire car should be free.
[automerge]1575490257[/automerge]
Other than a small development effort up front, they had no recurring infrastructure costs, it makes way more sense to simply make is part of the value proposition of the vehicle.

There are, in fact, recurring costs in supporting CarPlay, but certainly not the $30 million+ that BMW was collecting via the fee.
 

wagsrules

macrumors newbie
Dec 18, 2011
25
10
So instead of just increasing the cost of the car for the licensing fees for Apple CarPlay and only charging those who wanted to use the feature, they will just increase the price of the car for everyone to include the license fee. They tried something different that consumers weren't happy about and have changed course. What people don't understand is that Apple does not allow manufacturers to include CarPlay without paying the license fees for it.
 
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