After Dropping CarPlay, GM Hires a Top Apple Exec

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GM Ditching CarPlay Impact on Aftermarket

General Motors announced it hired the head of Apple iCloud, Mike Abbott, to run the car maker’s software team, as it prepares to drop CarPlay/Android Auto from its future EVs.

Abbott will be in charge of creating GM software that will effectively be competing with CarPlay. He will head the development of vehicle “software technologies and solutions” and “delivery of digital services and features,”, said GM.

His appointment follows the announcement last month that GM will no longer offer CarPlay and Android Auto on new EVs starting with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV, as well as the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV, 2024 Cadillac Celestiq and 2025 GMC Sierra EV.

However GM will continue to feature CarPlay and Android Auto in its traditional gas-powered lineup.

GM CEO Mary Barra said, “Mike’s experience as a founder and entrepreneur coupled with his proven track record creating and delivering some of the market’s most compelling software-defined solutions for consumers and companies make him an excellent fit at GM.”

For its part, Ford will retain CarPlay and Android Auto.  Ford CEO Jim Farley told the Wall Street Journal this month, “In terms of content, we kind of lost that battle 10 years ago. So like get real with it, because you’re not going to make a ton of money on content inside the vehicle.” (See TheDrive).

Source: GM via 9to5Mac

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