Sometimes, one can be so right, while also being so very wrong.
I was listening to the excellent Decoder podcast, which is normally hosted by Nilay Patel, but this week was hosted by the possibly-even-more-incredible Joanna Stern. She was interviewing Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, and as usual, it was an excellent conversation.
Nearly everything RJ said, I found myself nodding along with. And then things took a turn.
Joanna is — quite publicly — the lessee of a Mustang Mach-E. She, like me, is a fan of CarPlay, and loves to needle automotive CEOs about it. (Joanna and Nilay are both my kinda people.)
She asked RJ “Do you still hate CarPlay?”, which is perfect. Here’s a clip from Overcast:
And a transcript:
You know, one of the main reasons I got a Mach-e, actually, had to do with CarPlay. Do you still hate CarPlay?
Haha, funny way to ask it. No, we definitely don’t hate CarPlay. We’ve taken a decision which — I’m very confident in the fullness of time, customers will appreciate — which is, we wanted to have a seamless digital experience.
RJ is both so right and so very wrong.
A guy I know has said many times, “Don’t bet against the smartphone.” That’s exactly what RJ is doing here.
RJ is right: customers do want a seamless digital experience. People want to be able to listen to their music and play their podcasts seamlessly. They want to switch between their phone, car, and headphones seamlessly. Customers want to seamlessly respond to text messages, see their calendar, take calls, and more.
I could not possibly care less if my car has a seamless digital experience. It’s a stupid car.
On the surface, any modern car equipped with Bluetooth seems like it should be able to do all of these things, but it is at best a mediocre experience. Generally, it’s difficult, frustrating, and clunky.
A far better solution is CarPlay — a representation of your phone’s information and apps, designed
specifically for use in a moving weapon vehicle.
RJ is wrong: customers do not want a seamless digital experience within the apps on their car. Customers want a seamless digital experience with their smartphones. Everywhere.
CarPlay is the way you get it.
I don’t care if my experience in my car’s ecosystem is seamless. That’s ancillary to the real thing I want to be seamless: my phone.
The last three cars we’ve bought — in 2017, 2018, and 2024 — have all natively supported CarPlay. Sitting here now, I will not buy another car that does not support CarPlay.
But maybe I’m being unfair? Much of my dismay with in-car infotainment was honed in the 2010s. I had a 2011 BMW that had a revolutionary system that I genuinely quite liked, but was also really dated by the time we sold the car in 2018.
Charitably, Rivian’s software probably could handle most of my needs while I’m driving. My understanding is that I could have texts read to me — and perhaps even respond to them? I could use Apple Music. Maybe I could even see my calendar, to quickly navigate to my next appointment?
But I won’t be able to pick a new podcast in Overcast. Which I do… a lot more than you’d think.
I also have a handful of other CarPlay apps that I don’t consider critical, but I do use regularly. I like being able to flip between Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze, as I see the need, for example. Is that possible in the Rivian?
I’m willing to believe I’m wrong, though. Maybe Rivian’s software really is that good. In the off chance someone from Rivian is reading this, I’m happy to borrow a R1 for a week and give it an honest evaluation. Perhaps I’d find myself yearning for CarPlay less than I thought.
But what if RJ is wrong? There’s no reason Rivian can’t have their bespoke and seamless experience for those that prefer it, and offer CarPlay for those that want it. Are RJ and Rivian willing to lose sales over this? The forthcoming R2 looks great, and the R3 looks amazing. The R3 looks like a car made for Casey Liss. I’d be first in line for a reservation… if it supported CarPlay. It doesn’t.
If I do get the chance to try an extended Rivian test, I’m curious to see what I conclude. My money says my conclusion will remain the same, even if I don’t believe it as devoutly:
Don’t bet against the smartphone.