Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI (Getty Images)
Apple CarPlay is certainly the best way to use iPhone in your car and most major car manufacturers tend to agree. That is why this Apple service usually comes free with the vehicle, unless it’s a BMW. For some reason, this company only offered it as a $300 option that you may or may not use. However, it seems that they’ve somewhat realized the error of their ways and decided to make a change. Instead of paying the full price at the start, the buyers now need to subscribe for $80 per year, while the first year is free. With that change, BMW will surpass its initial charging in just 5 years.
Apple CarPlay Fees
Now, this piece of news triggered an interesting topic. Certainly, BMW is not the only manufacturer charging for this service and a lot of them indirectly justify their decision through Apple CarPlay fees. It makes sense that Apple would also charge car companies for the service, but how much? Well, the thing is that they don’t. Sure, you need to pay the Apple’s Made for iPhone licencing fee, but that’s a one-time payment that includes an array of Apple products. They don’t charge extra for Apple CarPlay itself.
With all this in mind, is the BMW’s subscription a good thing or not? People who have owned a car for a just a couple of years will save up through the annual payment system, but it is still a lot for what is essentially a free service. Although it seems unlikely, perhaps this is merely a step towards making it completely free sometime in the future. Perhaps they just want a steadier, continuous flow of money?
Let us know what you think about this in the comment section below. Do you own Apple CarPlay and is it worth your money?
