Rivian has introduced Apple Music to its vehicles but continues to resist incorporating Apple CarPlay, emphasizing a desire to maintain control over its ecosystem. In a recent interview with The Verge, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe discussed the automaker's relationship with Apple and the reasoning behind this decision.
Scaringe compared the situation to Apple developing a Mac and choosing not to integrate Windows software. "We have a great relationship with Apple," Scaringe said. "[But] imagine Apple was developing a Mac, and there was someone that had a software application — let's maybe call it Windows — and they said, 'We have a turnkey platform that everybody knows how to use,' would they have put that in their car?"
"Would they have developed their own iOS? We know how that played out," he continued. "So, as much as I love their products, there's a reason that ironically is very consistent with Apple ethos for us to want to control the ecosystem."
Scaringe argues that using CarPlay requires drivers to switch between interfaces to control various car functions. "For example, if you're in CarPlay and want to open the front trunk, you have to leave the application and go to another interface," he explained. This ignores Apple's claims about future CarPlay versions, which aim to integrate more deeply with vehicle systems.
Despite Scaringe's focus on the current state of CarPlay, he acknowledges the need for Rivian to enhance its in-car systems. "I think the biggest complaint today around the lack of CarPlay is the improvements we need to make in mapping, which are coming," he said. "We recognize that it'll take us time to fully capture every feature that's in CarPlay, and hopefully, customers are seeing that. I think [CarPlay] often gets more noise than it deserves."
Nevertheless, Rivian's addition of Apple Music in 2024, complete with Dolby Atmos, marks a significant upgrade in the audio experience for its vehicles. "It's a big step up improvement in the audio performance of the vehicle," said Scaringe. "It's awesome to have Apple Music in the car."
Apple did not mention CarPlay in its WWDC 2024 keynote but has added some features to it for iOS 18, signaling ongoing development and potential future enhancements.
