Apple CarPlay

Gerg

I've got the 8000NEX. Carplay is still improving, I need to try it again after the iOS9 upgrade, but from what I'd found before, the native maps and nav in the 8000NEX were still superior as far as actual helpfulness in driving.

Plus, you still have to plug in your phone and unlock it to use CarPlay. Apple has hinted that wireless access to CarPlay is coming in the future, and that will be the real deciding feature for me. Never having to take you phone out of your pocket, plug it in, unlock it, and find a suitable resting place will make it so much better of a feature.

Siri on CarPlay is an amazing feature in theory, but a lot of factors get in the way of actual benefits. The quality of your microphone, where you place it, and ambient/road noise still seem to get in the way of good voice recognition much of the time... often making it easier to stop and type in what you're looking for, rather than being able to use the voice commands that it was intended to provide. That, and there is still no universally good workaround to set up the 370z's bluetooth steering wheel button to an aftermarket unit, so you're forced to use the siri button on the screen... which means taking your eyes off the road.

Again... defeating the process.

All in all, it's a great idea. And the tech is continually being improved, updating much more often than the native Pioneer stuff, but it's not a perfect system yet by any means.


That all being said, the 8000NEX (and now the 8100NEX) is a fantastic HU, and I would highly recommend it even besides the CarPlay component. The capacitive touch screen is much more like your phone, and much more responsive than the older style screens. It is pretty glossy, though, which can lead to some viewing issues with glare.