[cloin]

I’m not even that old, but I’d really love to argue to simplify the entire auto infotainment stack. I don’t even need a screen. I just bring my own by magnetically attaching my phone that I’ll use to navigate and Bluetooth music or podcasts. If CarPlay becomes the standard that allows me to not pay for whatever crappy tablet UI automakers are pushing, fine. But that doesn’t make CarPlay a necessity, it just makes it the least bad option.

[crooked-v]

It sounds like you want a Slate: https://www.slate.auto/en The closest it gets to an infotainment system is a tablet mount.

[Telaneo]

A rear camera is mandatory on new cars in the US these days, and it's honestly a good idea to have them either way. This makes a screen a necessity more or less no matter what (I can't see it being implemented with a bring-your-own tablet solution).

That doesn't mean they have to ship most of the infotainment system though. They could just leave that hole there for Carplay to fill. But that would be admiring defeat, and we can't have that.

[hparadiz]

The rear and mirror cameras being active is one reason I don't like it when my phone is connected to it because they overlay what Carplay/Android Auto is trying to show. It's sort of like downgrading from dual screen to one.

[Telaneo]

I've never found it to be inconvenient. When I'm reversing, I'm not using Carplay actively. I guess it could be annoying if you're a passenger trying to key in a destination or something, but I'd just use my phone in that case (or have the driver unlock their phone).

[hparadiz]

My car has side cameras that activate when the turn signals are active and that is usually precisely at the same time that I need to see directions for a major interchange or similar. I'm guessing it's been fixed but I find mixing the UI of my phone with my car's built in UI can create some unexpected behaviors.

[Telaneo]

That's horrible. That'd be a no-buy from me if I were to discover it during a test drive.

[NetMageSCW]

Slate handles that by replacing the dash gauges with the rear view while reversing.

[artisinal]

Many European EVs work like that. Fiat, Opel, Citroen have models without even a radio.