GM’s in-car software is about as good as many people expected

GM pissed a lot of people off when they announced they were moving away from CarPlay and Android Auto. When the rubber hit the road (literally), would it be worth it? Would GM achieve the “holistic integration” they envisioned?

Not so much.

Richard Lawler for The Verge:

GM has paused sales of its brand-new Chevy Blazer EV following reports of significant issues. […] Chevrolet vice president Scott Bell said, “We’re aware that a limited number of customers have experienced software-related quality issues with their Blazer EV.

I’m curious how limited the issue is. They have to not only pause sales but schedule appointments for people to come in and update the software in their vehicles like it’s 2005. Seems like a pretty big deal.

Google and Ford working together on self-driving cars

Ron Amadeo for Ars Technica:

Google just found a major partner for its self-driving car program. A report from Yahoo Autos claims that, during CES, Ford will announce a joint venture between it and Google to build self-driving cars.

Similar to how the company handles its Nexus line of phones, it only makes sense to keep the hardware in the hands of people who’ve been doing it for years and let Google handle the software.

Interesting contrast to how Apple is handling the development of their car project, which is apparently being done entirely in-house but includes former Ford employees amongst others.