Do I have to buy an iphone after all?

I am taking delivery tomorrow and I have been thinking if one should switch to an iPhone in order to take full advantage of all the tech features of the F10's infotainment system? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and it is not even in the list of compatible phones on the bmwusa.com! BMW is always talking about iPhone and iPod, which is kind of annoying.

I'm in the same boat - with the difference that I only have SII, so perhaps more reasons to upgrade. But frankly, the Samsung has served me so well that were it not for my F10, I wouldn't need to change it at all - no at the moment....

Originally Posted by hufington

I am taking delivery tomorrow and I have been thinking if one should switch to an iPhone in order to take full advantage of all the tech features of the F10's infotainment system? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and it is not even in the list of compatible phones on the bmwusa.com! BMW is always talking about iPhone and iPod, which is kind of annoying.

Im not sure, i have an old Samsung Infuse.
It connects instantaneously via bluetooth. no probs with making and receiving calls.
it has bluetooth streaming too, but i use the built in HD for songs.

maybe the BMW Apps are only for Iphone.. but i never found them worth anything.

I guess I did it backwards I had the iPhone so I got the BMW to go with it

I don't know about those phones but I would think if you just want a phone as a phone & as music player it should be fine with a Bluetooth connection.

The BMW Apps are kinda cool, I can unlock/lock my car with my iPhone, honk the horn, flash the lights & the only thing I really use is I can google a location & send it to the nav. If your into it you can plug in the iPhone & download the news, Facebook, twitter get info about your vehicle on your phone etc.

But in reality I rarely plug it in. It works so seamlessly as a phone, music player via Bluetooth that I just leave my phone on my belt. At some point probably after I trade my iPhone 4S for the next version of an iPhone 5 I will get the insert so I can use the external antenna.

Blows me away that apple ios which has like a 28% market share to androids almost 60% (actually android had a 74% market share this past 4th quater) is the preferred phone in these high end cars. Do Germans not know how to do math?

Also I have the my BMW remote app that I side loaded to my SIII and the send to car app. Seems this does the same as the iPhone BMW apps? I think there is an android version as well. Don't have the car yet so haven't used these apps.

Also I have an iPod touch 32gb I never use so ill probably use that in the BMW.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

If you want to use BMW Apps then yes.

Originally Posted by DieselNY

Blows me away that apple ios which has like a 28% market share to androids almost 60% (actually android had a 74% market share this past 4th quater) is the preferred phone in these high end cars. Do Germans not know how to do math?

Also I have the my BMW remote app that I side loaded to my SIII and the send to car app. Seems this does the same as the iPhone BMW apps? I think there is an android version as well. Don't have the car yet so haven't used these apps.

Also I have an iPod touch 32gb I never use so ill probably use that in the BMW.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

Really annoying but reality. I did not even know that there was a similar app for androids.

Originally Posted by hufington

Really annoying but reality. I did not even know that there was a similar app for androids.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid+bmw+apps

Doesn't download if you are in the US. You'd have to search google for the apk to side load. If you don't find it let me know I may be able to get it off my phone and put it on dropbox for you to download.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by DieselNY

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid+bmw+apps

Doesn't download if you are in the US. You'd have to search google for the apk to side load. If you don't find it let me know I may be able to get it off my phone and put it on dropbox for you to download.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

Couldn't find.

Check pm.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by DieselNY

Blows me away that apple ios which has like a 28% market share to androids almost 60% (actually android had a 74% market share this past 4th quater) is the preferred phone in these high end cars. Do Germans not know how to do math?

Also I have the my BMW remote app that I side loaded to my SIII and the send to car app. Seems this does the same as the iPhone BMW apps? I think there is an android version as well. Don't have the car yet so haven't used these apps.

Also I have an iPod touch 32gb I never use so ill probably use that in the BMW.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

Iphone is superior to any android phone, is about the quality of the product, hardware and OS are designed to work together, BMW has a similar philosophy , is about the quality and performance. Android may have more market share than Iphone, like toyota has more market share than BMW. Germans know about engineering, quality, and performance, is not surprising that BMW would prefer Iphone over android. Maybe Honda and Toyota prefer Samsung and HTC android phones? who knows?

Originally Posted by DieselNY

Check pm.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

Great. Thanks.

i put my company phone sim card(unlimited internet) in my old iphone 4 and leave it on the car and forward the calls to my personal cell phone.

Originally Posted by casper

Iphone is superior to any android phone, is about the quality of the product, hardware and OS are designed to work together, BMW has a similar philosophy , is about the quality and performance. Android may have more market share than Iphone, like toyota has more market share than BMW. Germans know about engineering, quality, and performance, is not surprising that BMW would prefer Iphone over android. Maybe Honda and Toyota prefer Samsung and HTC android phones? who knows?

Apple releases 2 year old technology but packages it in such a way that the 17 yr old girls go nuts and have to have one then unfortunately BMW and some others get suckered in too. Apple is years behind Android in so many ways. I was playing with the iphone 5 when it 1st came out (client of mine had it) I felt like I was playing with Atari. Took me all of 15 seconds to try every feature or lack thereof it had. Definitely a downgrade from the Android platform.

Originally Posted by DieselNY

but packages it in such a way that the 17 yr old girls go nuts

liked this part.. very true!

Originally Posted by DieselNY

Apple releases 2 year old technology but packages it in such a way that the 17 yr old girls go nuts and have to have one then unfortunately BMW and some others get suckered in too. Apple is years behind Android in so many ways. I was playing with the iphone 5 when it 1st came out (client of mine had it) I felt like I was playing with Atari. Took me all of 15 seconds to try every feature or lack thereof it had. Definitely a downgrade from the Android platform.

+1. It's a repackaged repackage basically. Has one new feature and change of size each time a "new" one comes out. That's it.

Originally Posted by DieselNY

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid+bmw+apps

It reads the app is incompatible with my Samsung Galaxy SII - one of the most popular Android phones. Now I realize there are newer models, but I have just upgraded to 4.1.2 and the smartphone is really fast and stable - so what the heck?

Edit: Just noticed the problem is not compatibiity, but locale limitation - may I also ask for PM'ing me the apk, DieselNY?

TIA

I really enjoy a few of the apps. MOG is really cool and I had not heard of it prior to getting my car. The data base of MOG is great. Type in pretty much any song from any time period and it's there. Similar to Pandora but much more detailed. You can save songs as favorites or download them to listen to again later.

The other app I enjoy is through the app BMW Connected. Within this App are a handful of other apps. My favorite is Web Radio, which provides a huge selection of sations from all over the globe. I'm in Texas and my New Foundland friends can listen to their favorite hometown station "OZ". Just choose the the location... Example: Europe... Germany...Berlin...then many stations will appear to choose from.

The whole system is done so perfectly I would say that unfortunately you should stay with the iPhone

I have a Galaxy S3, and am an avid Apple fan (owe any success I've attained due to their Laptops/Computers/OS which allowed me to do things that I couldn't have done without their existence).

My S3 seems to be have a lot of setbacks with iDrive, like I can't even stream Music off my phone via Bluetooth, can't send Texts, can't figure out how to get EMail, etc.

My Brothers iPhone works marvelously with my iDrive. One simple connection and it's completely transparent, you even now get SIRI as your voice control through your car when they're paired. I'm looking forward to getting back into an iPhone for a multitude of reasons, personally. The kicker is when I saw just how well it works with iDrive.

Supposedly BMW apps will finally be compatible with Android (only certain ones) coming July 2013. I'm assuming this will only work on new cars not our current cars. I have an iPhone and love it because its reliable as hell and the apple eco system works for me, but I do agree that Apple is always behind Android in features and openess

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by casper

Iphone is superior to any android phone, is about the quality of the product, hardware and OS are designed to work together, BMW has a similar philosophy , is about the quality and performance. Android may have more market share than Iphone, like toyota has more market share than BMW. Germans know about engineering, quality, and performance, is not surprising that BMW would prefer Iphone over android. Maybe Honda and Toyota prefer Samsung and HTC android phones? who knows?

Agreed. Apple is firstly a better company for BMW to align themselves with, as Apple has a strong and focused brand image that is purely about aspirational status (i.e competes and portrays itself in a solely premium-field type of way), yet makes lots of money doing so, and gets its products into massive amounts of hands (sounds like BMW's M.O).

The craftsmanship/workmanship/material selection alone is enough for BMW to "look good" being aligned with, as it mirrors how BMW likes to present their own in that field. Jony Ive is considered the greatest Industrial Designer in the world, and many BMW designers have literally said that Apple products have inspired the design of their entire current design language, not to mention BMW designers have said that the new trend of White being the hottest color on a car is due to Apple, i.e when they started putting white around their iProducts. Point being, BMW has a massive respect and credits Apple for pretty much their entire design philosophy. They even put a wannabe iPad in their 6ers.

As for software, I think Android is good (I have one now), but I think iOS is better, yes it may lack some features but the mating of hardware/software is so fluid, I have no crappy Samsung bloatware to deal with, etc. etc.

The GS3 has served me well but compared to my friends iPhone 5, there's absolutely nothing my phone does better. His phone is much faster, the OS/icons look classier, his screen is much sharper, pictures look accurate (the GS3 shows far too much over-saturation, and has less PPI than the iPhone 5), his Apps are MUCH better (I miss so many iOS Apps or versions of Apps that are better on iOS, like CNBC for Stocks, for one), his phone is thinner and lighter, my screen is bigger (a pain to carry around but it's the one thing that is keeping me with my S3, that and the fact that I got it so cheap I was literally paid in gift cards by Best Buy since I used different discounts applied toward it during Holiday Season), to keep it. Of course, his phone looks and feels "expensive" and classy with all aluminum and Gorilla Glass, while my S3 has tacky looking faux-aluminum which is just silver painted plastic, mediocre-at-best fit finish, and a cheap plastic plastic material quality and look and feel for the asking price (plastic is of such low quality it's the type that gets easily greasy and fingerprinted.... though I have a case over mine so it's less of an issue I guess). Oh, and his Camera even blows mine away.

Experiences will vary, and people like to really dramatize one OS over another, but IMO Apple gets lots of unwarranted flack these days, as I feel they still put out the best products when you judge them on a grand scale, and have a business model which is unique and has revolutionized the business world, been copied by EVERYONE, and is quite inspiring, IMO.

Originally Posted by DieselNY

Blows me away that apple ios which has like a 28% market share to androids almost 60% (actually android had a 74% market share this past 4th quater) is the preferred phone in these high end cars. Do Germans not know how to do math?

Also I have the my BMW remote app that I side loaded to my SIII and the send to car app. Seems this does the same as the iPhone BMW apps? I think there is an android version as well. Don't have the car yet so haven't used these apps.

Also I have an iPod touch 32gb I never use so ill probably use that in the BMW.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Bimmer App

It is about Quality, not quantity. Apple products are luxury items for discerning buyers and BMW identifies with that concept.

Droids are for the masses. They will never have the same cachet.

Originally Posted by K-A

...not to mention BMW designers have said that the new trend of White being the hottest color on a car is due to Apple, i.e when they started putting white around their iProducts.

To be honest white was the best-selling color for many years globally way before Apple used white in its products and also this has something to do with white being free (in most car brands) as opposed to all other colors (except black) requiring extra payment.

Originally Posted by HD34

But in reality I rarely plug it in. It works so seamlessly as a phone, music player via Bluetooth that I just leave my phone on my belt. At some point probably after I trade my iPhone 4S for the next version of an iPhone 5 I will get the insert so I can use the external antenna.

My Samsung GSII also works perfectly via Bluetooth - as a phone, SMS reader (but not sender) device, and even as a music source. However, I mainly do pretty long journeys, and I'd like to be able to charge the battery while using it (this seems more important to me than the external antenna) - so I'd like to snap it in. Unfortunately, there are no snap-in adapters available to any Samsung models - and even if we assume they will arrive with time, I doubt my aged GSII will be covered (with GSIV on the horizon)...

This, plus BMW Apps, are the main reasons I'm considering the upgrade to iPhone (speaking of which, currently there is no snap-in adapter for iPhone 5 either - only the 4 and 4S - but it's most probably coming).

Before I fork the cash for an iPhone though, I'd really like to test my GSII with the Android version of BMW Apps - would appreciate sharing the apk with me as it cannot be downloaded in Poland. If the tests fail, it will be one more incentive to go Apple

Originally Posted by DieselNY

Apple releases 2 year old technology but packages it in such a way that the 17 yr old girls go nuts and have to have one then unfortunately BMW and some others get suckered in too. Apple is years behind Android in so many ways. I was playing with the iphone 5 when it 1st came out (client of mine had it) I felt like I was playing with Atari. Took me all of 15 seconds to try every feature or lack thereof it had. Definitely a downgrade from the Android platform.

You are so wrong and you do not even know it...