This month I want to highlight an article that caught my eye, ‘Myth:’ BMW Says Apple CarPlay Isn’t As Popular As You Think, by Jeff Perez. This short article quotes a BMW SVP on their internal data regarding Apple CarPlay usage, and their subsequent conclusions.

When I read the headline, I found myself immediately rejecting BMW’s data-driven premise, and I presumed they were misinterpreting their data to support their business goals. Similarly, GM announced a year ago they are dropping CarPlay and Android Auto support in favor of their own in-house systems. The in-car systems can’t compete with Apple and Android’s customer experience, but are nonetheless attractive to the car manufacturers as a way to interact with and monetize customers.

I have seen data misuse occur plenty of times in professional settings, and the BMW narrative flies in the face of my experience. I don’t know if my sense is accurate; however, the BMW claim nonetheless makes me skeptical.

To help combat data misuse, here are a few bit of wisdom I learned during my career:

1. Data does not define reality, it contextualizes reality. The data we collect is only a partial model of reality, and thus we should not treat the data as if it completely describes the world. Data does not tell us what to do, but we should use it as much as possible. Don’t use data to make your decisions, instead use data to inform your decisions.
2. “When the data and the anecdotes disagree, the anecdotes are usually right.” – Jeff Bezos. Amazon is an incredibly data-driven company so this quote speaks volumes. Even Amazon – the data-centric company – recognizes that customer anecdotes tell richer, deeper stories versus internal data. The BMW data belies my lived experience. In-car systems aren’t as full featured, responsive, and user-friendly as our mobile phone apps, but they are one of the only portals car companies have to interact with customers outside of the service center. It makes me think BMW is better off seeking customer anecdotes to drive more customer-centricity throughout their products.
3. It‘s easy to unintentionally misuse data. We typically aren’t misusing data with bad intentions, but instead as a way to make quick, informed decisions. My advice is to lean in to data, but also look for signals when something doesn’t smell right. There’s a broad chasm between making quick decisions and analysis paralysis, and we can afford to be more thoughtful with how we apply our data.

https://www.motor1.com/news/771839/bmw-apple-carplay-not-popular-navigation/

“BMW has gathered data from over 10 million vehicles, and the results suggest that drivers typically prefer the automaker’s built-in navigation system over Apple Maps via CarPlay…That said, it’s unclear how many drivers prefer Google Maps or Waze via CarPlay as opposed to BMW’s built-in navigation.”