Luso

New poster--I have been lurking here looking for info on some pioneer head units. Can't get a straight answer from best buy techs...but essentially when I get the SC, I want to have a head unit installed that will be compatible with apple carplay. The reason I picked pioneer is that their "Nex" lineup of head units are already on the market, and pioneer has said they will release a firmware update to include carplay in early summer 2014

Eventually the market will be flooded with other companies that also will make compatible units (kenwood has also said they will have them in 2015)

My question is, has anyone installed any of the pioneer nex head units in the sc? I absolutely need this carplay system as it ostensibly makes your iPhones features completely mirror onto the head unit, eliminating the need for navigation, music integration, text, streaming, podcast, and calling features. It would be perfect for me.

Edit- I did search the board and found nothing on these units specifically being installed on an SC430

Any experience with these units with any sc owners?

http://www.pioneer-carglobal.com/CarPlay/

Luso

let me rephrase my question since it is probably unlikely that many have installed these specific units; i keep reading about the "beatsonic" interface in my search of the forum. Is this component necessary to have any aftermarket head unit communicate with the speakers?

is it not possible to install an aftermarket unit and have it communicate with the stock speakers? Is it only because the aftermarket unit will not work with the steering wheel controls that people get the beatsonic, or is it a deeper reason? just looking to get educated as I am new to this car. I don't understand why every conceivable car in the world can take an aftermarket unit but it seems there is this unspoken consensus here that you need to have the beatsonic, which makes me think I am missing some compatibility issue

kjcole

See the other thread you started. I believe that the issue lies with retaining the factory navigation feature.

Luso

that was someone else's thread, I only commented on that one because mine wasn't getting traction. I wouldn't care about losing the stock navigation as most modern head units have navigation, plus, the apple carplay will pull navigation from the phone which is better anyway, and always up to date

FLYCT

See posting #12 in this thread;

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...-question.html

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I played with a Pioneer NEX demo unit at a store the other day. It's fairly nice in the standard OS if a bit complicated to switch between CD, AM and FM. I'd have liked some simplified way to access those things without thinking about it twice. Perhaps the Carplay interface will also control those features. Pioneer navigation seemed okay but I'm biased from having used Garmin and Google Maps so much.

For what it's worth I'm strongly considering a NEX for my SC300 because of the Carplay firmware update. That or Nakamichi has to come to plate soon.

Luso

carplay definitely will not control your CDs or your standard radio.

for me, the only thing I use outside of the features that will be already within carplay (my own music, podcasts, and streaming radio like iTunes radio/pandora, nav, etc) is Satelite Radio. So I will only have to deal with one thing outside of that interface, so it will work for me. If we were a year ahead, I might consider a different company but they will be the first to market, and I can't drive around for a year in this car with no satelite radio or updated interface to play my digital music, so pioneer it will be

now what I wonder is if you have to install the firmware by sticking the USB drive in the back of the unit..if that is the case, it would require another uninstall after putting it in. I have to find that out.If that's the case, I will just buy it and wait for the update, get the firmware, and then have it installed