In defence of the PCM vs Apple CarPlay
When I recently moved to a 911, I assumed I would migrate to using CarPlay full-time. I thought the only thing keeping me on the PCM on Taycan was the HV battery pre-conditioning for fast charing. But that hasn't happened and it surprised me.
The main reason is that the PCM Navigation is much better on longer trips with multiple stops than any CarPlay navigation app I have tried (Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze).
With the PCM Navigation with a quick glance I can get an overview of the following:
- Total distance remaining
- Total estimated time remaining
- List of planned stops and the time/distance to each one
- Any disruptions (traffic, road closures) ahead on the entire route
Compared to CarPlay (with multiple planned stops):
- Distance to next stop
- Time to next stop
- Any current traffic disruption that you are currently in
CarPlay is annoyingly focused on what is happening right now or to the next stop only. When I am navigating a route to a ferry and want to make sure I make it on time, I want to know what my overall route situation and estimated arrival time is at all times.
The lack of this on CarPlay effectively rules out its use for me except for the simplest point-to-point routes. And it seems to be a limitation of all CarPlay apps. Likely related to the "templating" nature of CarPlay that Apple enforces.
Some other things I like about the PCM Navigation on the 911:
- It shows up turn/roundabout navigation hints within the speedometer as you approach.
- Similarly, it pops up a map on the right "tubes" as you approach route changes, making it easier to notice them on a longer leg. I find I miss turn or motorway exists less as I rarely have navigation voice prompts on.
- I like that the UI aesthetic of the PCM fits the car better than the more generic "cartoonish" UI of CarPlay.
- You don't have to fight the phone running navigation when you unplug it at a stop and want to quickly use it for something else.
For balance, things I prefer about CarPlay are:
- The navigation prompts are more accurate and descriptive and Apple renders a very accurate (not Hollywood "oirish") Irish accent!
- Using iMessage via Siri; though this is double edged as it increases driver distractions. I'm increasingly making an effort to ensure that my driving time is when I'm not reachable.
- Using Apple Lossless via a USB-C cable provides a better source for the BOSE amplifier vs streaming Apple Music via the PCM. However, this isn't really that noticeable on most music to my ears and especially once the flat-six engine is over 3,000 RPM.
- As the PCM ages and Porsche updates (such as they ever were) stop happening, CarPlay will continue to be improved, modernised and supported.
For me, the benefits of the PCM still outweigh CarPlay but as it improves at a quick rate this might change. I do not enjoy the lag that using the PCM involves (its the same tech platform as on the J1.1 Taycan).
How to get Apple Lossless natively via the PCM
If you use Apple Music and download music as lossless (an option in the settings) onto your iPhone. When you plug it in via USB, it mounts as an iPod using Apple's "external accessory" protocol.
You do not need to launch Apple Music on the phone for this to work, it will just mount the music library in the background and make it available as an "iPod" source. Kinda amazing that this still works and is fully supported.
The USB 2.0 interface between the PCM and the iPhone means the audio will be resampled as PCM audio at 48 kHz/16-bit – the same as CD audio. While this is lower quality than the rare "Hi-Res Lossless" that Apple supports on limited albums, it's still CD quality and significantly better than the 256 kbps nature of standard Apple Music or Bluetooth audio.
I catalogue my playlists into folders, but the iPod protocol doesn't understand them, so it will present your playlists as a flat list, but otherwise works fine.
