Hey Hendry, to an extent I agree with you
The intellilink is probably OK for people that either aren't used to having high quality stereo in the cars or don't want to pay extra for it or are more interested in gadgets than quality. However for me, just about every car I've owned for the last 20 years has had Alpine (or Pioneer etc) head units/amps and infinity speakers (even my old Land Rovers!). So in a way I've been spoilt. The sort of music I listen to also demands higher quality audio to really appreciate it (Heavy Metal, Classical and Opera).
I have no real interest in having apps in the car (other than sat nav) and certainly not ones that are primarily designed to work with iPhones.
If you are like me and have little interest in the apps but find the bluetooth, USB etc great then they are all standard features of any decent double DIN head unit these days anyway. My last Alpine HU had bluetooth, USB and DAB so the intellilink has nothing new to offer me.
My biggest gripe with intellilink is that there is no alternative offered by Vauxhall for people like me. I would not have minded if it was say an £800 option to have a double DIN Alpine mirrorlink enabled head unit and infinity speaker upgrade factory fitted. I would have happily had that instead of the intellilink. Alpine also do HU's specifically to suit Apple devices too so VX could have offered a tailored infotainment system to suit your preferred mobile O/S. Considering the high price of the LE (which is effectively the top/near top trim level) I see no reason why they couldn't offer an alternative. Sure I can fit my own but that involves logistics of taking it somewhere else, buying the interface cables/adaptor for the cars systems, taking off trim and potentially introducing squeaks and rattles when it is replaced and then having to declare the stereo as a 'modification' to the insurance. If it had been a factory option it would have been far less hassle.
Many decent aftermarket HU's also allow separate feeds of video to the rear seat screens while playing radio for the driver. This would be very useful for me with my kids and would easily justify the option cost. With more people like me downsizing from larger cars to smaller as taxation changes, fuel costs and congestion charges get more punitive I think the manufacturers need to start offering such things. Instead of offering a zillion different trim and engine levels VX should have offered a couple of infotainment solutions. I'm not the only one that thinks intellilink is cr*p and I'm sure I'm not the only one that would have paid a little more for a quality HU/sound system.