Apple consolidated the lineup of CarPlay partners on its website Tuesday morning and left off mention of 2014 availability, leading some Apple fans to conclude that launch of the iOS-in-your-car functionality would be delayed. However, Cult of Mac has learned that there was no hidden reason behind the site change this morning, and that CarPlay is still on track.
Sources at Apple told us speculation that “Apple is no longer promising CarPlay support from any auto manufacturer this year as it has done since its debut in March” is far off and inaccurate. CarPlay has been supported since iOS 7.1 and many manufacturers are still on track to roll out CarPlay integration this year.
In fact, you can already spot CarPlay in the wild.
Ferrari has added CarPlay to many of its vehicles on the road. Not everyone can afford a Ferrari, of course, but Hyundai says it’s still on track for a 2014 release. If you’re wondering when was CarPlay introduced, you can read more about its launch and early adoption here.
Volvo is also taking orders on its CarPlay-supported autos like the XC90, but we already knew those wouldn’t ship until 2015. Mercedes said publicly that CarPlay is delayed for its models, but Pioneer is still slated to release its CarPlay dash-kits by the end of 2014.
Basically, Apple has been CarPlay-ready since March 2014 with the release of iOS 7.1, but it’s been up to each auto manufacturer to set their own schedule for integration.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
11 responses to “CarPlay is still on track to arrive in 2014”
” Volvo is also taking orders on its CarPlay supported autos like xe90″
Volvo’s XC90 model.
Fixed, thanks.
Pioneer’s least expensive CarPlay unit is $700, and that doesn’t include the $150 steering wheel controller. CarPlay won’t be in my vehicle for a long, long time.
You can get it for about $550 on Amazon, but I saw one at a dealer and wasn’t impressed. Instead of a slot at the top to put a CD in, you had to push a button to lower the video screen sort of like a drawbridge on a castle in order to expose the CD slot behind it.
I forgot that cd players were even in cars. I just went out and looked at my car that I’ve had since 2008 and realized that I had one, not that I’ve ever needed it.
Yeah, I know. I still use mine. But then I’m from the generation that was even before 8-tracks and cassettes. The big thing when I was in high school was an under-dash record player that played 45s through the Delco speaker on your back package shelf. Careful not to go over those bumps too fast!
By the way, they’re calling it a DVD player, so I guess you get to watch a video while you’re driving.
you only need the screen to tilt a small amount for a CD, its not bad at all. To access the memory card, the screen has to drop all the way like a drawbridge.
Has there ever been any talk of Apple introducing an in-dash hardware alternative to those being offered by Pioneer and Alpine? Seems like it would be a natural fit, and the interface would be far more elegant than the often clunky alternatives.
I only wish I could dump my Ford Sync with Nav and completely install this gem.
Pioneer was “slated” to deliver CarPlay in “early summer” and not by the end of the year.
In terms of after-market radios, i.e. Pioneer, it’s already almost October. Having waited all summer, and now probably the rest of this fall, it’s tempting to wait for CES 2015 and buy the (inevitably) nex-gen in-dash unit. Or at least get a price-cut on the 2014 NEX units.