Apple’s CarPlay software for automobiles is quickly becoming a must-have feature for new car buyers, according to the latest rankings from J.D. Power.
Even though it was released four years ago, CarPlay is just starting to catch on with consumers who want a phone mirroring system on their dash. And when it comes to Apple vs Google, CarPlay’s satisfaction rating is significantly better than Android Autos.
The competition between iOS and Android is coming to your car. The recently announced Android Auto is Google’s answer to Apple’s CarPlay, and the two platforms offer similar features, with each promising to seamlessly connect smartphones to automobiles’ in-dash monitors.
As you might expect, though, there are some key differences between CarPlay and Android Auto beyond the type of phones with which they work. In today’s video, we take a look at the many features of the competing platforms, as well as the automakers who are partnering with Apple and Google, to help you decide which will be the best fit for you.
Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.
This week Cult of Mac Magazine looks under the hood at Apple’s new CarPlay iOS 7.
Called “smart and seamless” by those lucky enough to test it out behind the wheel of a Ferrari at the International Geneva Motor Show, the system will be coming to a dashboard near you as soon as 2014.
Reporter Luke Dormehl talks to experts about what the impact will be for the rest of us: whether smart driving and whether we’ll all be heading down the road to the quantified ride anytime soon.
There is a lot of misinformation about CarPlay — from Apple’s relationship with automakers to the suggestion that it’s working side-by-side with BlackBerry — and the analysts we spoke to have an interesting take on what the new system means for Apple and where the Cupertino company might be headed.
As always, we’re here for comments, suggestions and bug fixes, so send ’em to my email below or hit the “send” icon top right.
What comes first, the iOS or the car? It’ll be a toss up to see what turns more heads when Ferrari debuts Apple’s new CarPlay system tomorrow at the Geneva motor show.
The drool-worthy demo of the new iOS pairs it with the Italian carmaker’s much-anticipated California T, a 3.9-liter, direct-injected V8 convertible. Apple’s new Siri-controlled system will also be in play on the Ferrari FF, aka the Ferrari Four, a four-wheel drive, four seater, pictured above.
Maranello announced as of tomorrow, March 4, Ferrari drivers can benefit from a “simpler and safer” system to use their iPhones behind the wheel.
Stay tuned!
Via Ferrari
Months of iOS in the Car leaks finally culminated this morning with Apple revealing its new CarPlay system. It’s not quite the name we were expecting, but automakers like Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes have already integrated Apple’s system into future cars.
Volvo showcased CarPlay in its new XC90 SUV this morning, but here’s what CarPlay will like like for those rolling in a Benz:
As expected, Apple today announced that it is finally ready to launch its “iOS in the Car” iPhone integration setup for car infotainment systems.
Called CarPlay, Apple claims that it is “designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car.”
CarPlay is built primarily around Siri interactions, with voice commands and prompts giving users an “eyes-free” means of responding to incoming calls, dictating text messages, and accessing their music library. Apple’s Maps service is also an integral part of the system.
Apple will launch “iOS in the Car” with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo as partners at the Geneva Motor Show next week, according to the Financial Times.
While Apple has said that it has more than a dozen automobile manufacturers on board, the company is reportedly choosing to launch with the three aforementioned brands only. Apple executive Eddy Cue is a member of Ferrari’s board of directors.
Originally unveiled alongside iOS 7 at WWDC last summer, iOS in the Car is Apple’s interface for dash displays in vehicles. The extension of iOS lets the user navigate using Maps, make phone calls, control music, and use Siri without needing to touch an iPhone in the car.
Apple has said that iOS in the Car is a “key focus” for the company in 2014. A redesigned interface for iOS in the Car was discovered in iOS 7 last month. Automobile makers like Honda have been preparing their newer cars for the software with large touchscreens.
Source: Financial Times
Last week Steven Troughton-Smith treated us to the first screenshots of iOS in the Car, an upcoming feature that integrates your iPhone with a vehicle’s in-dash system. Now the developer’s digging though iOS 7.0.3 has resulted in a video of iOS in the Car in use on an iOS Simulator.
According to Steve’s findings, iOS in the Car supports multiple resolutions and touchscreens to allow for different hardware buttons, wheels and touchpad. Right now it only works with certain whitelisted Apple apps as there’s no public API for developers yet, and rather than including an onscreen keyboard the UI only accepts voice recognition input.
Check out the video below:
Developer Steven Troughton-Smith has uncovered screenshots of Apple’s unreleased interface for iOS in the Car, a feature that integrates an iOS device with a vehicle’s in-dash system. According to Troughton-Smith, iOS in the Car is in the current, public release of iOS 7.0.4. He assumedly found it after digging through the software’s code.
When Apple unveiled iOS 7 at WWDC last June, it teased iOS in the Car with a design that is pretty different from what Troughton-Smith has leaked. The screenshots reflect the iOS 7 aesthetic, and could very well represent the design Apple will ship to the public.
iOS in the Car has been labeled as “coming soon” since it was originally announced last summer. Apple has said at least a dozen automobile partners are on board with the technology, like Honda, Nissan, and Acura. It has been reported that iOS in the Car will go live alongside the release of iOS 7.1 in the coming months.
Some more screenshots provided by Troughton-Smith compared to Apple’s current materials:
A week ago Honda brought Siri Eyes Free integration to its 2013-2014 Accord and 2013 Acura vehicles. The automobile maker said it had additional functionality to announce today, and the news is out. Honda has put a 7-inch “Display Audio” touchscreen in its 2014 Honda Civic and 2015 Honda Fit that is one step closer to Apple’s “iOS in the Car” dream becoming reality.
Apple clearly has designs for Siri that go far beyond the intelligent assistant's current implementation. Siri forms a key component of CarPlay right now, but it could certainly go further. Apple also has a number of interesting concepts, such as a patent designed to let you ask "Siri, where's my car?" when you're lost in a parking lot — at which point, your dedicated AI helper will guide you back to your car. Helpful, no?
Today Honda announced that it is offering Siri Eyes Free integration with certain 2013-2014 Honda Accord and 2013 Acura vehicles. Honda said that it would be implementing Eyes Free as a dealer installed accessory back in January, and now customers can visit a dealership and have the technology installed.
Google’s algorithmically-driven cars may be partially designed to give commuters more time to surf the Internet (using Google, natch!), but if a new report from ABI Research is anything to go by, it’s Apple who have the real early adopter advantage in terms of connected in-vehicle infotainment systems.
ABI Research forecasts that shipments of such infotainment systems, equipped with one or more smartphone integration technologies, will grow substantially over the next five years — reaching 35.1 million units globally by 2018. Of these, ABI projects an impressive 49.8% will be running Apple’s “iOS in the Car”, the standard for allowing iOS devices to work with manufacturers’ built-in in-car systems as unveiled during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference back in June.
