“While Apple’s upcoming iOS in the Car functionality has been gaining significant attention, some automakers have been developing their own systems to allow for greater integration between iPhones and vehicles,” Eric Slivka reports for MacRumors.
“In many ways, HondaLink feels like a traditional in-dash system with navigation and music capabilities, but in this case it all runs through the iPhone, integrating Aha, Pandora, and iTunes library music services with GPS navigation and phone services,” Slivka reports. “The system also supports Siri Eyes Free mode, allowing users to interact with their devices without taking their eyes off the road.”
“Running everything through the user’s iPhone offers a number of benefits, most notably with the navigation services,” Slivka reports. “While it does require an upfront $59.99 purchase for the app, Honda is able to remotely push map updates and deliver other updates to the service free of charge through the App Store.”
Read more, and see the screenshots, in the full article here.
Any idea why it doesn’t use the iPhone’s satellite navigation app ?
The worrying aspect is that map updates will be available through the App store. That’s a good way of making sure that they can charge a lot of money for map updates, while the maps in the iPhone are automatically up to date and for no extra charge.
Integrating only the parts they can’t monetize is not what I call integration.
I just spent &100k on a new Audi, and while I live the car, compared to the iPhone the interface is like running DOS.
I read a review concernng the horrible interface in the Audi.
Most autos have horrible interfaces compared to the iPhone. Auto manufacturers’ infotainment systems are unfortunately designed and controlled by engineers who have nothing to do with GUIs or any feel for how regular people want to react with the system, and thus they are clunky with too many steps to accomplish a task.
I concur.
Gee Honda, only in next years Fit and this years Civic? Not in the Accord, MDX, Avalon or Tundra? The Fit and Civic seem likely to be owned by a Fandroid. Why not start with the top of the line models where most iPhone users will be found.
And I am really bummed that Audi and Tesla are going droid.
Troll smart, car stupid! What company makes the Avalon and Tundra?
Current honda due to replace in 2015 ….. My Honda, like my iPhone, is well engineered and solid ….
Glad they are working together …..
I have Siri eyes free in my ’12 Cruze. I press the button, Siri responds thru my Bluetooth connected audio, and I respond. I never have to look at her!
Oh, you’re missing a treat. She’s gorgeous!
I love Honda, but the Honda engineers have this backwards. Rather than routing the iPhones apps to the car’s 1990s style display, why not route the car’s functions to the iPhone to display. In other words, install an iPhone mount where the car’s nav display usually sits and have the mount plugged into the car’s systems. Then when a driver sits down, he/she drops their iPhone into the mount and can select the application they want such as: music, climate control, map, turn-by-turn directions, clock, etc.
This seems so freakin’ obvious. Yet the car manufactures seem to be in love with their ugly ass nav displays that look like a 1980s DOS screen.
Until the car display looks like the iPhone or iPad display and is as easy to us, I’m not interested!
Ok brilliant until you realise that 80% of smartphone owners do not own an iPhone. Furthermore, not all Honda buyers own a smartphone.
So that huge hole in the instrument panel will do what exactly?
1. 80% of smartphone users don’t have an iPhone? Completely wrong.
2. The bottom line is the car has to be able to work without any phone connected. Plus, why have a large display and then route everything to a small iPhone display? Makes no sense.
3. This would require Honda to look forward and implement something new before the rest of the auto industry implements it. That rarely happens.
Ok brilliant until you realize that middle class people are far more likely to own a car, and middle class buying preferences line up with a number of different Honda models.
BLN, again, you’re nonsensical and witless. Not to mention unimaginable and patently unemployable. I’d also never want to see you run a business.
Hurry Apple, I need a new car really soon !
Our next car will be a Honda.
Good timing.
With a few billion Windows CE and XP machines (e.g. in most petrol bowsers and ATMs) becoming EOL and vulnerable to attack Apple should turn iOS into an embedded solution to more than just cars.