“Nine months after being unveiled by Eddy Cue at Apple’s 2013 WWDC event, CarPlay (neé iOS in the Car) is ready for launch. Except its not strictly available yet,” Hilton Tarrant writes for Motorburn. “Nor has it ‘launched’ in the true sense of the word. It will be (in certain Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo models). Soon.”
“Hype aside, CarPlay’s launch is embarrassingly short on detail,” Tarrant writes. “CarPlay seems to have morphed somewhat from what was unveiled by Cue at WWDC. The slide of launch partners originally listed Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Acura, Opel and Jaguar. So, a shorter list, but that too could be expected given the complexity of integrating a third-party platform into in-car entertainment/information systems.”
“What’s the model? Is Apple licensing CarPlay to motor manufacturers for a fee? Is it providing CarPlay for free as a means to extend its (competitive) moat around its products and services? This answer will be extremely telling. (But don’t expect one),” Tarrant writes. “CarPlay is also thin on detail when it comes to third-party developer and application support. Its page on apple.com lists support in Beats Music, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Stitcher. Will this number grow significantly? Will this be opened to a broader development pool? Right now, there are many more questions than answers. We’ll likely hear more at WWDC 2014 (and if Apple is very serious about CarPlay, we’ll hear a lot more!)”
Read more in the full article here.
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Apple should create a CarPlay app for iPad, to allow for 3rd party installs. But let the iPhone communicate with the iPad (as it does in built in systems) so you are not forced to have cellular for both the iPad + your iPhone. The iPad could be installed various ways, but at least the user experience is completely controlled by Apple.
It cost me an extra $10 a month to piggyback the Verizon data plan on my iPhone to my iPad and a lot more convenient than trying to use my iPhone as a WiFi hotspot.
It is time for Apple to make an iPod for the car. New market to crush. If 1 out of every 20 cars stuck in traffic with you every day had a Apple iPod CarPlay replacement system in it, that would be 20% of Apple’s sales. Either JBL and the others step up or Apple will take over your industry. This is a no brainer. Like a cassette tape or CD, let the people slip their iOS device in without a cable and go or imbed a iOS device like the Apple TV into the system and you are done. Why is this not already being advertised?
Obviously, the author doesn’t know much of anything, so why write the article?
I agree, the article is truly pointless. He doesn’t even seem to understand that not every auto maker which signed up for CarPlay can introduce it at the same time. In fact, the just released/previewed cars at the Geneva Auto Show are months ahead of a normal product launch of August/September for the auto industry.
Auto makers will integrate CarPlay as it fits into their product cycle plans, not as it fits into Apple’s plans. And that’s the way it must be, because cars are far more complex and expensive to revise and redesign than iPhones.
Yup knows nothing so simply whines negatively about not knowing being the fault of Apple or worse still hiding deficiencies. Strangely despite this he claims that all that had been said is hype. Contradictory or what.
As soon as I can get an after market radio for my wife’s Toyota, I am ripping that old unit out and upgrading to a CarPlay entertainment system. I am not sure I will buy any new car without it either.
Time to wake up car industry, I have read that 40 plus percent of the choice in buying a new car is based on the entertainment system in it!
I second that motion!
Oh great, now we get a whole new segment to piss and moan about Apple and what it does or doesn’t do!
Tarrant just whines like a bad water pump!
here is what I want:
plug my iPhone into the Navigation System in my car and have the iPhone screen show up on the slightly larger screen with the full functionally of all apps.
Now the next thing, certain Apple supplied apps like “phone” and OMG “messages” to have larger specialized buttons that are easier and safer to use while driving.
What I described may NEVER happen, because of liability issues of using a smartphone while driving. As in “I was using flixster while driving” and I crashed and now I’m suing Flixster and Flixster turns around and sues Apple- our app was never designed to be used while driving.
Tarrant doesn’t seem to understand that CarPlay links into a car radio, but alternative systems can also do that instead.
The key thing is to get car manufacturers to all allow their systems to be compatible and then the customers will be able to choose Apple’s CarPlay, or Microsoft’s Can’tPlay, or Google’s CarSpy.
Apple is ready, it’s the car manufacturers that are dragging their heels.
LOL.
CarSpy is free because of the ads that popup at each corner. But! If you put a GoCamera on your roof and stream the feed to Google you receive ad-free service! Mount the 9-camera “StreetSpy” pack and Google will actually pay you for each block submitted.
And if you install the “WiFiSpy” pack they double your rate!
LOL!
imagine Microsoft’s Can’tPlay F&Q!
Lots of warnings about GENERAL CAR FAULT and how to restart your car.
Apple is late to the telematics game and the lead times can be substantial compared to the consumer electronics industry.
Audi has been a pioneer in the area and has just released a newer version of their offerings. Here is a video for those interested. BTW- it does work with the iPhone and iPad.
Why did Apple put CarPlay into the 7.1 update? Is it so developers can use it? Seems early when the first cars are coming later this year.