It’s hard to imagine that Apple CarPlay is now in 98% of new cars, but when the feature was first introduced in 2014, carmakers were concerned about the data Apple – and Google with Android Auto – might be able to access. to get. German car makers in particular expressed concern and Toyota held off adding CarPlay until model year 2019 and Android Auto in 2020.
But because so many automakers’ proprietary connected infotainment system failed miserably, CarPlay and Android Auto managed to make certain smartphone features available to drivers in a generally seamless way — and now it’s no longer possible to put the technical genie back in the bottle. stop. With the latest version of CarPlay announced at WWDC 2022 in early June, Apple is extending its reach into the dashboard, taking over every screen in a car and enabling even greater data collection. And automakers are wringing their hands again – which can be tied at this point.
Transforming the Instrument Panel
The updated version of CarPlay migrates Apple’s user interface to digital instrument clusters and additional screens, and accesses vehicle data ranging from miles per hour to radio settings. An example Apple showed in a video at WWDC revealed that CarPlay transformed an instrument panel to use the tech giant’s own virtual meters, add widgets such as calendar alerts and weather information, and is customizable through various Apple-designed layouts.
As with previous versions of CarPlay that were limited to the infotainment display, the system will provide a consistent look and interface regardless of make or model – if companies support the latest version. In the video, Apple said it is “excited to bring this new vision of CarPlay to customers” and showed off the logos of several car brands, adding that it would announce specific vehicle deployments “by the end of next year.”
Andrew Poliak, Chief Technical Officer of premium supplier Panasonic Automotive Systems and a veteran of more than 20 years in the automotive infotainment industry, believes Apple is concerned that its main technology and content rivals are making major breakthroughs in automotive. . At CES this year, both BMW and Stellantis revealed a relationship with Amazon to bring content into cars, and Google announced partnerships with Volvo, GM and others. “Apple is trying to infuse their game into the hearts and minds of the vehicle’s dashboard,” he adds.
Poliak also notes that Apple arch-rival Google has gone deeper into the dashboard with its Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) that OEMs can build and tier-one (and not to be confused with Android Auto). Poliak says AAOS is “running infotainment and starting to become part of a full instrument cluster solution,” although he adds that OEMs will retain control over how data is collected and shared. AAOS is already in use in Volvos, Polestars and some GM vehicles, including the Chevrolet Silverado.
Access more car data
This doesn’t seem to be the case with Apple CarPlay, says Rob Passaro, an automotive tech and product management consultant who led the co-development of iPod Out, the predecessor to CarPlay, with Apple in 2010 at BMW. be a much deeper integration and access more car data than previous versions, he adds.
“The user interface shown in the video shows previously unavailable access to vehicle information such as engine speed, coolant temperature, HVAC controls, radio controls, and so on,” says Passaro. “Based on using this newly gained access to car data, the version of CarPlay could theoretically replace all of the native OEM’s GUIs on any of the screens in the car – if the OEM allows it.”
Poliak says Apple’s “biggest potential challenge is likely to be OEMs’ willingness to open up vehicle interfaces to something that is transient and involves potential risks that another company will control.”
But Poliak says automakers are still the gatekeepers and Apple can only do more if they partner with OEMs. He adds that Apple probably won’t be able to do more than just the current version of CarPlay “without working directly and closely with OEMs, because OEMs need to understand what the phone can do and guarantee a certain experience in order for the phone to do more.”
But OEMs can be caught between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. Passaro says Apple’s CarPlay is “an inevitable evolution of the continued dominance of smartphones and their potential in everyone’s lives. The trick for OEMs will be how they maintain their own brand values while giving users what they want, such as seamless integration of their digital lives,” he adds.
Passaro predicts that the better native OEM infotainment systems will do well against the further encroachment of CarPlay, while OEMs with terrible UIs and UX “will basically just have to hand over this important touchpoint of their brand to the Apples and Googles of the world.” But adds, “Google’s AAOS is focused on enabling OEMs to build great native UIs while maintaining a strong and unique brand identity, so it’ll be really nice to see how it plays out.”
More hand-wringing among OEMs
It could also lead to more hand-wringing among OEMs, especially since CarPlay is now so entrenched in vehicles, giving Apple more leverage, Poliak says. “Apple has such wide adoption in the market that it’s possible they could change their terms of service to require more content to certify that device for use in a car,” he adds.
“I’m not saying Apple will,” he says. “That’s just another potential problem. OEMs are starting to relinquish so much real estate to the projection modes that it becomes very easy to change the terms of what is allowed as a certified Made for iPhone CarPlay device.”