Auto world gets a peek at Apple’s CarPlay
Apple is accelerating the race to make smartphone applications easier and safer to use in cars.
Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are previewing Apple’s iPhone technology for cars this week at the Geneva International Motor Show.
The partnerships give Apple an early lead over Google’s loosely knit family of Android phones in a duel to make mobile applications more accessible while drivers are behind the wheel. Apple’s iOS mobile software and Google’s Android operating system power most of the smartphones in the world.
Early this year, Google announced it is working with several major automakers to turn Android phones into an essential part of cars. Google hopes to finish work on its system for tethering Android phones to cars by the end of this year.
Apple announced its automobile ambitions nine months ago.
Now that the idea is closer to reality, Apple is naming the technology CarPlay.
The system announced Monday enables iPhones to plug into cars so drivers can call up maps, make calls and request music with voice commands or a touch on a vehicle’s dashboard screen.
By making smartphones work more seamlessly with automobiles, both Apple and Google are hoping to immerse their services even deeper into peoples’ lives.
In doing so, the companies expect to make money by selling advertising, applications and upgrades on smartphones, making them even more indispensable.
“IPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vicepresident of iPhone and iOS product marketing, said.
Automakers are hoping vehicles that are compatible with the topselling smartphones will be easier to sell to consumers who can’t fathom living without the devices.
Cars of recent vintage increasingly feature electronics designed to cater to drivers’ high-tech desires, but those systems still haven’t attracted a widespread following.
That has led more automakers to conclude that it makes sense to work directly with technology companies such as Apple and Google to turn their cars into smartphone extensions.