Apple’s new CarPlay infotainment system will go wireless only

Apple’s next generation of CarPlay is on the way and one of the headline features will be a completely wireless connection to the infotainment system.

The tech giant will need to work with automakers to smooth out upcoming disconnect issues that will arise due to the new wireless-only format, but what else do we know?

An upgraded CarPlay had been mooted for quite some time without any specific updates materializing but at the recent Worldwide Developers Conference 2024, more information was disclosed.

Billed as “the ultimate iPhone experience for the car”, the upgrade is set to include “designs for each car maker” to fit your vehicle brand and model best. This is a crucial point, as reported by The Verge, reflecting an important development issue for the new feature.

Automakers, like Mercedez-Benz, were understandably reluctant to allow Apple to “get between” them and their customer for a key component inside the vehicle. As described in the report “the result is an approach to CarPlay that’s much less ‘Apple runs your car’ and much more ‘Apple built a design toolkit for automakers to use however they want’.”

We are not yet at the stage where the full specifications or capability of CarPlay are known, but there will be adaptability and perhaps restrictions for what each manufacturer has in mind for the in-car system.

Big brand resistance to CarPlay

Apple’s new “punch-through UI” enables brands to design their interface together with other controls over CarPlay, and the ability to toggle between both. At WWDC, Apple made it clear the automakers would retain significant control over how things would look, as reflected in the two videos from the conference detailing current intentions for CarPlay’s design and build.

The new UI will also be able to match what the various auto brands want to provide, such as HVAC controls, reverse camera displays, and more. 

Apple has plenty of big hitters on its side, with the likes of Ford and Porsche in agreement for the inclusion of dedicated infotainment systems like CarPlay in this instance. Audi, Aston Martin, and Chevrolet are also on the list but it is not all good news.

Tesla and General Motors are among some heavyweight brands that are pushing ahead with their own plans and dashboards that will disable CarPlay as well as Android Auto. This is not a shock, but another symptom of the friction between big tech and the automakers in the battle for control.

Image credit: Apple

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