Apple in cars, from Forbes.
Apple shook the car industry at the Geneva Motor Show when they declared they will play a key role in the future within cars, bringing their technology to the world’s second most connected device. This is an interesting announcement in many ways, but, most importantly, is the first time that Apple will work with third parties (car companies) to incorporate its technology. In the past, it has chosen to build its own eco-system and be in charge of its own destiny. With a forecasted one in two new cars (about 50 million) produced being connected by 2020 globally, what could this mean to Apple and most importantly the tech giant’s competitors who are yet to enter the fray?
First and foremost, let’s take a look at the product: Apple CarPlay. What is it? CarPlay is essentially an Apple branded smartphone integration & replication solution similar to MirrorLink that allows for integration of an Apple device within the car, specifically for iPhone 5, 5S and 5C. The key feature here is using the built-in vehicle human machine interface controls, such as steering wheel buttons, touchscreen or SIRI from the iPhone to control a variety of features present on the phone, such as phone, text, music and navigation.