Next-Gen Apple CarPlay to Integrate More Vehicle Functions
Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring is already a must-have for infotainment systems across vehicle classes and price ranges. And as screens like BMW’s Curved Display and Mercedes-Benz’s Hyperscreen stretch in-car displays well beyond their traditional place in the middle of the dashboard, Apple is prepared to expand, too. At the brand’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, it highlighted the next generation of Apple CarPlay integration.
Related: What Is Apple CarPlay?
A Complete Takeover
Not a pixel of the modern digital dashboard will be beyond the reach of next-gen CarPlay, nor will any vehicle function be off limits. Apple is preparing to break CarPlay out of the approximate proportions of the pocket computer and take over complete dashboards, even those with multiple distinct displays.
The company has confirmed that automakers will be able to customize the look and layout of their dash. No doubt of paramount importance to the automakers, there will also be signature looks for different car brands. One image Apple released shows an Aston Martin instrument panel with graphics mimicking the marque’s recent gauges; another shows Porsche screens with decidedly Apple fonts and design against a classic Porsche houndstooth background.
Deep Inside
It’s not just what you see that the next generation of CarPlay will control. Vehicle functions as integral as tire pressure monitoring and even advanced driver-assist features and drive modes will be managed through CarPlay. Naturally, the system will also manage EV-specific features, such as battery monitoring and charge status.
It appears that with this generation of Apple’s tech, a fundamental shift will occur in which CarPlay becomes not just an infotainment interface, but the vehicle’s entire driver-facing information network. No longer will manufacturers be integrating Apple CarPlay into their vehicles; moving forward, they will be integrating their vehicle systems into CarPlay.
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Such a monumental change requires massive buy-in from the automakers, and according to MacRumors.com, 14 brands from eight automakers are committed to offering the new CarPlay in their vehicles: Honda and Acura, Aston Martin, Audi and Porsche from the Volkswagen Group, Ford and Lincoln, Nissan and Infiniti, Jaguar and Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo and Polestar.
Aston Martin and Porsche are expected to be the first to debut the new tech in vehicles later in 2024. But even if you’re in the majority for whom those brands are laughably out of reach, it seems likely you’ll be driving something consumed by CarPlay in the near future.
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