It doesn’t really matter to us that the Apple Car is not expected until 2028. But the fact that we have had to wait ages for a new Apple Carplay is a topic.
Multimedia in the car
We drive quite a few cars throughout the year. Then you will also see quite a few multimedia screens with completely different interfaces. The displays in cars are becoming increasingly beautiful and the image quality is almost maximum.
Nowadays there are designers and programmers at car manufacturers who, once they are allowed to play around with the interface, give free rein to their creativity. And sometimes in a way where they never imagine how the driver will experience all this. If you are in a demo room for testing it will make a lot of sense, especially if you are the designer. But whether every driver, while driving, will get out of it is really another topic. Nowadays, cars are driving devices with an overload of software, and this is clearly reflected.
Then there is also something like navigation. That has to be a buyer because you want to get from A to B, with or without stops. You can forget about typing an address while driving. Even a co-driver trips over his own fingers. But standing still it is always a fascinating process. Why there are about as many different navigation interfaces as car brands, that’s why let’s do things differently. So much for interfaces in cars.
Apple CarPlay
iPhone users have a second option: Apple CarPlay was invented to make driving safer. Thanks to Apple CarPlay, certain functions of an iPhone are made safer and easier while driving. CarPlay makes using navigation, music, messaging and calling all easy. And as far as navigation is concerned, you have the option to use Google Maps. You search for a location, click on it, say navigate and your multimedia device immediately takes over.
Because we also take many road trips throughout the year, Apple Carplay is a must. Without it everything becomes very clumsy. The only thing is that, despite the praise. the system really needs an update to make a number of functions work better in combination with the car itself.
The good news comes from Cupertino (California), because Apple announced this week via their website that a number of (American) vehicles will receive support for the new generation of Carplay. Unfortunately, no dates are yet known when it will be the turn of other countries. This rollout still needs to be followed up. The only disturbing thing is the last text – First models arrive in 2024 – if that is true it could easily be 2025. Apple should be able to do that faster.
What is new and better in the new Apple Carplay?
It is quite a list of innovations and functionalities that the new Apple Carplay brings with it. How all this will work in practice remains to be seen. In any case, it sounds very promising.
Settings: The new interface should make it easier to manage paired iPhones and make adjustments to vehicle settings.
Charging: Perhaps the most interesting, especially for an EV driver. With this function you can display the battery level, charging status and other information. Naturally derived from functions that the car has. These differ per car manufacturer. At this point you will have to leave Carplay for this information and return to the car itself via another screen.
Trip info: This is closely linked to Charging. The app will provide trip-related information, including average speed, fuel or energy consumption in the case of an EV. How much information is provided will depend greatly on the car brand.
Camera: If present, this app will display the vehicle’s cameras. By the way, this function is now automatically shown in a number of car brands and Apple Carplay disappears into the background.
Climate: If the car does not have its own interface somewhere on the screen, this application makes it possible to control the climate settings of a vehicle within CarPlay. Consider the temperature and air conditioning, the fan speed and possible other parts that you can heat such as the steering wheel and the seats (hot and cold).
Media: This application will probably match the car’s media options 1:1. Consider the controls, whether or not satellite connectivity, DAB Radio and music channels. Apple Music is probably via a dedicated app, just like Spotify.
Tire pressure: The app will display the usual data such as the air pressure for each of the tires separately and will warn in the event of a flat tire.
General: The app will indicate if any of the vehicle’s doors are open, in addition to warning symbols of the vehicle itself. You should also soon be able to open and close the car with your iPhone using Apple Keys.
Navigation: Nothing is known about this yet, but the Google Maps link and the interface will probably also get a makeover.
It all sounds great, but the question remains how long it will last. Apple also has the challenge of connecting everything with the tsunami of new Asian car brands. AI does not seem to be a topic for the time being. We will see.
Photos/Screenshots: rights and ownership Apple
