# Apple CarPlay



## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/

I wonder if they'll allow head unit manufacturers to utilise the technology :?:

perhaps there'll be an iPad app so you can just add one to your existing set up ?

anyway, Apple has finally made their move in the motoring space


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

There's a lot of talk in the press/blogs of 'iOS in the car', but I really don't think this is it (and I don't think we'll ever see that).

I've been trying to work out exactly what it is they're launching and it's still not very clear. I think it's a safe bet that there will be no Apple hardware or software in the car itself (it requires an iPhone/iPod/iPad to be connected - wired, so no wireless links), so this is going to be an extension of the 'App Mode' functionality we've seen in Pioneers App Radios.

I don't see any reason why this can't be built into aftermarket stereos, so I guess it will come down to whether Apple see any strategic reason to license it. If they do, I think they'll probably focus on car manufacturers for a while before branching out.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

It's definitely a "baby step" into the space, I look forward to the day your iPhone syncs to CarPlay and charges wirelessly once you step into your car. Ok well the charging is going to require you to take your phone out of your pocket.


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## bigdodge (Apr 22, 2012)

Does look smart and I wonder why Audi/VW not signed up for it? They will get left behind if they are not careful


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I read somewhere that its an H.264 video link and a proprietory protocol to pass touchscreen commands back to the iPhone. Basically a Remote Desktop and a car-specific UI.


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## MojTT (Mar 9, 2014)

Audi need to add this!


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## Desmodave996 (Jun 2, 2013)

I'm sure I read somewhere that VAG have decided to go with an android system and not apple!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MojTT (Mar 9, 2014)

:x


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## rustyintegrale (Oct 1, 2006)

Desmodave996 said:


> I'm sure I read somewhere that VAG have decided to go with an android system and not apple!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


And that is just one reason why I will no longer be a VAG customer. That and the fact the cars theyre now building are crocks of .. :?


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I don't see a problem with an Android-based entertainment system. Shorter development cycles should make for faster support for new technologies. It might even make for cheaper systems.


Desmodave996 said:


> I'm sure I read somewhere that VAG have decided to go with an android system and not apple!


As far as I can see, it's not an 'either/or' choice. There's no reason why an Android-based system can't support Apples Carplay. You have to remember, there's no such thing as 'Apple in your car' - it's just a protocol that let's your iPhone display a UI on your cars screen. The OS in the car is irrelevant.

That being said, the new TT could never run Carplay. You couldn't allow another device to take over large sections of the display because it's used for speedo/tacho/etc.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

"Aftermarket receivers compatible with Apple's CarPlay unlikely to arrive in 2014... "
http://goo.gl/cw2jIY


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

mullum said:


> "Aftermarket receivers compatible with Apple's CarPlay unlikely to arrive in 2014... "
> http://goo.gl/cw2jIY


It doesn't surprise me. I'm not convinced Apple have a lot to gain from licensing the technology to aftermarket H/U manufacturers - people tend to buy the H/U that works with their phone, not the other way round, so it wouldn't be a huge sales driver.

To be honest, I'm not that desperate to get this stuff in my car anyway (and I do have an aftermarket double DIN). It would probably give you a disjointed user experience, where you had a noticable shift in UI moving from the H/U (listening to the radio, etc) to the Carplay functionality. I'd also need to see support for offline mapping apps too before I was convinced. I don't want to have to rely on a data connection for navigation. Google maps on your H/U looks pretty and will impress your passengers, but isn't much help when you're in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

I know it's wishful thinking - but perhaps Apple COULD do their own HU. Unlikely I know, but they licensed Airplay to anyone who wanted it - so why not CarPlay ?

I find data dependant mapping distracting when driving - google is terrible for it. 
If I have time I'll google to check traffic, then route with TomTom.
Sure it's a clunky old interface but the usability when driving is just reliable. The years keep flying by and I can't understand why TomTom stays exactly the same ?? It needs a facelift badly.


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I haven't used a TomTom for ages, but really I'm not that fussed about the UI as long as it's simple ('basic' is fine) and easily readable at a glance. For most driving though, I don't bother with turn by turn and just have the map up on screen to use if I need to navigate somewhere I don't know well.

That's another reason I don't like phones as sat navs. I like to be able to glance down at a map occasionally, but don't want to have to get my phone out, then attach it to a mount, then launch whatever map s/w I use just for a quick look to confirm a short cut. I know you can do all that before you set off, but often I don't know I'm going to need it till I get stuck in some traffic, or hit a closed road or something. I guess that's why I don't like standalone sat navs (like TomTom) either.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

The thing with TomTom is the way you interact with the map itself. It's probably something to do with its non-touch interface origins. It's completely non-intuative going from the OS UI then into the TomTom Map UI.
And choosing alternative routes is an absolute pig compared to google, for example.
Mind you, all of these apps need to give you more intuative "route control". Google maps on a desktop browser is great, allowing you to drag the route the direction you want by creating points.
Anyway I'm completely derailing my own thread now !


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

http://www.pioneer-carglobal.com/CarPlay/


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

Now yer talking 

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/ ... IC-8000NEX

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/ ... VH-4000NEX

I may use my custom carbon fibre double din console conversion unit after all !

Alpine confirms Apple CarPlay head units coming in 2014... http://goo.gl/7YyOoG

Although personally I just want a head unit that's essentially "dumb" when not in AirPlay mode - with just DAB radio for example.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

For you Spandex, I know you were interested in the tech behind CarPlay :

Inside the tech behind CarPlay, Apple's new in-vehicle infotainment system... http://goo.gl/XuVkBB


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I think I saw that article back when we were talking about it before. I'm just not convinced by the concept really - and it's hard to explain exactly why - but I think the way it works creates a fundamental problem with the user experience.

The reason why I'd like apple to design my cars entertainment system is because they're good at making very simple and useable UIs that are beautiful to look at, with the sort of consistency all the way through that makes everything intuitive. With CarPlay, by design, you have two independant UIs, with functionality spread arbitrarily between them. Worse still, depending on the head unit, some functionality will even be duplicated in both UIs.

I can just imagine navigating with my nice Apple maps interface and I lose my data connection and run out of cached map... So I have to exit CarPlay, open the standard navigation on the head unit and enter my destination there too, all while driving.

Still, I'll look at it properly when Alpine bring out their stuff. My car has Alpine DVB and DAB tuners and Alpine steering wheel controls plumbed in, so I won't be changing manufacturer any time soon.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

I agree, and that problem would be eliminated if the HU was essentially dumb when not in CarPlay mode 

Of course the other point you make, about "what if you need the HU as a backup device", shows that having another system (no matter how disparate) could be useful.

So given the choice of having only the HU's interface, having only CarPlay, or both - I'd take both 

But having a dumb HU that has only CarPlay functionality (and possibly the capability of other MS/Google/etc connected interfaces) should be a lot cheaper and possibly more stable. I bet we see some "no-name" Asian devices going this route, but possibly with simple radio and analog audio input interfaces.


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I think that's what takes the shine off it for me. I expect an Apple product to be a complete solution, and this isn't. I know it's not an Apple product exactly, but if the 'Apple-ness' is watered down or removed by these compromises, what's the appeal?

Really, I can see this just turning into an easy way for OEMs to sell cheap, dumb head units for high (ish) prices due to the halo effect of having Apple CarPlay logos all over it. They get the benefits and we get the hassle. Do we gain anything from having our phones generate the UI? Wouldn't all those things be better if the UI was native to the head unit with our phones just pushing data when it was needed?


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

Good point, but like you said a while back - there's very little chance that Apple will produce a HU themselves.
I live in hope, but I would have thought that if they were going to do it, they'd have released it before releasing CarPlay.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

> Here's what Apple's CarPlay will look like in your next car


http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/17/56220 ... z-hands-on

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/NEX


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

It looks very slick and I want it to be good, but I still have nagging doubts that it can overcome the compromises forced on it by the way it works. I really hope Alpine offer it as a software upgrade to their older head units so I can try it without spending any money, but I suspect it will require a new unit. If it does, I doubt I'll be able to justify the expense when realistically any car I buy in the future will have an OEM entertainment system built in.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

I wonder when we'll see a single din unit where the entire face is an LCD touch screen.
Then they could include some simple buttons/knob on a bluetooth device. Perhaps you could attach that to the steering wheel, or wherever you prefer.


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