News - Apple announces CarPlay to ship in select cars this year

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Meanwhile Google's 'Projected Mode' in-car system may have leaked in a Daimler job ad.

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Read more.

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Also Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will all have models including this iPhone linking system at the show in Geneva this week. ... To use CarPlay you will need and iPhone with a lightning connector and iOS7. Manufacturers joining Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo in producing CarPlay automobiles include; MW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp.

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So to use this "great" feature you're not only going to have to have a iPhone, but also one of the latest models? This is dumb elitist nonsense of the first order - and something that I really, really hope that some one (EU?) jumps on from a great height, since it's clearly restricting consumer choice. And no, I'm not advocating the Google version - that's equally stupid (based on what limited information is available).

I'll take an interest when some enlightened group/company decides to do a system that works with iPhone, Android and maybe Windows Phone. Until then, I'd regard having this system on board as a drawback rather than a positive feature, and definitely one I wouldn't want to pay for.

Then again, as long as I've got readable instruments, a decent radio/speakers with a line-in then I'm sorted. I have little interest in any screen based "infotainment" system or satnav, having got a perfectly acceptable nav app on my phone. So maybe I'm not really in the target market segment? ;)

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Originally Posted by crossy

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Then again, as long as I've got readable instruments, a decent radio/speakers with a line-in then I'm sorted. I have little interest in any screen based "infotainment" system or satnav, having got a perfectly acceptable nav app on my phone. So maybe I'm not really in the target market segment? ;)

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If you're maybe not the target market, I'm certainly not. I use a standalone SatNav actively in preference to a mobile app because it's standalone. And I don't want texts, let alone emails, on my phone. And phone voicemail is disabled at the telco. My homephone answerphone is turned off, too, for that matter. All I want from a phone is the ability to make and receive calls, and a few memories (20 or so is fine). Oh, and one feature that for me is absolutely fundamental and essential .... an 'off' button. ;)

In a car, a decent stereo and, when needed, standalone SatNav is all I need, and want. Anything like this Apple system is something I actively don't want. And as for any notion of a Google system, I not only wouldn't pay for it but it would be enough to stop me buying any car to which it was fitted.

Should be something platform agnostic like mirrorlink. Wonder if we're going to see lots of second hand cars with these systems built in that are completely useless in three years time as lets face it Apple rarely make anything thats hardware/software compatible after ~3 years have past!

I do hope these cars come with their own satnav... or have Apple ficed their maps now?

I could tolerate it if the interface was iOS but worked with any smart phone/bluetooth, but I would not pay for something in a car that only works with a specific (phone) manufacturer.

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Originally Posted by zarnywoop

I could tolerate it if the interface was iOS but worked with any smart phone/bluetooth, but I would not pay for something in a car that only works with a specific (phone) manufacturer.

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From what I've seen, it's worse than that - it's a particular phone as well. What happens when Apple moves to iOS8 - is your fancy CarPlay going to turn into CarNoPlay unless your car maker gets an update to you? And we've seen (me second hand because I don't want an integrated sat nav) how quickly car makers update their software.

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Originally Posted by cheesemp

Should be something platform agnostic like mirrorlink. Wonder if we're going to see lots of second hand cars with these systems built in that are completely useless in three years time as lets face it Apple rarely make anything thats hardware/software compatible after ~3 years have past!

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Didn't know about Mirrorlink - yes, that's pretty much what I'd want. Although the nerd in me smiles that the remote display is based on VNC. Thanks for the info. The bit that I particularly liked in the description of Mirrorlink was:

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MirrorLink is based on a set of well established, non-proprietary technologies.

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And they've got a pretty impressive list of members, so why the heck do WE need either CarPlay or Google's equivalent - the only folks I can see benefiting from that are Apple and Google.

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Originally Posted by Jenny_Y8S

Then don't bother to spout on about the right and wrong way of implementing a feature you have little interest in.

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You could at least do me the courtesy of giving the whole quote, the bit you missed off - which would have put the thing in context - was "...having got a perfectly acceptable nav app on my phone. So maybe I'm not really in the target market segment?". What I am DEFINITELY interested in would be a way to seamlessly integrate my phone into whatever the car provides - so a way to access the music content stored on my phone by using the steering wheel resident controls would be great - for example, or being able to pair up the phone so I could use the car's speakers.

What I definitely don't want - and I'll say it a bit clearer - is some verdammt system that (a) forces you to have a particular brand of phone, or worse still, a particular phone model; and (b) anything that has a bunch of "magical" :puke: apps that are just begging to divert the driver. I'm sure that you understand my reasoning behind (b).

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Originally Posted by Jenny_Y8S

Yeah would be wonderful having a completely universal system that is locked down by some giant consortium and their patent attorneys. That way we can keep a lid on incompatible innovations for a few years. It's wishful thinking to believe a fully universal system adopted by ALL players is either desirable or possible. This is the real world.

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You are wrong on that last bit - as cheesemp points out, there already IS a universal system called Mirrorlink. Maybe a quick Google search would prove enlightening for you? I'm not proud to admit that I had to go look it up - then again, I've never professed to be anything other than n00b when it comes to in-car entertainment.

Actually, in closing I'm not sure whether you're actually advocating Apple's (and by implication Google's) stance on this - busy running around signing up car makers for their - presumably mutually incompatible - system. If so, then I'm going to wonder if you're quite sane, or deliberately trolling. Apologies if I'm being unkind with that latter comment, but IF you are supporting it, then some reasoning why (other than arguing with me of course! :p ) would be interesting. I'm "big enough" to admit that maybe there's some aspect of this that you're aware of that has hereto escaped me. ("The secret to mastery in any field is to forever be a student" Martin Palmer)

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Originally Posted by crossy

This is dumb elitist nonsense of the first order - and something that I really, really hope that some one (EU?) jumps on from a great height, since it's clearly restricting consumer choice.

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Oh oh don't forget its a breach of your human rights too!!

More seriously, all Apple products are "dumb elitist nonsense", its why they're so pricy and all the poor people want one at any cost.

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Originally Posted by cheesemp

Should be something platform agnostic like mirrorlink.

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I'm with you on this one, I'm currently looking at (and trying to justify to the wife) replacing my stereo for a sony that supports mirrorlink