Volvo XC90, Ferrari FF, and Mercedes to get Apple CarPlay

Volvo XC90 sports utility vehicle is among the cars that will feature the iPhone system, which is competing with Google's push into cars. Besides the Volvo XC90 and Ferrari FF and undisclosed Mercedes models, GM, Ford, and Honda are also drawing up plans to incorporate CarPlay, Apple says.

|
Courtesy of Volvo Car Group
Volvo shows off a CarPlay systen in the Volvo SC90. CarPlay allows iPhones to plug into cars so drivers can call up maps, make calls, and request music with voice commands or a touch on a vehicle's dashboard screen.

Apple is accelerating the race to make smartphone applications easier and safer to use in cars.

Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are previewing Apple's iPhone technology for cars this week at an auto show in Geneva.

The partnerships give Apple an early lead over Google's loosely knit family of Android phones in a duel to make mobile applications more accessible while drivers are behind the wheel. Apple's iOS mobile software and Google's Android operating system power most of the smartphones in the world.

Just two months ago, Google Inc. announced it is working with several major automakers to turn Android phones into an essential part of cars. Google hopes to finish work on its system for tethering Android phones to cars by the end of this year.

Apple Inc. announced its automobile ambitions nine months ago when it unveiled its "iOS in the Car" initiative — a reference to the operating system that powers the iPhone and iPad.

Now that the idea is moving closer to reality, Apple is renaming the technology "CarPlay."

The system announced Monday enables iPhones to plug into cars so drivers can call up maps, make calls and request music with voice commands or a touch on a vehicle's dashboard screen.

By making smartphones work more seamlessly with automobiles, both Apple and Google are hoping to immerse their services even deeper into peoples' lives. In doing so, the companies expect to make money by selling advertising, applications and upgrades on smartphones that will become even more indispensable.

"IPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iOS product marketing.

Automakers are hoping vehicles that are compatible with the top-selling smartphones will be easier to sell to consumers who can't fathom living without the devices.

Cars of recent vintage increasingly feature electronics designed to cater to drivers' high-tech desires, but those systems still haven't attracted a widespread following. That has led more automakers to conclude that it makes sense to work directly with technology companies such as Apple and Google to turn their cars into smartphone extensions.

CarPlay requires Apple's latest mobile software, iOS 7, and an iPhone 5, 5C or 5S.

Ferrari is previewing CarPlay on its four-wheel-drive FF model. Volvo plans to feature the iPhone system in its redesigned Volvo XC90 sports utility vehicle. Mercedes-Benz isn't disclosing which models will get CarPlay, but expects both its S-Class large sedan and C-Class midsize sedan should be compatible with the system.

A long list of other automakers, including General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Honda, also are drawing up plans for CarPlay, according to Apple.

So far, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Audi have signed up for Google's "Open Automotive Alliance" for Android.

GM and Honda declined to comment on their CarPlay plans.

Ford said it will deploy CarPlay as one of several options for making its cars work more smoothly with smartphones. The automaker already features a voice-control system called "Sync" made by Microsoft Corp. in some of its cars. Ford also offers its own touch-screen technology in its vehicles.

The different choices are designed to ensure "you don't have to make a $30,000 decision about what car you're going to buy based on your $200 smartphone," said Raj Nair, Ford's global product development chief.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Volvo XC90, Ferrari FF, and Mercedes to get Apple CarPlay
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0305/Volvo-XC90-Ferrari-FF-and-Mercedes-to-get-Apple-CarPlay
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe