Apple CarPlay is about to get a lot better with help from car manufacturers themselves, and Porsche and Aston Martin are at the forefront of the upcoming changes.
Now, CarPlay (along with its Android Auto rival) can project apps and content on a compatible car’s central display, but starting next year, the feature will basically be able to take over all the screens inside the car, including the instrument cluster.
Porsche released a mock-up image of what the next-gen CarPlay will look like on its upcoming cars, and it’s a lot more than what’s currently available. The usual app drawer is still present on the central display, but Apple’s projection feature is also responsible for the three-dial layout behind the steering wheel, as well as the columns of content that appear on the passenger display.
According to Car and Driver, the improved CarPlay will be able to tap into the car’s sensors to get information like outside temperature, tire pressure, the gear the car is in, the engine speed, and more. That said, Apple is adamant that connected iPhones neither store nor track this vehicle-sourced data.
In other words, the car’s default infotainment system, along with the digital gauges, becomes irrelevant when connecting an iPhone. Map updates were already a thing of the past thanks to CarPlay, but this new generation will bring a new personalization experience–think of different color themes and layouts that are independent of the car and stored on your phone.
Have two Porsches? Great! Connect your phone to either and get the same experience.
Aston Martin also came out with a mock-up that shows a similar scenario, although the British-made marque included just two displays in its showcase–the digital gauge display and the traditional touchscreen on the central console. That said, CarPlay looks different on the Aston compared to the Porsche, emphasizing the customization opportunities once again.
The German sportscar maker didn’t say what models will be the first to benefit from the new and improved Apple CarPlay, but Aston Martin let the cat out of the bag and said that its latest infotainment system–which will come as standard in the new DB12–will be compatible with the tech.
Meanwhile, General Motors believes that removing CarPlay and Android Auto from its new models is a good thing because it reduces distractions. Our own Kevin Williams’ experience with the Chevrolet Blazer EV, as well as Motor1.com’s Brett T. Evans’ says otherwise.
But what say you, car lover, about these upcoming changes to Apple CarPlay? Let us know in the comments below.
