The next version of Apple CarPlay – which expands from an app in the infotainment screen, to an interface for every display inside the car – will hit the road with Porsche and Aston Martin.
Luxury-car brands Porsche and Aston Martin will be the first to roll out the new iteration of the popular Apple CarPlay software, which now commands all in-car screens and functions, including the speedometer.
Today’s Apple CarPlay system is an app within a car’s existing infotainment system which displays maps, music, podcasts and other functions linked to an iPhone.
However the new version will place a fresh user interface on every screen in the car – including the instrument display – and integrate all other controls previously forced into the car’s native infotainment system, including the radio, air conditioning, speedometer and trip computer.
Unveiled in mid-2022, Apple has – with a week and a half to spare – delivered on its promise to announce the first car brands to adopt the new system by the end of 2023, which it has revealed overnight will be Porsche and Aston Martin.
Digital renderings published by US media including Car and Driver show the next-generation CarPlay system will be given a unique look depending on the manufacturer of the vehicle it is in.
In the Porsche, the company’s signature bank of three instrument dials is retained – with a wallpaper similar to the houndstooth (or ‘Pepita’) seat pattern in its cars – while in the Aston Martin there are two instrument displays akin to the in-house-designed digital instruments in the company’s latest cars.
Apple has previously shown versions of the interface in different colours, and with speed, engine rpm, fuel level, temperature and other metrics displayed as futuristic slide bars, or an array of circles spread around the screen.
Interestingly, while the Aston Martin interior shown is that of the latest DB12 sports car – and set to spread to the Vantage two-door and DBX SUV next year – the Porsche interior is not seen any current production car from the company.
The instrument cluster shows a battery percentage – suggesting it is an electric car – but spy photos and official images suggest this is not the new electric Macan SUV or 718 sports car.
According to Car and Driver, Apple says the next-generation CarPlay system still needs an iPhone connected for information linked to smartphone apps, but data specific to driving – such as speed, rpm, fuel level or battery charge – comes from the host vehicle.
However Apple reportedly claims the iPhone does not “store or track” the information from the vehicle, apart from displaying it to the driver.
Car and Driver reports Aston Martin has confirmed the new CarPlay interface will feature in vehicles with its new infotainment system – including the DB12, which is due in Australian showrooms imminently.
Timing for when the new CarPlay system will roll out to iPhones in a software update – so it can then be used in compatible vehicles – is yet to be announced.
Meanwhile Porsche is yet to announce when it will come to its vehicles – perhaps no surprise, given the vehicle in Apple’s images is not any current or known future model which has been photographed testing.
Apple has previously announced other brands to eventually support its next-generation software will include Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Nissan, Infiniti, Ford, Lincoln, Volvo, Polestar, Honda, Acura, Renault and Audi.
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