The new generation CarPlay is struggling to materialize
As a reminder, Apple first teased next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022. Since then, there has been radio silence, and only two manufacturers (Porsche and Aston Martin, not the car of the common people therefore) have announced the arrival of cars equipped with this new CarPlay for this year.
This new version allows communicate more with the vehicle in order to display the interface on numerous screens and manage functions that were previously reserved for the manufacturer’s systemsuch as the speedometer, consumption, various comfort elements such as air conditioning or seat heating, and many others.
It is most certainly where the shoe pinchessince manufacturers are not ready to relinquish control of their production to a third party, which further slows down the adoption of this new CarPlay.
A preview of next-generation CarPlay in video
For lack of anything better, this video dedicated to developers allows you to do an idea of what this new generation CarPlay could be if it were adopted by more manufacturers. The interface seems designed for modularity in order to adapt to any screen configuration, which seems a very good idea as the models on the current market differ on this point.
Taking real-time speed display as an example, this video shows the different possibilities in terms of customization (font, color, design style, organization of modules).
This allows to really adapt the rendering and the perceived atmosphere to a particular styleby offering many possibilities, at least to the developers responsible for the integration of CarPlay for the different manufacturers (this video is dedicated to professionals, but multiple proposals could also allow the user to make their choice).
The video then discusses the possibilities of CarPlay in terms of display modularitymaking it possible to multiply the proposals in order to best match the style of the vehicle.
Mac4Ever’s opinion
If the possibilities really seem numerous and the examples in this video are tempting, Apple still has to convince manufacturers to offer its system in addition to their own technology. The bet is not won, because for the manufacturers it is a question of keep control over the vehicles they produce, maintain a strong brand image, and, we’re not going to lie, a big money story.
Indeed, analyzing and using customer data is an important issue, which is much simpler when you master the vehicle system. This also allows you to keep control of any paid features. (thus, Renault and Google had mentioned personalized insurance solutions based on the driver’s behavior behind the wheel as well as the actual use of the vehicle).
As an example and for General Motors, the various subscriptions offered within the systems of these vehicles could represent between $20 and $25 billion in annual revenue by 2030
. It is then easy to imagine why manufacturers want to keep control of the system, in addition to wanting to offer the best possible experience to their customers. Will this new generation of CarPlay come up against this reality, or will Apple be able to convince many manufacturers? Only the future will tell us, but concrete examples are still not commonplace, two years after the announcement.
