Right now, Apple’s CarPlay technology does a great job of bringing iPhone functionality to your car’s display, but what if it could control key features on the car itself?
That’s Apple’s plan for the future of CarPlay according to a report from the ever-reliable Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.
Sources tell Gurman that CarPlay could soon showcase the car’s speedometer, as well as give drivers touchscreen access to the climate control system, radio and the seats.
Apple would need to make arrangements with auto manufacturers to enable CarPlay to interact with the in-car computer. This, the report says, could help Apple become a major part of the automotive world without actually building and selling its own car.
Talk of a standalone Apple Car has died down in recent years, with the person believed to be leading the project recently departing for Ford.
Doug Field is the new chief advanced technology and embedded systems officer at Ford, leaving behind his work on Apple’s attempts to crash the auto industry party. Field previously worked at Tesla and was on the Mac team at Apple before that.
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It would make sense that in the absence of an actual vehicle Apple would seek to make a few bucks from its presence inside vehicles. Internally, the project is still in its early stages, is called “IronHeart”.
According to the report, the iPhone-based expansion of CarPlay could include access to a wide-range of in-car sensors and present information that’s already available via the vehicle’s dashboard displays.
They will include, according to Gurman, the following:
- Temperature and humidity readings, both inside and outside of the car
- Access to the temperature zones, fans and defrosters
- In-depth audio EQ settings for surround-sound, speakers, equalisers, tweeters, subwoofers and more
- Controls for the seats and armrests
- Speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.