CES was a massive show for cars, with most observers believing automotive tech dominated this year’s event. However, it seems at least one somewhat newsworthy announcement was held back.
During its CES 2016 press event in Las Vegas, German car giant Volkswagen had planned to demonstrate a new and previously-unannounced version of Apple’s CarPlay that enabled wireless connectivity.
However, Volkmar Tannerberger, head of electrical and electronic development at Volkswagen, told Car & Driver (via The Verge) Apple shot down the request.
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Currently, the iOS feature, which enables music, notifications and Apple Maps to be accessed from the car’s infotainment system, requires users to plug in their iPhones.
However, it’s not really that much of a surprise that Apple would rather announce and control the demonstrations of the new and improved CarPlay itself.
Besides, given Volkwagen’s recent travails there’s a chance Apple didn’t want to go shouting about any association with the company either.
See also: Apple CarPlay vs Android Auto
Also, there’s a decent chance that the feature isn’t quite ready for prime time yet. You can imagine wireless connectivity to the car, plus the use of GPS maps and music streaming apps is likely to have a rather severe effect on battery life.
Perhaps the company is working on improving this before debuting wireless CarPlay in the near future?
What was your favourite car-based announcement at this year’s CES? Share your thoughts below.
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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.