If you have ever wondered how important Apple CarPlay is for a new car buyer, then the numbers shared by Apple will tell you that it is extremely important. At Apple's WWDC 2022, which is tech giant’s annual developer conference, they said that 79 percent of car buyers will only consider buying a car if it comes with Apple CarPlay. The numbers they claim might be a stretch, but we see the point they are trying to make. Apple also said that 98 percent of new cars come with Apple CarPlay, and that should also tell you that automakers are well aware of just how important this feature is.
Buying a car these days is a rather cumbersome affair. At a similar price bracket, you have several kinds of cars that you can buy. A look at the 2022 Electric Cars also makes you wonder whether you want to jump ship into the world of electric cars, wait for an upcoming electric car, or choose from the long list of combustion-engine powered cars that are available already. And once you make that choice, you also have to go through all the different kinds of trim levels that the automaker is offering. You get the idea, there are a lot of things to consider when buying a modern car. And as time has passed by, the list of things you absolutely do not wish to compromise on keeps getting bigger. One of those things is the infotainment system experience.
While automakers bring innovation to their infotainment systems by altering the screen size and orientation, Apple has gone ahead and announced the next-gen Apple CarPlay, and it is as exciting as it can get.
Next-Gen Apple CarPlay Goes Big, Literally
With the biggest differentiating factors in cars meant for regular commuters being the features list, automakers are trying to catch the attention of potential buyers through screens. But as screens become as big as 56-inches in size, the interface of the Apple CarPlay in cars remained comparatively small. That has been fixed as the Apple CarPlay now expands the entire width of all the screens.
Until now, the Apple CarPlay was only limited to the infotainment system area but now, it also expands to the instrument cluster resulting in one seamless takeover of the entire infotainment system designed by the automaker. And this will, without a doubt, make people not care about what the carmaker has designed because Apple’s display will be directly synced with, and integrate all our important apps from our phone – the most important piece of technology in our lives.
Apple CarPlay Brings Customization Superiority
The next-generation Apple CarPlay brings with it themes and customization options. This means, you can now change the entire display format of the instrument cluster. You can choose from several pre-set themes that show the necessary information in different font styles, animations, text colors, and font sizes and creates several combinations out of these. So, you can choose to have either a minimalist display or an elaborate display showing all the information at one glance.
But Apple did not stop here. They also have added the ability to add widgets to the display. So the instrument cluster and the infotainment system – based on the display layout of your choice – will also show things like your calendar appointments, tasks for the day, reminders, weather, calendar, notifications, time from different time zones, and more! This makes the next-gen Apple CarPlay far superior to anything any automaker is offering natively right now.
Lastly, you no longer have the Apple CarPlay display in order to operate the radio or use the ventilation controls. The next-gen system integrates all of that into the Apple CarPlay screen itself. This alone could bring in the question for automakers whether to pump more money to develop their own systems at all.
When it comes to the world of technology, there is hardly any brand that has a bigger impact than Apple. Every year they make hardware or software changes the entire smartphone industry follows in their footsteps. It is the same when it comes to the world of laptops, audio devices, and smartwatches as well. Now, their entry into the world of integrated software systems will force other players like Google to come out with their own, extended version of the Android Auto. And with smartphone integration defining and influencing our choices of buying cars, appliances, gadgets, and everything else, Apple is set to define the trend in the automotive industry as well with cars coming with next-gen Apple CarPlay as soon as late next year.
Apple’s focus on the car industry is evident. Not only screens, but they have also been working on a new Sunroof technology and the news and rumors around the Apple self-driving electric car are keeping everyone on their toes. And while all of that is in the future, the present seems definitely exciting and with players like Apple pushing the competition, it is us, the general user that stands to benefit the most. And everyone likes that, don’t they?
Source: Apple, Apple WWDC