Apple is finding out at its own expense that the automotive world is not easy to scale: after the cancellation of its self-driving electric car, the on-board software CarPlay 2 has disappeared from the radar and has apparently been left on foot by some big brands that prefer to do it themselves without giving data to third parties. Facts, statements and rumors
What happened to CarPlay 2? It was supposed to revolutionize the way we approach intelligent mobility. Yet the software, announced in 2022 to be marketed at the end of the following year, has instead disappeared from all Apple events, including the last one on September 9th. Why?
WHAT IS CARPLAY 2?
CarPlay 2 was shown not as the canonical software that overlaps the infotainment system of the car you drive – so it will not be the classic IT appendix to be used if you do not want to resort to the proprietary system – but as a program capable of integrating perfectly with the on-board computer, effectively becoming its user interface.
In short, through Apple’s program, the driver should have been able to control the main functions, from the radio to the climate control. Furthermore, thanks to a continuous exchange of data from the car, CarPlay should have been able to show information that usually stays on the dashboard, such as speed, fuel level, temperature and related warning lights, etc…
TOO CURIOUS A SOFTWARE?
A sort of benevolent “virus” that would have insinuated itself into the on-board software – naturally only with the brands that in the meantime would have had to enter into partnerships with Apple – in the hope, nurtured by Cupertino, that the car manufacturers would have preferred to continue making cars, delegating technological development to third parties. In Cupertino, precisely.
GASOLINE OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM? THE DATA
The problem is that over the last 24 months, car manufacturers have begun to realize that private mobility as we know it may be on its last legs, perhaps replaced by the sharing economy.
Or, in any case, even those who make cars have understood the importance of data: so many, infinite, capable of moving and making the economies of the Web flourish. Why not use them firsthand, given a car market that is becoming more asphyxiated?
For car brands, it remains necessary to prepare systems capable of communicating with Apple (particularly widespread in America) and Android, but there is no longer all this enthusiasm to leave the steering wheel, in the software field, to Cupertino and its partners.
MERCEDES SCARICA APPLE CARPLAY 2
Proof of this is that the CEO of Mercedes-Benz, Ola Källeniusamong the major car brands initially included in Apple’s presentation, he stated bluntly: “Giving up the entire cockpit to someone else? The answer is no.”
The American newspaper Wired who has heard from some of the brands that intended to collaborate with Apple, reports that Porsche has not received any further updates on the launch date, while Aston Martin defers to Apple for any news.
CUPERTINO TRIES AGAIN
It seems that Cupertino has taken on board the criticisms raised by automotive brands by implementing options that will allow car manufacturers to maintain some control over the interface, thanks to a feature called “punch-through UI”. But apparently the situation does not seem to have been unblocked, if CarPlay 2 continues to be absent in September 2024.
OVERTAKING ASIAN BRANDS?
With the entry into the automotive world of Asian hi-tech brands such as Huawei (which has allied itself with Audi) and Xiaomi, it seems increasingly difficult for Apple to dominate that market as well. Some manufacturers have also decided to go it alone, such as General Motors, which has announced that it will continue to use a proprietary operating system for its smart cars. Volkswagen, with the exception of the aforementioned Porsche, slowed down by its internal hi-tech division Cariad, should – according to rumors – turn to Chinese technological solutions.
In short, Apple is discovering at its own expense that the automotive sector is not as scalable as it thought: after the cancellation of Project Titan, the self-driving electric car made in Cupertino that was supposed to compete with the Asian giants, the slowdown of CarPlay 2 represents another hard blow for the American Big Tech in the world of four wheels.
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