Apple CarPlay Coming to Pioneer In-Car Systems This Summer

The reach of CarPlay, Apple's in-car app system, will extend even further than before, thanks to a new arrangement with Pioneer.

Soon, when Pioneer users plug their iPhones into their vehicles, CarPlay will automatically launch and offer access to its full suite of apps.

“By providing an aftermarket option, Pioneer’s 2014 in-dash multimedia systems give many iPhone owners the ability to add CarPlay to their current vehicles,” Ted Cardenas, vice-president of marketing for Pioneer's car-electronics division, said in a statement.

The CarPlay option will be made available this summer through a firmware update to Pioneer's line of five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers.

During the initial rollout of CarPlay earlier this year, some thought that consumers would need to purchase one of the vehicles listed as part of Apple's CarPlay partner program. Pioneer's announcement means CarPlay will come to an even wider range of drivers much sooner than previously thought via this aftermarket option.

Pioneer has also launched a dedicated website for those interested in getting the CarPlay system via its 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers. 

According to a report last week in Japan's Nikkei, Alpine also plans to offer an aftermarket in-car system that supports CarPlay, ranging in price from $500 to $700, some time this fall.

IAMGE: PIONEER

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What Microsoft's Takeover of Your Car Will Look Like

Microsoft gave developers a close up and personal look at its plans for Windows at last week's Build conference.

Buried amid all the excitement around Cortana and other developments was a sneak peek at the company's in-car operating system concept.

Presented by Steve Teixeira of Microsoft's developer division, the system bears a striking resemblance to Apple's recently unveiled CarPlay system. The four-minute presentation (watch above) showed off what Teixeira described as a projection of your phone's screen onto your dashboard display.

Included in the Windows in-car system menu are options to access maps, make telephone calls, send text messages, listen to music and view your automobile's diagnostic information. There's also a dedicated menu that allows you to view all your apps on one screen.

Another screen showed a panel that allows the driver to see how many miles he has driven, how many miles are left until service is due, the current weather and shareable data detailing the overall driving efficiency of your last trip. Teixeira also walked through live demos showing how the system can make a phone call and how the system handles maps.

According to Teixeira, part of the development of the system included a full wraparound driving simulator with eye tracking, allowing the testers to detect where drivers are looking while they're driving in the simulator.

Safety while using the in-car system seems to be an point of emphasis for Microsoft. For example, Teixeira indicated that the developer tools for the system will be geared toward allowing developers to build apps that conform with safe driving standards.

Details regarding the commercial name for the system or a release date were not revealed. Nevertheless, the demonstration was robust enough to prove that Microsoft's mobile efforts — like Apple, Ford, Android and others -– are targeting the car as the next frontier for mobile development.

VIDEO: YOUTUBE, MICROSOFT/ICLARIFIED

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Apple Announces CarPlay Infotainment System

Apple has announced CarPlay, an in-car infotainment system that lets you connect your iOS device with your car.

The new system — actually a rebranding of Apple's "iOS in the Car" — will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show, held from Mar. 6 to 16, 2014.

CarPlay will let iPhone users make calls, access messages, listen to music or use Maps in their cars using Siri-based voice control, touch controls, or standard knobs, dials and buttons in the car. Third party apps such as Spotify, Beats Radio, Stitcher and iHeartRadio are also supported.

For this launch, Apple has partnered with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. Later on, the CarPlay system will also be embraced by an impressive roster of car manufacturers: BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp.

CarPlay will become available as an update to iOS 7 on lightning-enabled iPhones, which currently means the iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. We'll see the first cars supporting CarPlay on the road sometime in 2014.

Image: Apple

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