Apple Vs Android: Who Will Dominate The In Dash Infotainment Battleground?

The days of frustrating in-car interfaces and clunky touchscreens are ending, as computing giants Apple and Google start unleashing the full power of smartphone technology in your car.

Apple has fired the opening salvo in the war on wheels with its ‘CarPlay’ system launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and offered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo, and at least 15 other car brands. If you own an iPhone, you’ll find CarPlay natural and intuitive – it’s this type of familiarity that car companies and Apple are banking on to win you over. Cars have been able to play your iTunes library and read texts for a while, but CarPlay takes this functionality to a whole new level.

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TheSteve - 6/12/2014 1:32:26 PM

+2 Boost

Not too long ago, I wished for an Apple in-dash system. Something that could plug into an iPhone or iPod, and have a really good user interface (UI) to the music and play lists. Apple's iOS 6 looked like the ticket!

Today, iOS 7 looks and feels a lot like Android or Windows 8. Flat icons. Minimal and ambiguous UI elements (is it a link or a label? Click to discover!) I'm no longer wishing for either.

What we need is expert UI designers to conceive and design a system that's intuitive, feature rich, accessible, and easy to use. We also need expert graphic designers to make it look really attractive. Apple USED to be that, but no more :-( Now, they're just another OS maker, with its own quirks, glitches, annoyances, and eye-pain.

(BTW, I drive a powerful home-built Windows 7 PC. I have a MacBook Air notebook and 2 x Apple TVs. iPhone 5 with iOS 6.1.4. So no, I'm not pro-this or anti-that.)

222max - 6/12/2014 5:27:37 PM

+1 Boost

I think you have a point about it being another way for mass marketing to get deeper into your life. Google will probably follow as well and I trust them the least of all.

40flash - 6/13/2014 12:35:19 AM

+1 Boost

I see this as putting the car manufacturers in a tough spot. Will those that prefer android phones not buy cars that are locked into Apple? And vise verse. It would probably keep me from buying one unless I can replace the system with a compatible one.
If they can offer three different engine choices then why not two different entertainment systems? It could certainly be the difference between sale and no sale.

HoustonMidtown - 6/13/2014 7:07:36 AM

+1 Boost

Allow me to plug in whatever device I have -- Apple or Android

bw5011 - 6/13/2014 9:30:46 PM

+1 Boost

Or Windows :)