Is the new version of CarPlay proof for an Apple Car?

During the keynote of WWDC 2022 there was (unexpected) news about a new version of software for cars: CarPlay. The software further fuels the rumors about an electric car from Apple: is the Apple Car finally in sight?

Will there finally be an Apple Car?

During the WWDC 2022 keynote, there was news about iOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura and a new MacBook Air 2022. We were also surprised by the revamped version of CarPlay. That seems to be an omen of the long-awaited Apple Car.

The only thing Apple actually gave away is that CarPlay is becoming more universal for new electric cars. Apple’s operating system will work on many screen sizes. Is Tesla getting a new competitor? In this article you can read our expectations and the reasoning behind them.

iOS 16: CarPlay is a big promise

Mark Gurman, a reliable analyst around all Apple news, thinks he knows: Apple is gradually working towards its own designed car. CarPlay isn’t just for music and navigation. No, goes beyond a ‘simple’ infotainment-system. This means that the speedometers and, for example, the headlights will also run via Apple’s software.

According to him, this new version of CarPlay works to Apple’s advantage in several ways. First, the public gets used to an interface from Apple in an (electric) car. With CarPlay, a new Apple Car would not be received as unreal.

Apple would collect data with CarPlay

In addition to getting used to an Apple Car interface, supporting as many other cars as possible would give Apple a major advantage in collecting data. With the new universal version of CarPlay, which we expect to see in cars for the first time in 2023, Apple is learning a lot about driving behavior and general use of a car.

Also, a further baptism in Apple’s ecosystem would prevent people from switching to an Android phone. You don’t trade in a car that quickly, so why would you exchange your phone?

Extra income with CarPlay for Apple

CarPlay can also become an additional source of income for Apple. At the moment, the car is the only place where Apple products are not allowed to be used. It is therefore a market that is still open to the Cupertino company. Manufacturers are currently allowed to integrate CarPlay in their cars for free. This should be paid for in the future.

If the next version of CarPlay does well, it’s possible that Apple will fully integrate the service into a car. Carrying an iPhone is no longer necessary. Google has been doing this for a long time with Android Auto. The fact that the software would work on any new car screen actually says more about this than Apple might want.

On the other hand, we can also imagine that car manufacturers want to keep this in their own hands. Think of the tamper software scandal of Volkswagen (Dieselgate) that had incorrect emissions meters. They would want to (and should) bear the responsibility themselves.

What is Apple really developing right now?

But, how far is the Apple Car really? We recently learned that the Apple Car team had been temporarily disbanded to meet the 2025 deadline. This ‘Project Titan’ is now owned by Kevin Lynch (responsible for the popular Apple Watch). Lynch and Project Titan are suffering enormously from the global chip shortage, according to Gurman.

However, Mark Gurman reports that Apple has recruited some of the best designers in the auto industry to really shape the car. However, there are still doubts as to whether 2025 will be achieved. Maybe Apple is waiting for the green light for self-driving cars. All in all, even without this autonomous option, an Apple Car with CarPlay could make Telsa’s life quite difficult.

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