In case you haven't heard of it, CarPlay is Apple's 'phone interface for cars' launched earlier this year. Once you plug in your iPhone to your car, it comes alive on the car's touchscreen and can be controlled using knobs and buttons on the car. Basically, as soon as you enter your vehicle, the phone changes its form factor enabling you to make calls, send messages, load maps, get directions, listen to the radio and music and do a host of other tasks you typically perform on your smart phone using handles, fixed screens and controls that are much easier to reach and use while driving.
According to CarPlay, Honda, Ferrari, Volvo, Hyundai and Mercedes will have their vehicles fitted with CarPlay beginning this year, while a host of others including Ford, Citroen, Chevrolet, Toyota, Jaguar and Nissan will follow suit with their future models. ABI Research, a market research company specializing in global connectivity and other emerging technologies has released some key figures on the integration of CarPlay capabilities by car makers in its Automotive Infotainment Market Research. ABI expects more than 24 million news cars to be fitted with CarPlay, with Mirrorlink, its competitor expected to also grow rapidly. Another new entrant to this segment is Google, which has announced recently that it is initiating the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA) with the "Android Auto" standard. Google says that it has the backing of 40 car makers and expects its platform to be integrated in many car models in future.
ABI also raised the question of whether open ecosystems will be necessary for this segment so that car makers need not grapple with the decision of choosing the right platform for their cars, given that Apple, Google and makers of other mobile operating systems/phones all have their own share of the mobile device market. Selecting one platform excludes other groups of users and can lead to drop in car sales. According to ABI, open ecosystems will require collaboration among players in the segment and with Mirrorlink, OAA and GENIVI positioning themselves as opensource, the trend towards making their systems compatible for all mobile devices could be the way forward. This is one segment that will definitely be interesting to follow as we see market dynamics work out how car makers and providers of the 'phone interface for cars' mix and match their products. One thing is sure though - connected 'Smart Cars' are rolling into our streets faster than we expected.
“Many believe Apple is creating further fragmentations and a ripple effect in the industry by not being open. However, love it or hate it, with Apple on the scene it certainly draws greater attention to in-car apps and now with the Android Auto standard on the scene both will certainly drive adoption of in-car apps.”
- Filomena Berardi, Senior Analyst, ABI Research
