Ford quietly reveals Apple’s next-gen CarPlay before WWDC even begins

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by Jacob Solomon May 27, 2023 News
Ford quietly reveals Apple’s next-gen CarPlay before WWDC even begins

At last year's WWDC, Apple announced a complete rethink of its CarPlay system, featuring "deep integration with the car's hardware that lets you tune your car's radio or change your temperature without ever leaving the CarPlay experience" The first vehicle to feature the new system will probably be the luxury Lincoln Nautilus.

An ultra wide screen that wraps across the cabin from the driver's side to the passenger side was revealed in April.

This massive, ultrawide display can be tailored to meet driver needs, and ties into a high-end "sanctuary" experience called Rejuvenate with special lighting effects, massaging seats, and evencurated digital scent: Oz.

The dashboard of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus looks an awful lot like Apple's next-gen CarPlay

The dashboard of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus looks an awful lot like Apple's next-gen CarPlay, doesn't it? (Image credit: Ford Motor Company)

If you can, forget the digital scent for a second. Do you remember that wrap-around screen? A Ford spokesman said that it looked like the display Apple showcased during the WWDC was "uncanny". Apple referred us to the company's June 2022 Newsroom post when we asked for confirmation of the connection.

The new plan for Ford seems to be built on proprietary vehicle chips, rather than the software that many of the auto industry uses. Doug Field is the Chief Officer for Electric Vehicles and Digital Systems. During Ford's Investor Day presentation on Monday, May 22, he talked about plans for a new hardware platform that would include a centralized high- performance compute, where we control the software, and that would include two, internally controlled modules for both.

The importance of US Silicon was highlighted in an op-ed written by the CEO of Ford and the CEO of Intel. Our dependence on foreign suppliers would be reduced if more chips were made on US soil. This position is being doubled down by Ford.

Field noted in Monday's presentation that when they design a module, they pick the Silicon. It is important for managing cost and quality when there is a chip crisis.

Field is the former Vice President of the Special Projects Group at Apple.

Apple has been rumored to be interested in the car space for a long time. People think the company is trying to develop its own car at face value. If Apple focused on building the platform for the car of the future, what would it look like?

The automotive industry has been looking at the technology industry for a long time. There are chips that power self-driving features, comfort features such as adaptive cruise control, and even infotainment features. Apple should compete in this space with its proven M-series chips rather than try to compete with other companies.

The chips are meant for Apple's powerful laptops and server, but a stripped down version for embedded systems could bring the power of this proprietary platform to the automotive space. It could be a killer combo.

Do you have a compatible device in your vehicle? Are you going to upgrade to one that has it? Let us know what you think over at the i More forums.

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