not have any third-party apps on board, but the fact that Apple shows upcoming apps from iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify and more on its website indicates they will be available soon, and one can only expect more apps to follow quickly. However, three major factors will determine how implemen- tation of CarPlay will affect the industry. 1. CarPlay takes control of the user interface out of the manufacturer’s hands. Drivers of a BMW or Subaru with a fac- tory installed, CarPlay-equipped radio will have the same user experience as the driver of a 2005 Toyota Corolla with a Pioneer AVIC-4000NEX in the dash. As well, manufacturers—and users, for that matter— have little control of which apps are shown, at least for now. And if you think that there should be no effect because CarPlay is an auxiliary interface sim- ilar to satellite radio, think again. Plugging in an iPhone immediately puts the CarPlay interface front and center, without the user pressing any buttons. And with this single interface offering talk and text communication, voice control and connected enter- tainment, it could very well become the only interface iPhone owners will use. 2. The power of Siri will still have to fight the negative stigma of voice rec- ognition. Apple has undoubtedly taken an “err on the side of caution” approach to how its functionality is implemented, and while it makes sense in a car to perform functions by voice, history is a great teacher. Voice technology in the car has been suspect at best, and practi- cally unusable at worst over the years. And that’s just talking about the functionality, not to mention the vocabulary. Plus, experience with Ford’s SYNC system has shown that it’s not always practical to speak to your audio system. 3. Retraining consumers is a pain in the butt.
It’s always an issue when you introduce a product that supposedly works like another: The automatic assumption of a consumer is that they will be able to do the same things—in the same way—they are used to. “Swipers” and “scrollers” will expect to swipe
» Pioneer featured Car- Play-equipped NEX receivers in several demo cars for media presentations.
and scroll, not talk. Apple, Pioneer and other Car- Play partners will have to spend marketing dollars helping customers make the change to voice-centric interaction. The idea of being safer isn’t enough to motivate consumers, because everyone thinks they are capable of managing their own behavior in terms of safety. Without a significant marketing effort, it may be tough to avoid many early adopters tagging the tech as inferior because it forces them to change their interaction habits rather than adopting them. The acceptance level of CarPlay will also play a role in how other emerging in-vehicle interface platforms develop, such as the Open Automotive Alliance’s Android car platform, the Car Connectivity Consortium’s MirrorLink, and BlackBerry’s QNX Car Platform. History has shown that technology always settles some- where in the middle between what OEMs think is safe and what consumers think is con- venient. (We’ve learned these lessons from Heads-Up Displays and automatic seatbelts, both of which are obso- lete, and in the other direction with vehicle
remote start, which the OEMs previously wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot keyfob.) Pioneer was smart to embrace Apple CarPlay quickly and show the world that it’s willing to be part of the first group that might bask in success or stumble amid consumer rejection. That’s saying something. In any case, we will see these platforms come to fruition, and at the very least, it’s good that for once, aftermarket and OEMs will create the same experience and we can capitalize on their market- ing dollars. At the same time, we have gone from an industry struggling to integrate the smartphone to now giving smartphone makers the keys to the king- dom. We’ll find out soon where that takes us.
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