After many months of speculation, rumour and anticipation, Apple have finally announced CarPlay.

CarPlay is Apple’s new branding for iOS in the Car, a feature that was originally revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in 2013.

Apple envisions CarPlay as a smarter, safer and more intuitive way of enjoying the iOS experience whilst driving. CarPlay is therefore designed to give iPhone users a much easier means of making calls, using maps, listening to music, asking Siri for advice and accessing messages from the dashboard of compatible vehicles.

Vamers - FYI - Gadgetology - Apple CarPlay Brings the iOS Experience to Cars - Dashboard

CarPlay allows iPhone users to access select components of the iOS operating system directly through the native interface of a compatible car or simply by means of pressing the voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri.

Apple’s CarPlay will be enabled in a forthcoming iOS 7 update and works with any Lightning-enabled iPhone. Apple have also confirmed that CarPlay will be natively available in select 2014 models of cars from the following manufacturers: BMW, Ferrari, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota and Volvo.

I personally think that this is fantastic news. I already use my iPhone in my car more than I should or need to. CarPlay will make for a great and extremely useful extension of the iPhone’s capabilities.

[youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIo0wu0PVAs’]

Show Press Release

Apple Rolls Out CarPlay Giving Drivers a Smarter, Safer & More Fun Way to Use iPhone in the Car

CarPlay Premieres with Leading Auto Manufacturers at the Geneva International Motor Show

GENEVA―March 3, 2014―Apple® today announced that leading auto manufacturers are rolling out CarPlay, the smarter, safer and more fun way to use iPhone® in the car. CarPlay gives iPhone users an incredibly intuitive way to make calls, use Maps, listen to music and access messages with just a word or a touch. Users can easily control CarPlay from the car’s native interface or just push-and-hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri® without distraction. Vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will premiere CarPlay to their drivers this week, while additional auto manufacturers bringing CarPlay to their drivers down the road include BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp.

“CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing. “iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we’re thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva.”

Apple has led consumer technology integration in the car for more than a decade. CarPlay brings your car and iPhone together for a thoughtful experience that lets drivers focus on driving, while also tapping into everything they want to do with their iPhone.

Once iPhone is connected to a vehicle with CarPlay integration, Siri helps you easily access your contacts, make calls, return missed calls or listen to voicemails. When incoming messages or notifications arrive, Siri provides an eyes-free experience by responding to requests through voice commands, by reading drivers’ messages and letting them dictate responses or simply make a call.

CarPlay makes driving directions more intuitive by working with Maps to anticipate destinations based on recent trips via contacts, emails or texts, and provides routing instructions, traffic conditions and ETA. You can also simply ask Siri and receive spoken turn-by-turn directions, along with Maps, which will appear on your car’s built-in display.

CarPlay gives drivers access to all of their music, podcasts, audiobooks and iTunes Radio℠ with easy navigation through listening choices from the car’s built-in controls or simply by asking Siri to pull up what you’d like to hear. CarPlay also supports select third-party audio apps including Spotify and iHeartRadio, so you can listen to your favorite radio services or sports broadcast apps while driving.

Pricing & Availability
Apple CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning-enabled iPhones, including iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. CarPlay will be available in select cars shipping in 2014.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

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[Sources: Apple, Volvo]

Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.