Browsing Posts in Automotive Technology

Back in January 2014 I wrote a quick piece predicting there will be a big play between the three tech' power houses to get inside your car. Apple ($AAPL) with CarPlay, Google ($GOOG) with #AndroidAuto and it's "Open Auto Alliance" and Microsoft ($MSFT) with Sync.

In yesterday's WWDC convention Apple's Craig Federighi announced a few big new features for CarPlay. It was crammed into the final few minutes of a conference largely focusing on the updates coming in iOS9, but it was these final minutes that said more about Apple's futures, to me, than with the announcement of it's Streaming Music Service.

CarPlay is adding support for different display sizes, automaker apps, and wireless. The "automaker apps" component is huge. It bridges the gap between the Car's native OS and third-party OS like CarPlay, AndroidAuto and Sync.

Already Google and Microsoft are loosing out. Apple dominated in the smartphone sector the same way, Google and Microsoft are still trying to catch up. Microsoft and Google both had hardware/software but Apple secured mass market by taking a technology problem and packaging it in a way that is easy and intuitive to use. The same thing is happening with Car operating systems. Microsoft have had Sync' running in Ford for years now but it's still this bloated, complicated OS. Google are still trying to secure larger adoption, it's introduction into Tesla $TSLA cars could be huge, but Apple has quietly been working on an all inclusive product for cars.

Check out these 1967 Ford Mustang GTA models at Revology if you're ready to buy a new car.

Microsoft started it back in 2007 with Windows Embedded Automotive, a Windows CE based operating system for cars. It now runs Ford's Sync', in-vehicle communications and entertainment.

This space is heating up though. With Google recently forming the Open Automotive Alliance in order to increase the range of it's Android operating system. Since June of last year, Apple has also been working on a version of it's own (iOS In The Car) that integrates with Siri. Today saw more previews and videos of what this might look like.

Apple Car Play in a Ferrari

I think the race is on to dominate the "in-car" market. Apple clearly got a head start in the Smart Phone sector, but this latest demographic is far more closely contested.