With CarPlay, Apple could dominate in the Auto Industry

CarPlay, alongside HomeKit and HealthKit / ResearchKit, is part of Apple’s large investment in manufacturing “seamless extensions of iOS”.

With the market rapidly evolving into seamless and ubiquitous automation, software giants looking to gain territory in the next 5-10 years, must act quickly, to secure their positions.

At the moment, Apple is the one with the most capital invested in most of these markets so far, starting with the Apple Watch, the company’s first wearable device. Recent rumors have spread about Apple potentially tackling the automotive industry, by going deeper than the dashboard. Word of the secretive “Project Titan” tell of an actual vehicle being developed by Apple, but whether it’s true or not, the fact remains that Apple is looking for ways to let consumers use their digital devices to interact with everything surrounding them, whether it is home appliances, public services or their private means of transportation.

This is consistent with Apple’s trend of creating disruptive technologies. One example closely related to the automotive industry, is the plan of using iOS devices in place of the car keys, not only to unlock our vehicles, but to perform more advanced functions, such as triggering the ignition, and control windows as well as other servo-mechanisms, like power seats, from an iPhone, or an Apple Watch, for instance.

In Apple’s long-term strategy, CarPlay seems to gain exponential importance, as the car is one of the most personal environments to consumers, and one in which companies simply cannot afford to fail. CarPlay’s responsiveness and intuitive interface grants Apple a significant edge in respect to the competition, and that is what drivers want. An interface that just works and it’s easy to access in ways that do not interfere with driving operations.

If there weren’t enough evidence of Apple’s impressive strides towards dominating the car industry, manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and even exotic car maker Koenigsegg, are adopting CarPlay, in place of other platforms, as further proof that being the first is often about the short game. Apple’s list of committed manufacturers include over 30 car makers among the biggest worldwide, including a number of European manufacturers like Peugeot, Seat and Citroen, ready to secure Apple CarPlay’s footprint in international markets.