On Monday our blogger Todd Bernhard posted a helpful overview of Apple's new CarPlay, which is getting a lot of attention this week because of the automobile trade show taking place in Geneva. A number of the carmakers are featuring CarPlay, and Volvo has posted a great video demo showing it in action, giving you a good idea how it works.
CarPlay uses Bluetooth to let your iOS device communicate with the in-car display, such that you can used it for a wide range of functions: messages and calls, maps, and more. You can also use it to listen to music and podcasts. Plus, it works with specific third-party apps such as Spotify and Beats Radio.
However, an interesting article on CNET suggests that one of the most important features of CarPlay is its use of artificial intelligence. It actually anticipates your needs by gleaning contextual information from things such as your location, calendar, and email. It then uses that information to give you information you may need, such as driving directions. CNET says it's Apple's answer to the very popular Google Now, which has quite impressive predictive capabilities.
I like the idea of gadgets anticipating my needs, and am glad to see Apple getting into this area. It's interesting that Apple has chosen to roll out this predictive technology in CarPlay rather than in iOS devices themselves. The CNET article suggests that there's more of a clear need in one's car.
CarPlay is an important move for Apple. The in-car display may be the most important up-and-coming technology, and no one creates a better human-machine interface than Apple.