CarPlay, Apple’s in-car entertainment solution which integrates the iPhone into your car in a safe manner, is receiving some welcomed attention at the WWDC show in San Francisco.
Apple hinted at CarPlay demonstrations by parking a Ferrari inside the Moscone West building, right in front of the keynote line.
Indeed, the company is now using these vehicles to show off CarPlay integration to select members of the press. Among them is the USA Today newspaper whose reporter was able to sneak a peek on CarPlay features in a Chevy Spark.
The video is right after the jump…
Here it is, give it a watch (Flash required – sorry, talk to USA Today!).
Have you spotted an icon representing a dedicated Chevrolet app?
As you’d expect, Chevrolet’s CarPlay integration on the Chevy Spark works much like that of other car manufacturers. Common features are supported and implemented seamlessly, such as turn-by-turn navigation using Apple Maps, Siri voice control, music playback, making and receiving phone calls, dictation and more.
CarPlay requires a Lightning-compatible iOS device running iOS 7.1 or later. Apple has said that select 2014 vehicles coming this summer will include CarPlay functionality, with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo acting as launch partners.
However, as Apple’s list of CarPlay supporters include the biggest name in automotive, the vast majority of mid-class and premium vehicles are expected to deploy CarPlay in the coming months and years.
In addition to a Ferrari and Chevy Spark, guess what other vehicle is parked inside Moscone West?
Yeah, that’s a beautifully jazzed up 1965 Ford Mustang.
This gives us hope that Apple will be showcasing some of the upcoming third-party aftermarket CarPlay solutions before wrapping up WWDC this Friday. As a reminder, Pioneer and Alpine recently announced head-unit aftermarket CarPlay systems.