Car

Apple’s name attached to mysterious camera-equipped vehicles in Bay Area

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2015

A handful of unmarked minivans have been spotted driving around California over the past several days with what appears to be roof-mounted camera equipment. No one seems to know what the vehicles are up to, but CBS' Bay Area affiliate was able to confirm with the DMV that at least one of the vans is leased to Apple.

More specifically, the minivans feature custom X-shaped frames atop their luggage racks, fitted with what appears to be 12 cameras. It also has a pair of cylindrical antennas, which the news outlet speculates could be LiDAR sensors—a laser-based technology used in self-driving vehicles, as well as high-resolution mapping.

Apple patent details advanced wireless car control

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2015

Apple's patent filings are usually more indicative of the company's aspirations in terms of the technologies they seek to protect rather than possible future products.

With that in mind, The United States Patent & Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple an interesting patent on advanced automotive control by linking your iPhone to your vehicle through Bluetooth.

Smart driving assistant Automatic now connects your car and home with Nest

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 11, 2017

First preview at CES 2015 a week ago, Automatic, makers of the popular connected car adapter, today officially announced a new feature to connect your car and home with Nest, the smart thermostat from Google.

The integration enables communication between your car and home through intelligently chosen rules that give the Nest thermostat a more timely understanding of when heating or cooling is needed and more importantly, when it's not.

Study finds Siri and other hands-free systems to be very distracting while driving

Cody Lee ∙ October 7, 2014

Despite its good intentions, using Siri while driving is actually quite dangerous, according to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. After a series of tests involving 45 drivers completing in-car tasks with various voice control systems, researchers found Apple's digital assistant to be a "high level of mental distraction."

In fact, Siri performed the worst out of all of the various systems they tested, and even resulted in two crashes during the simulator study. The popular assistant was also rated the least intuitive and the most complex, and AAA criticized it for its lack of consistency and flexibility when it came to recognizing voice commands from its drivers.

Audi rolling out CarPlay and Android Auto in 2015 vehicles

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Audi announced on Thursday that it will be integrating both the CarPlay and Android Auto software platforms into the Multimedia Interface for its premium lineup of vehicles. The new functions will be available for new Audi models starting in 2015, marking a milestone for the car manufacturer in terms of smartphone integration.

Audi was a founding member of the Google Open Automotive Alliance earlier this year, and already offers navigation via Google Maps and streaming music via Google Play Music. CarPlay integration will also bring iOS to its vehicle lineup, following close dialog between the Audi development lab in Silicon Valley and Apple…

Pioneer exec talks CarPlay and what it’s like to work with Apple

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Since Apple announced CarPlay last month, the most common question has been about aftermarket products. Most folks don't have the money to just go out and buy a brand new car, so they want to know when they'll be able to install the system in their current vehicle.

Initially, the prognoses didn't look very good, but Apple confirmed last week that both Alpine and Pioneer are working on aftermarket CarPlay solutions to be released this year. And recently, MacRumors sat down with Pioneer's Ted Cardenas to talk about the project...

Auto manufacturers say aftermarket CarPlay support will be difficult

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

The hope that older vehicles and aftermarket products will eventually support Apple's new CarPlay system took a bit of a blow yesterday. How-to website AppleToolbox spoke with reps from both Volvo and Ferrari, and both made it sound like it's going to be extremely difficult to do.

In fact, Ferrari has dismissed the possibility all together, saying that CarPlay "is available only on new range cars and cannot be installed on older ones." Volvo, on the other hand, hasn't ruled it out yet, but admits those adding aftermarket CarPlay support will face "major roadblocks."

Apple launches ‘CarPlay,’ a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

As expected, Apple has launched its iOS in the Car initiative today at the Geneva Motor Show. It's officially calling the offering 'CarPlay,' and is advertising the feature as a smarter, safer and more fun way to use your iPhone while in the car.

But looking at the press release, CarPlay will function exactly as we've been led to believe it would. Users will be able to control it through their car's native interface, or by activating Siri via the voice control button on their steering wheel...

Apple to launch iOS in the Car next week with Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz

Cody Lee ∙ February 28, 2014

Nearly a year after its introduction, it looks like Apple is finally ready to launch iOS in the Car. The Financial Times is reporting that the company plans to introduce the new feature next week with 3 major launch partners: Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

Oddly enough, the Times doesn't mention the project by name, but says that drivers will be able to use Apple's 'in-car operating system' to use Apple Maps, watch movies, listen to music, make phone calls and send messages using the vehicle's in-dash display...

Apple said to have considered buying Tesla, working on tech to predict heart attacks

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

As Apple continues to seek growth outside of smartphone and tablet markets, we've heard various rumors speculating on what areas the company could enter next. Automotive and medical industries have been popular answers as of late, and today a report added weight to those theories.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting today that Apple has been exploring both cars and medical devices to reignite growth, and the scoop is filled with interesting tidbits. For example, the outlet claims Apple execs met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk last year to discuss a potential buyout...

Senate asks Apple and other tech companies for distracted driving solutions

Cody Lee ∙ February 7, 2014

The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation host a daylong summit yesterday to discuss the growing problem of distracted driving. Drivers texting and doing other phone-related activities are now causing more than 1 million accidents per year.

A number of representatives from major tech companies attended the summit, including executives from Google, Samsung, AT&T, Sprint and Apple. The Senate is asking that they all work together to come up with more robust technical solutions to distracted driving...

Apple’s iOS in the Car project reportedly plagued by ‘organizational issues’

Cody Lee ∙ January 28, 2014

Apple announced iOS in the Car at WWDC in June of last year. The company said that the new feature will allow iOS 7 device users to connect to the in-car displays of compatible vehicles, and that it would be launching it in the near future.

But here we are, roughly 6 months later, and while we've seen photos and videos of it in action, we have yet to see any sign of a public iOS in the Car release. So what's the holdup? A new report attributes the delay to 'organizational issues.'