Jony Ive, Apple's former Chief Design Officer, is being considered for the CEO job at Ferrari alongside Luca Maestri, who is an Italian businessman and Apple's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Ferrari on Monday started delivering its new Ferrari FF model with CarPlay integration to early adopters, becoming the first commercially available vehicle on the roads with native support for Apple's in-car system, previously known as 'iOS in the Car'. CarPlay is also available for older vehicles as an aftermarket solution from the likes of Alpine and Pioneer.
The $300,000 sports car with a 6.3-liter V12 engine provides a cool 651 horsepower and takes you from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 second (top speed: 208 miles per hour). CarPlay integration in the Ferrari FF includes the familiar features like voice-guided navigation, Siri, music playback, voice controls, messaging, phone calls and more.
Ferrari is one of the three CarPlay launch partners (along with Volvo and Mercedes-Benz) so we're not shocked that a Ferrari sports vehicle has been spotted inside the Moscone West building and right in front of the keynote line.
With CarPlay in iOS 8 allegedly gaining support for wireless connections between the vehicle and your iOS device - and who knows what else - this could signal Apple's desire to take CarPlay mainstream and perhaps announce during the keynote additional CarPlay features/partners, expanded CarPlay availability, in-dash aftermarket solutions and what not...
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."
Following Volvo and Mercedes-Benz video tours of Apple's newly announced in-car system dubbed CarPlay (formerly iOS in the Car), Apple's third launch partner - the Italian sports car maker Ferrari - today showcased the technology at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.
Apple has even dispatched its VP of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing, Greg Joswiak, to help launch the new Ferrari FF with CarPlay. Unfortunately, the car manufacturer has made a terrible decision outfitting the Ferrari FF with a resistive touchscreen that requires users to press firmly to register touches...
This is kind of interesting. Ferrari unveiled its latest hybrid supercar today, the "LaFerrari." And not only does it come with support for Siri's Eyes Free feature, it also includes two iPad minis for your passenger's entertainment.
But the automaker's love for Apple runs even deeper than that. In addition to its new car, Ferrari also announced today that it plans to strengthen its partnership with the Cupertino company over the next several months...
Apple's SVP of Internet Software & Services, Eddy "The Fixer" Cue, has joined Ferrari's Board of Directors. In one design leader complimenting another, Cue said he has long admired the Italian luxury auto manufacturer. However, does Wednesday's action have any relevance to Apple fans likely owning something a bit less drenched in high-octane? Possibly.
While Ferrari was not among the list of automakers which plan to participate in Apple's 'Eyes Free' initiative launched earlier this summer, integration of the Siri voice-recognition feature is expected to show up in GM's Chevrolet Spark, as well as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar at a later date...