The attack on your place in the DASH continues. And this time it’s coming from the biggest tech name in the world. Apple calls CarPlay the “ultimate copilot,” where drivers can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and, of course, listen to music. And CarPlay was all over CES last week, as automakers like Ford, Chrysler, and Volkswagen incorporated the infotainment interface into some of CES’s biggest press conferences. Was radio highlighted so brightly?
Already there are 100 automobiles equipped to handle the system or introduce in 2016 or 2017, including 14 Chevy models, 18 Volkswagen models, and 10 Cadillac models. Amplifi Media Founder and CEO Steven Goldstein tells Radio Ink, “This is all about the trend to choice and control. We see it proliferating in TV and video. Linear radio has had a wide-moat in the car forever, but options like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto open up a myriad of new options for listeners and new choices. It removes some of the friction in listening to podcasts, and maybe most significantly, the AM/FM buttons will likely be multiple clicks away.”
CarPlay was launched in June of last year. It lets you plug your iPhone into your car and control entertainment and communication features through the vehicle’s central display. Older vehicles can also be retrofitted with audio systems supporting CarPlay, which is exactly what Radio Ink Chairman Eric Rhoads did when he went out and bought a Pioneer unit for his car. In his upcoming editorial in the January 18 issue of Radio Ink, Eric called CarPlay a game changer. He advises all broadcasters to go out and somehow experience this new technology because, he says, it may “change the way you do radio.”
Apple has now launched a dedicated website to track which car makes and models now support the standard.
