Sam Oliver
Though it arrived later than expected, Pioneer on Thursday supplied updates for its existing NEX lineup of car stereos to support Apple's CarPlay. In addition, popular streaming music service Spotify also saw an update to its iOS application to add support for Apple's new car infotainment platform.
Pioneer had originally demonstrated CarPlay support for its NEX aftermarket car systems back in May, promising that the update would become available to users in "a few weeks." That update was finally supplied by the company on Thursday.
Firmware updates are ">now available to download for the AVIC-X8610BS, AVH-4000NEX, and the AVIC-5000NEX, 6000NEX, 7000NEX and 8000NEX.
Pioneer on Thursday also introduced a new, more affordable $600 unit called the AppRadio 4 featuring a 6.2-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen. CarPlay is compatible with iOS 7.1 or later running on an iPhone 5 or newer.
Pioneer's units also support Siri Eyes Free, which provides voice prompts to users and receives commands through an external microphone built into the head unit.
"The new AppRadio 4 embodies our idea of the connected car, providing the majority of smartphone owners the ability to utilize their devices in the car for calling, streaming music, and even controlling supported apps to enhance their driving experience," said Ted Cardenas, vice president of marketing for the Car Electronics Division of Pioneer Electronics.
Out of the box, CarPlay supports native Apple applications including Music and Maps, while select third-party developers have been announced. Among those is Spotify, which added support in an update to its official iOS application on Thursday.
Spotify version 1.8.0 allows users to play Spotify in a CarPlay equipped vehicle by connecting a compatible iPhone. The update also adds support for Swedish and Quebec French.
Charles Martin
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19 Comments
Wow, that's cool! I was just waiting for a good integration of my iPhone into my car....great!
Hopefully they will support the mirroring of the iPhone's display content to some in-car entertainment display. It would be awesome to sit in the back of some car and play some game on a bigger screen build into the neck support :)
Good to see. I'm considering a new car in the near future. I will only buy one with Apple's CarPlay.... :)
P.S. It probably won't be a Ferrari.
The cheapest Pioneer unit is $600. I don't need CarPlay that bad.
The cheapest Pioneer unit is $600. I don't need CarPlay that bad.
Thats MSRP- The 4000 and 5000 NEX are $530 (free shipping) and the AppRadio4 was just announced- but the 3 was selling for $355 on Amazon before the announcement- so it'll likely be closer to $400.
I'd actually buy the App4 if my Ac/Heating system in my Lincoln's weren't tied into my radio display.
These things really wont work well with newer cars unless theyre lower-end ones. I guess I could find a way to mash it into my 69' vette somehow.
Just bought a new Subsru Forester. Was going to wait until the CarPlay was available as Subaru promised, but knowing how they lag in tech, I would have still been waiting in two years. I got the highest level radio/nab unit hoping that a firmware update in the future might be available. A guy can dream can't he? I would even spring for a Pioneer aftermarket unit (Subie says they make their factory units) if it could be hooked up to the internal GPS and antenna.