Accessory maker parrot expanded its lineup of iOS-connected products at CES with the award-winning RNB6 CarPlay-enabled head unit and H2O standalone plant sensor/automated watering device.
iPhone owners looking to make the most of Apple's nascent in-car initiative without buying a vehicle now have a number of new choices, as industry heavies Pioneer and Kenwood have announced several new CarPlay-compatible replacement head units at CES 2015.
German auto giant Volkswagen on Monday unveiled plans to incorporate Apple's CarPlay in next-generation infotainment systems, saying the iOS-derived feature will come included with select models this year.
Ford has abandoned its troubled Microsoft Sync automotive infotainment system for a QNX-based platform that can support Apple's CarPlay with Hands Free Siri.
Pioneer was the first to market with third-party CarPlay-compatible systems, and AppleInsider has put its new AppRadio 4 model to the test, to see how it — and Apple's new vehicle-based infotainment system — measure up.
Aftermarket options with support for Apple's CarPlay continue to expand, with Alpine launching a new $800 unit on Monday featuring a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen and support for Siri voice commands.
Though Apple doesn't appear to have opened up CarPlay access to its wider development community, the number of compatible apps does continue to expand, with streaming radio services iHeartRadio and Rdio adding support in recent updates.
An Apple patent published on Tuesday could foreshadow future CarPlay functionality that allows users to unlocks car doors, start the engine and perform other automated tasks based on a user's proximity to their vehicle.
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.
Thanks in part to the massive popularity of Apple's iPhone, over 24 million cars featuring the company's CarPlay infotainment offering could be on the road just five years after the first vehicles sporting the new system roll off of automotive assembly lines.
Joining last week's announcement that Audi will support the upcoming CarPlay platform, eight more car makers have been listed on Apple's website as "committed partners."
German automaker Audi — a founding member of Google's Android-based Open Automotive Alliance — on Thursday announced that it has undertaken "intensive dialog" with Apple to integrate the iPhone maker's CarPlay system into new vehicles beginning in 2015.
Google is pushing for its Android platform to be omnipresent, with the unveiling of a the new voice-enabled Android Auto operating system, and new wrist-worn, fitness-tracking devices running the upcoming Android Wear platform.
CarPlay, Apple's forthcoming vehicle infotainment center standard, will feature support for Major League Baseball's At Bat application for iPhone at launch, along with other radio services like iHeart Radio, Beats, Spotify, and Stitcher.
With just hours to go before Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, two of the company's talking points may have been revealed after new Apple code appeared in the open-source WebKit project and cars were spotted on display in the Moscone Center.
With Pioneer set to update its existing NEX car infotainment systems with support for CarPlay in the coming weeks, the company has been offering advance hands-on previews of how Apple's in-car system will work.
Customers looking to purchase a new CarPlay-equipped vehicle from Hyundai may experience sticker shock, as the company has said that the feature will only be available alongside a navigation system, an upgrade that could cost thousands of dollars.
Japanese aftermarket manufacturer Alpine confirmed on Tuesday that it will be the second car audio maker to bring Apple's CarPlay to aftermarket receivers with products set to launch in the U.S. and Europe later this year.
Apple's forthcoming CarPlay standard for in-vehicle dashboards won't be limited to new cars, as Pioneer announced on Tuesday that it will be bringing five aftermarket options for customers to install in their existing vehicles this summer.
Consumers looking for a way to take advantage of Apple's new CarPlay infotainment offering without buying a new vehicle may soon be able to do so, as aftermarket manufacturer Alpine is said to preparing a CarPlay-compatible receiver for release later this year.
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Victor Marks
Sam Oliver
AppleInsider Staff
Daniel Eran Dilger
Katie Marsal
Mikey Campbell
Neil Hughes
