iOS in the Car

As expected, Apple today announced CarPlay, formerly know as "iOS in the Car," at the Geneva Motor Show. In conjunction with this announcement, Volvo showcased its CarPlay implementation in its new XC90 SUV, which will be available later this year.

Initially revealed at last year's Worldwide Developer's Conference, CarPlay is designed to integrate the driver's iOS device with the vehicle's built-in display/control system. Features familiar to iPhone and iPad users, such as Siri,

Ever since "Car Display" showed up in General -> Restrictions in some of the early iOS 7 beta versions we've known that iOS in the Car would be coming along shortly. Financial Times has now confirmed that Apple, in collaboration with Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, will be announcing its in-car operating system at next week's Geneva Motor Show.

iOS in the Car will allow auto manufacturers to integrate iOS devices with their vehicles' native control systems, thereby allowing an operator to access iOS functions through his/her vehicle's interface. Initially, the focus will be on functions such as Siri, telephony, navigation, music control and messaging. This is just the

In their online introduction to iOS 7, Apple affirmed that iOS in the Car would be coming soon. Today's release of iOS 7.1 beta 2 added credibility to that claim in the form of a 'Car Display' toggle under Settings>General>Restrictions. In addition, according to 9To5Mac, "Apple has greatly increased the amount of iOS in the Car references in both iOS7.1 beta 1 and in the new beta 2."

When asked about iOS in the Car on an earnings call earlier this Summer, Apple CEO Tim Cook described it as "part of the ecosystem, just like the App Store is a key part of the ecosystem... having something in the automobile is very, very important." Although Apple has not yet released iOS in the Car, all of this points to a release date sooner rather than later, perhaps alongside iOS 7.1, which is slated for early 2014.