Porsche to offer Apple CarPlay in future models
In a quiet update to Apple's dedicated CarPlay webpage, legendary German automaker Porsche was added to a rolling list of companies promising support for the iOS-based infotainment system.
Porsche is the latest brand to commit to CarPlay after Apple CEO Tim Cook last month said all major car manufacturers plan to incorporate the third-party infotainment platform in models rolling out this year.
The previously unreported addition to the CarPlay lineup came sometime in mid-March, according to Internet caches of the website. Porsche owner Volkswagen Group is offering substantial CarPlay support across its marques, including Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Suzuki and Volkswagen.
It is not yet clear how or when the Stuttgart luxury brand plans to build in compatibility, as the company has already developed a fairly comprehensive in-house solution called Porsche Communication Management. PCM offers the usual assortment of niceties like GPS navigation, voice control and digital audio, but bakes in advanced features such as speed limit indicators called up from data stored in the system's navigation database.
In its fight for the dashboard, Apple faces stiff competition from stalwart industry players and fellow tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Google is pushing an Android Auto platform similar to CarPlay, while Microsoft last year saw its Sync tie-up with Ford dissolve, to be replaced by a new iteration powered by BlackBerry's QNX.
Aside from buying a new car, iPhone owners can get access to CarPlay by swapping out stock head units for compatible hardware made by aftermarket audio companies like Alpine, Parrot and Pioneer.
Porsche is the latest brand to commit to CarPlay after Apple CEO Tim Cook last month said all major car manufacturers plan to incorporate the third-party infotainment platform in models rolling out this year.
The previously unreported addition to the CarPlay lineup came sometime in mid-March, according to Internet caches of the website. Porsche owner Volkswagen Group is offering substantial CarPlay support across its marques, including Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Suzuki and Volkswagen.
It is not yet clear how or when the Stuttgart luxury brand plans to build in compatibility, as the company has already developed a fairly comprehensive in-house solution called Porsche Communication Management. PCM offers the usual assortment of niceties like GPS navigation, voice control and digital audio, but bakes in advanced features such as speed limit indicators called up from data stored in the system's navigation database.
In its fight for the dashboard, Apple faces stiff competition from stalwart industry players and fellow tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Google is pushing an Android Auto platform similar to CarPlay, while Microsoft last year saw its Sync tie-up with Ford dissolve, to be replaced by a new iteration powered by BlackBerry's QNX.
Aside from buying a new car, iPhone owners can get access to CarPlay by swapping out stock head units for compatible hardware made by aftermarket audio companies like Alpine, Parrot and Pioneer.
Comments
The good news is that it should be easy to add it to any 911, since they haven't changed in 40 years.
Apple had better stay away from high dollar brands like Porsche, lest the naysayers whine about "Tim Cook's Apple" being all about the 1%, the fashionable people, or whomever else Steve Jobs (according to their selective memories) would never cavort with.
Ignoring the fact Steve drove around in a high end Mercedes, of course. And that he went around hobnobbing with the entire music industry to sell the iTunes Music Store.
In a quiet update to Apple's dedicated CarPlay webpage, legendary German automaker Porsche was added to a rolling list of companies promising support for the iOS-based infotainment system.
Well, that settles it then.
About time Germans. I'm an average Joe lucky enough to have a lovely car thanks to my faith
in Apple design, ecosystems and the great Tim.
The last update was the 991 in 2012...assuming this will be a backward retrofit as well...I have 2013 911 and the Porsche PCM is circa 2005
Which car manufacturer does backwards retrofits? They all want you to BUY A NEW CAR. Even if you just drove it off the lot, they will be happy to buy it back from you and sell you a new one with the feature you want. Course, you'll have to pay depreciation on the used car...
For example, the article talks about Volkswagen's Audi. I wrote to them a couple of weeks ago (and was at a dealership today), and I got the same answer as I did from BMW: they do not know which models in 2016 because HQ will not tell them. Meanwhile BMW is running ads making fun of Siri in the car (
My wife is also in the market for a car and she's thinking of the Volvo XC60. (Volvo has been touted in many AI articles as one of the early, major adopters.) She found out, however, that only one model of Volvo will have it in 2016, the XC90.
I think there's some breathless reporting on this. I truly wish they'd get past the hype and focus on what's actually happening. Speaking for myself, the next car I buy will have CarPlay or I will hold on to my current vehicle until that happens.
Which car manufacturer does backwards retrofits? They all want you to BUY A NEW CAR. Even if you just drove it off the lot, they will be happy to buy it back from you and sell you a new one with the feature you want. Course, you'll have to pay depreciation on the used car...
Porsche maybe the exception. They have a department whose sole purpose is to maintain and update old Porsches. In fact they have recently released a new in dash navigation/entertainment system that is compatible all the way back to the original 911.
That's interesting, I didn't know that. I just recently had a new stereo installed in my early 70's Porshe Targa. I was originally going to go with the Pioneer AVH-X7500 as it's a single DIN unit with a pullout display. The problem was it looked horrible when installed and I really didn't care for the UI and lack of customization. So I had the installation guys order me a really nice custom center console which was something I had toyed with doing for a long while and decided on a Blaupunkt Android console instead. What's great about it is I can customize the interface to my liking and install things like my favorite Podcast app, Spotify, Kodi (for the kids to watch movies), etc. My son was even able to sync his Nvidia Gamepad and install Real Racing 3 on it. Anyway I'm very happy with my setup, I also had new Blaupunkt speakers, amp, GPS unit and a small but still very powerful sub-woofer installed, also Blaupunkt, basically everything was from them.
Blaupunkt Blue Magic series, small and a perfect fit for my little speedster.
The last update was the 991 in 2012...assuming this will be a backward retrofit as well...I have 2013 911 and the Porsche PCM is circa 2005
We'll have to make do without PorscheInsider, but an all new hybrid 911 is expected in 2018.
Porsche is now testing the technology in LeMans with the awesome 919, a V4 turbo powered hybrid.
Hopefully this is the year we'll begin to see a substantial wave of actual product hitting the market. (I'll probably buy a car in the next 2 years, so I'm selfishly hoping that there's a nice variety of CarPlay-equipped models by then!)
I'm eager for car manufacturers to move from Pledging to actually Selling.
Hopefully this is the year we'll begin to see a substantial wave of actual product hitting the market. (I'll probably buy a car in the next 2 years, so I'm selfishly hoping that there's a nice variety of CarPlay-equipped models by then!)
I am(and many) in same boat pushing the purchase(replace) of car. We don't replace car like phones so I am waiting to see car manufacturers add carplay to their low-medium offerings of cars for their 2016 models available in 2015.