Next-Gen Apple CarPlay to Take Over the Entire Cockpit

Apple’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) opened on Monday with the tech giant previewing the new iOS 16 as well as the next generation of CarPlay.

The latter will go even further by deeply integrating with a car’s hardware. It will be able, for instance, to provide content for multiple screens, “creating an experience that is unified and consistent,” Apple said.

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Of course, that’s when automakers will allow it, as many of them continue to spend considerable time, effort and money to develop their own infotainment systems and interfaces.

Drivers will be able to do things like control the radio or change the climate directly through CarPlay, and using the vehicle data, CarPlay will seamlessly render the speed, fuel level, temperature, and more on the instrument cluster. 

All of that can be customized, for example by choosing different gauge cluster designs. Furthermore, with added support for widgets, drivers will have at-a-glance information from Weather and Music right on their dashboard. Increased control of connected home devices is part of the plan, too.

This first look at the next generation of CarPlay is promising, but we’ll have to be very patient: vehicles will start to be announced late in 2023. We’re also wondering about compatibility with existing vehicles. More information will be shared in the coming months.

In the meantime, Apple’s self-driving EV project is still, well, a project.