In urma cu numai cateva minute compania Apple a trimis un comunicat de presa prin care anunta ca producatori de top din industria auto vor prezenta in cadrul Salonului Auto de la Geneva primele autoturisme avand sistemul CarPlay integrat. In cadrul WWDC 2013, compania din Cupertino prezenta iOS in the Car, o caracteristica a iOS 7 care permite utilizatorilor sa isi conecteze iPhone-urile la consolele centrale ale unor autoturisme pentru a afisa diferite aplicatii optimizate pentru masini. Intre timp Apple a schimbat denumirea originala a sistemului, considerand CarPlay un nume mai potrivit pentru noua functionalitate a iOS si a unor autoturisme ce vor fi lansate in cursul acestui an.

Primele autoturisme care vor avea CarPlay integrat vor fi prezentate saptamana aceasta la Geneva, in cadrul marelui Salon Auto, de producatori precum Ferrari, Volvo si Mercedes-Benz. La sfarsitul saptamanii trecute va spuneam ca aparuse pe internet conform careia cei trei producatori auto vor fi primii ai caror masini vor avea integrat iOS in the Car si iata ca Apple o confirma in aceasta dimineata. Impreuna cu acesti producatori, Apple ne anunta ca alti producatori de top din industria auto, cum ar fi BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki si Toyota vor lansa in 2014 primele modele avand sistemul CarPlay integrat. Asa cum putem observa, lista de producatori mentionata in comunicatul de presa este mai lunga decat cea prezentata in vara, dar in continuare lipseste grupul Volkswagen-Audi, care a preferat sa incheie contract cu Google pentru a introduce un sistem asemanator.

Prin CarPlay utilizatorii iPhone vor avea la dispozitie o modalitate intuitiva de a face apeluri, utiliza Hartile, asculta muzica si accesa mesaje dictand sau facand o simpla atingere pe ecran. Noile modele de autoturisme vor permite controlarea sistemului celor de la Apple fie prin butonul special Siri eyes-free inclus pe volan, fie prin intermediul consolei centrale. Partea cea mai buna este siguranta pe care o ofera sistemul, deoarece soferii nu vor mai fi distrasi de la drum in incercarea de a telefona pe cineva, de a trimite mesaje, obtine itinerarii sau a asculta muzica. Siri va juca un rol esential in noul sistem, deoarece va permite utilizatorului sa dicteze pentru a accesa contactele, efectua apeluri, accesa mesageria vocala, scrie noi mesaje, citind si noile mesaje primite si nu numai. Aplicatia Harti a fost si ea optimizata pentru autoturisme, aceasta fiind acum capabila sa anticipeze destinatiile utilizatorilor in functie de calatoriile recente facute catre locuri mentionate in contacte, e-mailuri sau mesaje. Utilizatorii vor primi informatii despre rute, conditiile de trafic si o estimare a sosirii la destinatie, iar Siri va putea pronunta virajele viitoare. La final, aplicatia Muzica le va permite posesorilor noilor autoturisme sa acceseze toate bibliotecile muzicale, podcasturile, cartile audio si iTunes Radio (in tarile in care este disponibil) fie prin atingeri pe consola centrala, fie prin comenzi vocale. Mai mult decat atat, CarPlay include suport si pentru aplicatii terte audio, cum ar fi Spotify.

Merita mentionat ca Apple a modificat interfata utilizator a sistemului CarPlay, aceasta fiind complet diferita fata de cea prezentata in vara. Un dezvoltator a reusit sa descopere in versiunile beta ale iOS 7.1 noua interfata care pare sa ofere un mod mai intuitiv si mai sigur de a utiliza sistemul in timpul condusului.

Dispozitivele compatibile cu CarPlay vor fi toate iPhone-urile care au porturi Lightning (iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s sau ulterioare) si va fi disponibil printr-o actualizare a iOS 7 (posibil, iOS 7.1). Din pacate, sistemul va fi disponibil numai pe autoturismele lansate incepand cu 2014 de catre producatorii mentionati anterior.

Actualizare: Apple a lansat si o pagina speciala de prezentare a noului sistem CarPlay. Accesati pagina http://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/.

Citeste intregul comunicat de presa trimis de Apple:

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Apple Rolls Out CarPlay Giving Drivers a Smarter, Safer & More Fun Way to Use iPhone in the Car

CarPlay Premieres with Leading Auto Manufacturers at the Geneva International Motor Show

GENEVA―March 3, 2014―Apple® today announced that leading auto manufacturers are rolling out CarPlay, the smarter, safer and more fun way to use iPhone® in the car. CarPlay gives iPhone users an incredibly intuitive way to make calls, use Maps, listen to music and access messages with just a word or a touch. Users can easily control CarPlay from the car’s native interface or just push-and-hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri® without distraction. Vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will premiere CarPlay to their drivers this week, while additional auto manufacturers bringing CarPlay to their drivers down the road include BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp.

“CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing. “iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we’re thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva.”

Apple has led consumer technology integration in the car for more than a decade. CarPlay brings your car and iPhone together for a thoughtful experience that lets drivers focus on driving, while also tapping into everything they want to do with their iPhone.

Once iPhone is connected to a vehicle with CarPlay integration, Siri helps you easily access your contacts, make calls, return missed calls or listen to voicemails. When incoming messages or notifications arrive, Siri provides an eyes-free experience by responding to requests through voice commands, by reading drivers’ messages and letting them dictate responses or simply make a call.

CarPlay makes driving directions more intuitive by working with Maps to anticipate destinations based on recent trips via contacts, emails or texts, and provides routing instructions, traffic conditions and ETA. You can also simply ask Siri and receive spoken turn-by-turn directions, along with Maps, which will appear on your car’s built-in display.

CarPlay gives drivers access to all of their music, podcasts, audiobooks and iTunes Radio℠ with easy navigation through listening choices from the car’s built-in controls or simply by asking Siri to pull up what you’d like to hear. CarPlay also supports select third-party audio apps including Spotify and iHeartRadio, so you can listen to your favorite radio services or sports broadcast apps while driving.

Pricing & Availability
Apple CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning-enabled iPhones, including iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. CarPlay will be available in select cars shipping in 2014.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.[/quote_box_center]