Review of Apple CarPlay in my car. How it works in Russia

Apple, like any public corporation, is accountable to investors. Therefore, every three months he holds a conference call, during which he reports to the board members on the financial success of the company entrusted to him. Of course, in order to satisfy investors, the reports must be positive, and incomes must be steadily growing. There is nothing unusual in this, since all large enterprises operate according to this model without exception. But Tim Cook sincerely believes that this should not be the case and that any company should have its customers in the first place.

The speed with which the coronavirus is spreading is scary. Despite the fact that while the World Health Organization is in no hurry to reclassify the epidemic as a pandemic, the virus has already caused enormous damage. True, it was not people who suffered from it, but the global economy, due to the fact that many enterprises were forced to suspend their production due to the indefinite quarantine announced in China. However, for prevention purposes, mass events are still canceled regardless of their significance. MWC, F8, Google I/O, SXSW have already been cancelled. Now in question March Apple presentation and WWDC.

Apple is quite categorical in the issue of setting dates for the launch of fresh products. That is why new versions of the company's proprietary operating systems and new iPhone and MacBook models come out at about the same time every year. Of course, the days of the week may vary, but usually they stick to the same schedule, setting presentations for June for software updates, for September - for smartphones and for October - for laptops. However, there is Apple products, which receives upgrades outside of any schedules and schedules, namely as needed. For example, Mac mini and iMac computers.

AT modern world success is a phenomenon that has ceased to have a uniquely positive meaning. And the point is not even that some achieve it in not entirely honest ways, but that it is worth one company to come to success, as soon as there is one that will complain about the violation of its rights and legitimate interests. Not because the first one stole something from the second, but because they simply did not take it as a share. Do you think this is fiction? But no. Living proof of this is Apple, which is being sued every now and then, accused of creating a monopoly.

The smart home is an area that has not yet succumbed to Apple. Of course, they tried to test the waters by releasing the HomePod and even the Home application, from which you can control the speaker and other gadgets, but it’s too early to talk about any significant conquest. It would seem that for a company like Apple, it is worth setting up the production of smart modems, light bulbs and other gadgets that fill the range of Chinese vendors? But apparently she just doesn't want to do anything, and that's why she teamed up with Google, Amazon and the Zigbee Alliance to work together on a smart home ecosystem.

If the rating of the DxOMark laboratory, which evaluates smartphone cameras, had the nomination "The most unusual camera phone", the Google Pixel would be guaranteed to win in it. Still, to achieve from a single camera the ability to take portrait shots, image stabilization and brighten photos taken in the dark so that they look as natural as possible, using software algorithms alone is worth a lot. Despite the fact that at first this development path looked rather unusual, gradually many companies, including Apple, came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with software image enhancement.

I think you have already heard about the fact that last week the State Duma adopted in the third reading a bill that obliges electronics manufacturers to install software from Russian developers on their gadgets. Despite the fact that so far this is just a blank, which does not contain any mention of specific types of devices, or programs that are required for pre-installation, or those responsible for fulfilling these requirements, the business has seriously strained. Yes, and how not to strain here, if not only Russian media, but also foreign ones write about it. As a result, they even decided that they needed to defend their interests, even if for this they would have to reach the president himself.

If you followed the development of Apple in the early 2010s, then you probably remember how dejected the brand's fans were due to the departure of Steve Jobs. Despite the fact that he himself chose his successor, many refused to believe that he could lead the company on the same course as its founder. Still, Jobs was not just a leader, he was directly involved in the development of each new product, giving advice on making certain changes. Tim Cook, on the other hand, prefers not to interfere with the work of the design team, allowing them to do their work on their own, but this does not mean that he does not follow the precepts of Steve Jobs.

Many people will agree that the current generation of young people do not want to travel; these guys want cars to drive instead of them. They don't want to buy their own car, in fact they don't want cars at all, they want smartphones. This trend is clearly noticed by automakers and developers. modern technology. So, back in 2014, at the Consumer Electronics exhibition, many technological developments were presented, including Apple CarPlay.

Apple clearly does not want to stand on the sidelines and plans to get a considerable piece of this pie. Show pre-release version Apple Car Play took place back in 2013, but already in Geneva in 2014 the official debut was organized new system Apple CarPlay. Like many modern in-car communication systems, the principle of CarPlay is to allow the driver to do whatever they want without being distracted from driving.

The practical part of Apple CarPlay is quite simple, and this is a huge merit of the developers. It is for simplicity and consistency that Apple technology is valued. You just need to take your "apple" smartphone or tablet, connect it to the car interface and you're done! The car turns into a smartphone, as expected. The 21st century has arrived. The car computer is not capable of what iOS allows you to do. In fact, it has other tasks, such as reading data from all sorts of sensors.

This means that the applications must be installed on your mobile device to see them on the display located on the center console of the car. The touchpad works in the same way as the sensor on the phone, so even a beginner can figure it out. In fact, there is a complete synchronization of the car system with the iPhone or iPad.

Not all apps may work with CarPlay. The developers have tried to maintain a high level of security. The idea behind Apple Car Play, like all other in-car entertainment and information systems, is to keep distractions to a minimum. At least that's what all the techs say.

If you fell in love voice assistant Siri and you can't live without her voice, Apple CarPlay will make your dreams come true. Siri will talk to you directly through the car interface. She will check your calendar and email, as well as tell you about scheduled business meetings while driving. She will read your text messages and will provide an opportunity to dictate her answer, which she will then send to the addressee. It will also help you make hands-free calls.

Unfortunately, the system does not allow you to use "Google Maps" for navigation. You will have to use Apple Maps with CarPlay. The developers promise that you will like it, but in fact, everything is not so smooth.

When Apple unveiled CarPlay at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the company confirmed that it was partnering with a dozen manufacturers, including Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. That's a pretty big price range, so even if you can't afford a Ferrari, you can probably find a CarPlay-equipped car that you can actually afford.

We took the Tiguan in a new body. The City version, crammed with electronics to the very mudguards, is not a car, but one big gadget. You can’t figure it out by poking, the first weeks I carefully studied the instructions.

But I started, of course, with Apple CarPlay. I noticed that there was no review of this topic on the site yet. It's time to fix

CarPlay is like an iPhone in a car?

No, it's not an iPhone. It's not even complete. operating system like iOS.

In fact, CarPlay is like AirPlay. That is, it is a system for transmitting and displaying data from your gadget to external display. In this case, automobile.

carplay broadcasts adapted versions of applications from the iPhone. You won't find Clash of Clans or Instagram here. The Cupertino people first of all thought about the safety of traffic participants, and the platform is very limited in its capabilities.

But even these minimal features are enough.

Important fact: CarPlay does not work without an iPhone. Therefore, it is always only part of the car's media system. For example, I can output music through the good old AUX, listen to the radio, turn on CarPlay, or run a similar solution for Android. The driver always has a choice.

My Tiguan configuration has a console with wired CarPlay. Wireless CarPlay is not uncommon, it just happened to me.

But! Motorists, take note. Wired CarPlay is preferable to wireless because the latter forcibly turns on iPhone mode modem - and this wastes the battery mercilessly, which ultimately forces you to keep your smartphone on charge anyway. They didn't think it through.

Okay, time to figure it out. What can CarPlay do?

The set of applications in CarPlay does not depend on the version of the car's media system. All programs are simply "picked up" from your iPhone.

This also means that you no need to pay for CarPlay update: it will match the capabilities iOS versions on an iPhone. A huge plus, if you remember that iOS is updated 10 times a year, and cars are changed every 3-5 years.

CarPlay takes your apps from your iPhone and displays them in a different interface on the screen of your car's media system. Like a projector.

The media system displays alerts, messages, call history, map directions, and in general, almost everything that you have done or continue to do on iPhone. Quite convenient, but there are limitations, which I will now discuss in more detail.

Interestingly, if you removed any standard application iOS, it will also disappear from CarPlay. Another reminder that CarPlay only duplicates the iPhone, and is not an independent media system.

I explain what are the limitations and features of CarPlay applications.

1. 🎵 Apple Music

What you turn on first and what they generally take CarPlay for. Apple Music implemented chic, all tabs are available from the screen in the car, except for the search. All so that you are not distracted by entering names while driving. Such care pleases.

On the other hand, why not add voice input? To find a specific track or playlist, I have to take my iPhone and search there, it's much faster. It's just unsafe.

Apple Music works through your Mobile Internet on iPhone or plays tracks previously downloaded to the smartphone's memory. You can create a playlist station based on the track you like right from the screen of the media system. It never came in handy for me.

2. ✉ Messages

"Messages" for CarPlay has also been greatly adapted. You will not find message history or attachments. The application will allow you to listen to the last message in the selected dialog and immediately dictate answer to him.

The message will be read aloud again before being sent. It will reach the addressee in text form, sometimes with funny speech recognition errors.

There can be no question of any full-fledged correspondence. The Messages app on CarPlay is more of a safety net. Suddenly something urgent will come. So forget about the poop emoji, stickers and other goodies.

The new message notification won't show you the text either. Click on the blue arrow and listen to the answer. The counter on the icon is synced with your phone.

3. 📞 Calls

Calls were never affected. On the contrary, steel more convenient. CarPlay navigates in Contacts, shows a list of recent and favorites, allows you to enter the number manually. All this works with the buttons on the steering wheel, and with the physical keys of the console.

Missed call notifications are also synced with your phone. Everything works quickly, easily turns on and does not distract at all. 10 speakerphones out of 10.

4. 🗺 Maps

It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised by the fact that CarPlay supports only branded Apple Maps. The company is doing its best to support the lagging service. Perhaps in the USA the situation with Maps is better, but in Russia applications from Yandex or even 2GIS will be much more informative.

Lack of normal maps critical for the regions of the Russian Federation, and in the capital is not happy. In dense traffic, much more important information about traffic jams and cameras than a beautiful interface. Not to mention the relevance of the data.

But when disconnecting from CarPlay, Maps shows the parking spot. Nice little thing.

Personally, I'm lucky. In our city, the roads are not very busy, and the location of the cameras is remembered at a time. I turn on the cards only occasionally, when I go to an unfamiliar address. And then sometimes I turn off the iPhone from CarPlay and run Yandex on it in order to get there exactly.

5. 🗣 Siri

Hidden in the corner of the CarPlay touchpad is a small home button(this depends on the model). Just like on an iPhone, a press takes you back to the main menu from any app, and a long press brings up Siri.

There are no cool chips for voice control of car systems. Rumor has it that Apple CarPlay will learn to control the temperature in the cabin, lock the doors or even park. I have not observed this. I hope that in the next updates they will add at least elementary features. It's cool, the future and all that.

6. 📖 Audiobooks, Podcasts, WhatsApp and more

CarPlay support third party applications, which Apple proudly announces to us. Either the developers are not interested in this direction, or in Cupertino too strict moderation rules - but in four years I see a very short, pitiful list of CarPlay programs.

After a recent update, WhatsApp appeared among the icons. The program is practically no different from Messages - the same lack of text and history, the same dictation. But at least now you can communicate with those who use it.

From branded applications in the infotainment system of cars, Audiobooks and Podcasts are reflected. I'm not a fan of this type of entertainment, I tested it for a short time. Podcasts are loaded directly from the Internet, and audiobooks will have to be uploaded to the iPhone in advance. The interface is intuitive and is unlikely to cause difficulties for someone: choose, turn on and listen.

Well, is CarPlay in the car really convenient?

Surprisingly, Yes. This is quite convenient.

I get into the car, I hook Lightning and completely forget about the existence of the iPhone. The machine dictates to me all incoming messages, and not only iMessage, but also regular SMS. Basic functionality Kart quite enough, and calls do not distract from the road at all.

Yes, all this can be deployed on any Android receiver. But my acquaintance with them is overshadowed by a looping error Google services. It was not treated in any way, since the car was not mine. Here the system works perfectly. And it doesn't require any updates. She just IS.

All this goodness is easily controlled by buttons on the steering wheel, "twists" on the console or touch panel. There is even a Dock with three latest applications. I am delighted.

But CarPlay got me a bonus. I would never choose a car just because of this add-on. There are no definite advantages to this. It's like a built-in handsfree headset: useful, cool, but never a reason to choose a particular car.

What is missing CarPlay in Russia and not only?

Normal third party applications.

Apple does not need to develop anything itself, it is enough to give access to other developers. And they will figure out how to broadcast content to the screen without distracting the driver.

2014 Consumer Electronics Show - a show often referred to as a gathering of geeks and nerds computer networks in khaki trousers, this year brought together a record number of automotive exhibitors.

And the world-famous Apple Corporation at this show showed that it is ready to take a fat piece of the pie in the field. The company at this show had a booth named " iOS in the car". And a new phrase " Apple CarPlay has become closely matched with some car manufacturers, and some models will already be released by the end of 2014.

Like many in-car communication systems, the whole idea of ​​CarPlay is to let you do whatever is in your car without being distracted by the main action - driving. At the same time, the Siri application plays a key role in the system, which can execute commands under dictation and answer any questions, adapting individually to the style of your speech. But the main thing is that very soon we will find out how well it works, as soon as the equipment in cars appears on the streets of our city.

Demonstration of the CarPlay system in a Ferrari car at the Geneva Motor Show

The operation of the CarPlay system is quite simple - in general, like everything else that Apple undertakes. You take your iPhone 5, 5S, or 5C and connect it via a special Lightening connector to the car's interface. Voila! Your car now has almost all the features of your phone, just like you always wanted. However, the car's on-board computer doesn't do all the hard work that runs on your IOS; believe me, he has a lot of other - more important work- such as, after all, reading information from the car's multiple sensors to keep the ABS and ESP stable, or making sure your airbags are working to save your life at the right moment ... and all this in while you're smashing boxes in Angry Birds with your birds, flipping (and voice-over) your favorite band's playlist, or writing an important entry in Evernote. Your iPhone works with your car. This means that applications must be installed on your mobile phone in order to see them on the car interface in the console. CarPlay fully integrates the car and iPhone. It works natively with vehicle controls such as music and phone volume, so you don't have to waste time fiddling with your phone to make adjustments. It also works in conjunction with touch screen on the dashboard of your car just like the display on your phone.

Connecting to CarPlay via iPhone

However, not all apps can run on CarPlay, at least not in their normal mode. At the same time, it is Apple that will dictate to you the final word about what will work and what will not. Indeed, the choice of application comes down mainly to . The idea behind CarPlay, and just about every other in-car entertainment and connectivity system, is to keep distractions to a minimum. At least that's what everyone claims technical manufacturers. In any case, it's highly unlikely that Apple can make the same Angry Birds or Doom game safe while you're driving. Music, navigation, and anything that can be controlled hands-free, or even with one hand, can take place because your hands and eyes need to be behind the wheel.

If you are an ardent fan of Siri and cannot imagine your life without her voice even for a second, CarPlay will turn your dreams into reality. Siri will speak to you directly from your car speakers surrounding you. It will view your calendar and email and tell you about upcoming events and appointments while you're driving. It will read you SMS messages and allow you to dictate the answer to them.

Since its debut in Geneva, only a handful of pre-approved apps have been available on CarPlay. Siri, of course, has become the main one. In addition to Siri, some application (and, most likely, there will be several) will be available for listening to music.

But you are probably already wondering: "Where is the main application, so necessary on the road ?!", right? Yes, such an application will definitely be present with CarPlay, but according to preliminary data, it will not be Google Maps. The problem is that there is no way yet to link google maps with Siri to let you find your destination and get directions to it. You will have to use the "Apple" version of the maps - Apple Maps - in CarPlay, but you should like it. Although, however, since the early days of its existence, Apple Maps has improved quite a bit.

When Apple debuted CarPlay at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the company confirmed that it was already working with a dozen automakers, including buying a new car for yourself, and you might even be presented with the option to choose the operating environment you already live in. in Everyday life, and for the car you want to buy. And as long as the operating system lives on the phone and not on the car's hard drive, that makes a lot of sense.