Hands-on video with Apple CarPlay in Ferrari FF Coupe reveals some interesting details

Apple officially launched CarPlay, previously known as iOS in the Car yesterday. Volvo’s promo video gave us a glimpse of what Apple CarPlay’s interface will look like. Matt Brian of Engadget was at the Geneva International Motor Show, and he has recorded a hands-on video of Apple AirPlay in a Ferrari FF Couple, which gives some more interesting details on how it works. In case of the Ferrari FF Coupe, the infotainment system comes with a Apple CarPlay button. So iPhone users need to press the button to get into the Apple CarPlay experience. Users will be greeted with a similar Home screen user interface like the iPhone with Apple apps such as Phone, Music, Maps, Messaging, Podcasts and other third-party apps such as Spotify, iHeartRadio etc. It also looks like Ferrari hasn’t opted for multi-touch gestures or swipes to navigate through the user interface. Users have to navigate using software arrows. Most of the functions can also be done using a dedicated Siri button on the steering wheel. When you launch the Phone app using the user interface, Siri will ask the user who he or she wants to call. Alternatively, the user could also make a call from Favorites, Recents or Contacts tab, or navigating to the Contact. Some other interesting details that I could figure out from the hands-on video: The CarPlay mode also takes over the physical buttons of Ferrari’s infotainment system, so when you press Navi, it will launch Apple Maps. It also looks like CarPlay will support Banner notifications. It is not clear if it will be limited to only in-app banners. You can go back to Ferrari’s user interface by tapping on the Ferrari icon on the Home screen. Third-party apps that add CarPlay support in the future will automatically synced to your car. I am guessing this is how app updates will also be synced to the car. Though it is not clear how developers will be able to add CarPlay support as Apple hasn’t announced an SDK for it. Interestingly, Volvo’s implementation of CarPlay seems to allow scrolling and swipes, which suggests that car manufacturers have an option to choose the user interface. Check out the hands-on video below and let me know what you think in the comments. Continue reading →

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