Future of Apple CarPlay: why the tech giant is now working with car firms

The announcement focused on those brands working with Apple to create customised versions of CarPlay, designed to encompass all the screens in your car, rather than just the central display.

This is a marked change from the previous situation with Apple CarPlay: it has traditionally been limited to that one central display and served up only apps and services from your iPhone, rather than offering any assimilation of car functions.

Porsche and Aston Martin have both shown off customised versions of CarPlay, with dials that are part of the CarPlay experience but reflect Porsche and Aston Martin brand cues.

From a tech point of view, this is huge, because Apple rarely lets customisation creep into its products: Hermès and Nike did so on the Apple Watch, but that’s about it. There’s definitely a change coming down the road in this sense.

What’s in it for Porsche and Aston Martin?

Jump into a modern car and it’s radically different from one 10 years ago: the actual functions of the car haven’t changed much, but the expectations around entertainment and connectivity are entirely different.

The touchscreen now dominates, dials have gone digital, and all cars are trying to replicate the smartphone experience.