‘iOS in the Car’ set to launch next week

By David Nield March 1, 2014

ios car set launch next week — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Looks like those of you eager to take Siri along on all your car rides won’t have much longer to wait: a report in the Financial Times tips Apple’s ‘iOS in the Car’ system to launch next week at the Geneva Motor Show. According to the FT, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will be partnering with Apple in the venture and showing off their wares from March 6th.

“The choice of the Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz is seen to be in keeping with the U.S. tech group’s high-end phones,” reports the Financial Times. When ‘iOS in the Car’ is finally unveiled to the public, it will mark the first time that Apple software has been embedded outside of the company’s own hardware and devices.

There were rumors in February that Apple might be considering buying Tesla, after a secret meeting between executives from the two companies. For now it would seem that Apple is content to work with other auto manufacturers rather than setting up its own car production outfit.

Thanks to developer leaks, we already know (or think we know) how iOS will work in a car dashboard. The control system will be simplified to be clearer on displays of all sizes, while everything will be controlled by Siri to save you having to tap away at a screen while you should be focusing on the road. It’s possible that the launch will coincide with the arrival of iOS 7.1, which Apple is said to be preparing for a March release.

We first heard of the project back in June 2013 at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco: at that event, the company confirmed it was working with Acura, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Opel, Nissan, Honda, Chevrolet and Hyundai, as well as the three manufacturers mentioned by the Financial Times.

It looks like the battle for dominance of the dashboard is set to keep hitting the headlines through the rest of 2014. Car makers are showing little loyalty when it comes to choosing a platform for their vehicles, and Google has its own ambitious plans for in-car Android systems in the pipeline.

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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