After Apple had been working on its car for several years, the Titan project was surprisingly canceled in February. Even if there won’t be an Apple Car, Apple doesn’t want to give up on the automotive market entirely.
Apple Car plans buried
The iPhone manufacturer Apple has been working on entering the car market for years. The Apple Car, known internally under the code name “Titan”, was never officially announced, but insiders repeatedly provided insights into the company’s plans. The iCar should be an electric car that not only boasts autonomous driving functions but also has a close connection with Apple’s previous products and services if the rumors were to be believed. Around 2,000 employees are said to have worked on the vehicle. But nothing seems to come of this now. According to information from the Bloomberg news agency, Apple CEO Tim Cook rejected the project in February, thereby sealing the fate of the Apple Car.
What’s behind the cancellation
But what is behind the failure? According to a report in the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”, there were repeated time delays, so that the planned market launch had to be postponed from 2026 to 2028. There were also repeated discussions between the supervisory board and management about what they hoped to achieve from the project. Several test drives have already been undertaken with a prototype. While these were successful in open terrain, undesirable effects repeatedly occurred in environments with obstacles. Once, according to the NZZ, the Apple Car almost hit a jogger. Internally, Project Titan was probably also called the “Titanic Disaster,” according to the New York Times. In addition, Apple may also have closely monitored the negative news surrounding autonomous vehicles from companies such as Tesla, the General Motors subsidiary Cruise, and Uber. There have been repeated accidents – sometimes fatal – involving self-driving vehicles. All of these reasons may have ensured that Apple is now burying its plans for its car.
CarPlay development pushed forward
But Apple doesn’t want to give up its car plans completely, as “Bloomberg” chief correspondent Mark Gurman, who is considered a reliable source for product announcements from the iGroup, explained in an article. The revision of the CarPlay car interface was announced in June 2022. Originally released in 2014, the system offers integration of the iPhone into modern vehicle control consoles. Messages can be sent and received, music can be played, the calendar can be operated and Apple’s voice assistant Siri can be used directly via the infotainment system of many vehicle manufacturers. Navigation via map apps such as Apple Maps or Google Maps is also possible. Since 2021, some vehicles can already be unlocked and even started with the iPhone.
New CarPlay generation
The new generation of CarPlay, which is being developed at Apple under the project name IronHeart, is expected to come with numerous additional functions. The typical Apple user interface should be extended to all displays in the vehicle and not only be visible in the main console. The interface should also be integrated much deeper into the vehicle functions so that radio stations and the interior temperature can also be set using CarPlay, as Apple announced. The first vehicle models that support next-generation CarPlay are expected to hit the market later this year. The only confirmed model so far is the Aston Martin DB12. The sports car manufacturer Porsche also wants to offer new CarPlay in some of its cars, but the VW subsidiary left it open.
Competition to Android Auto
According to Gurman, Apple announced the CarPlay upgrade out of necessity. Competitor Google already offers a similar system with Android Auto, which also has functions such as music and podcast playback, voice control and map navigation. With the successor Android Automotive, which will already be pre-installed in vehicles, Google features will in future also be usable without a connected smartphone, according to the expert. With an elegant user interface and variable customization options, Apple now wants to convince car manufacturers and drivers alike of its interface.
CarPlay is available for free – it still
However, it should be noted that Apple is not making money with either the current version of CarPlay or the future version, Gurman continued. The interface is not planned as a paid subscription model and car manufacturers should not have to pay for the service. As the expert explains, the end of the Apple Car could now force the company to abandon this strategy. It is in Apple’s interest to advance the expansion of CarPlay and make the division profitable – otherwise, there is a risk that the sector will be completely in the hands of competitors.
Possible payment model
Gurman suggests that Apple could require automakers to implement CarPlay in their current models. There are enough Apple fans for whom the function could be a reason to buy. It is also conceivable that the previous CarPlay version remains free, but the updated version of the next generation can only be used after purchase. Here the Apple expert suggests the name CarPlay+, analogous to Apple TV+ and Apple News+.
In this case, it is no longer necessary to develop different designs for each car manufacturer, which, however, also reflect the user interface familiar to the iPhone, as is planned for the new CarPlay. It could be worthwhile for the iGroup to provide some customizable templates that service users can use.