Pioneer Demos Latest CarPlay-Enabled Aftermarket Receiver at Paris Auto Show

[Rigby]

no, not a requirement. apple announced both wired and wireless protocols, but most manus are rolling out wired-only right now, for reasons I'm not aware of.

Apple has not officially announced wireless for Carplay, although it is likely that they are working on it. Note, though, that it will require a Wifi radio in the car/headunit, since Bluetooth does not have enough bandwidth to mirror the display.

its not about the screen size, it's about UI and integration. CarPlay is better suited for auto use than normal iOS.

That may be so, but you're not supposed to use any GUI while driving. Even if Carplay is somewhat simplified, it is still a distraction.

also, you can't integrate your phone into your car's steering wheel controls or car cameras -- head units can.

Not sure what you mean. I can control phone calls using the steering wheel controls via Bluetooth, and even trigger Siri with the phone button. Not sure why I would want to integrate Carplay with the reverse camera? That comes on automatically on the integrated screen when I'm in reverse.

if you plan on using the GPS you'll want to plug it in anyway, because: 1) external GPS antenna, and 2) battery charging while GPS is draining it.

It's not possible to connect the iPhone to an external GPS antenna.

At this point, I think Carplay is pretty much a dud, unfortunately.

 

[Carlanga]

Carplay, continuity and handoff in ios 8, it is the ultimate iOS experience ever.
Great job Apple!!

cool stuff, but ultimate iOS experience it isn't.

 

[mattopotamus]

I really like the "hey siri" function in iOS 8. I store my phone in my glovebox/cup holder box and it charges there. When I need to send a text, i'll just lift the cover with one hand (so I can remain driving and eyes on the road) and ask away.

I am not trying to stir the pot, but siri has a long way to go before "hey siri" is reliable. I find myself looking at my phone more to verify the mistakes.

 

[Carlanga]

I might be wrong, but I thought one of the requirements for CarPlay was that the phone has to be connected via cable (which is really lame) ?

you are right currently only wired which is stupid IMO

 

[Sonmi451]

Oh man, I may have to get this for my other car. Gotta make sure steering wheel controls, and integrated USB cable still work though.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

One of these days, these types of kits will come standard in most manufacturer's automobiles. And the question for the consumer will still be: Apple or Android?

I'm wondering if Apple is actually making any money from this, if so, how much?

 

[Sonmi451]

At this point, I think Carplay is pretty much a dud, unfortunately.

Wait, what? How is this a dud? It's probably one of the most innovative ideas in automotive audio technology in almost ever. Letting us use an interface we're already familiar with, instead of making us use proprietary crap that is different in every car. Sure, it's early and maybe a little laggy, but I think you will see this in almost every car a few years from now.

 

[efktd]

What iOS needs is to do away with Cover Flow.

 

[Trius]

$500? AND I need a smartphone? Sorry Pioneer, you should have come up with a solution years ago. They missed the boat on this.

 

[DempaX]

Agree

I don't see the point of that particular model shown. My iphone 6 plus screen is seems bigger than that and is mounted to my dash right next to my radio. I can just do all of that on the phone, what's the point of the screen mirroring?

And I use iPad Air 4G 128Gb in the car. Love e.g. the 10" Navigon GPS etc etc at hand. Or I can choose any another app at will. To me, much more flexible than pairing to another device which gets redundant soon. I can easily swap the iPad when a new model comes around.

 

[rsocal]

Wait, what? How is this a dud? It's probably one of the most innovative ideas in automotive audio technology in almost ever. Letting us use an interface we're already familiar with, instead of making us use proprietary crap that is different in every car. Sure, it's early and maybe a little laggy, but I think you will see this in almost every car a few years from now.

I feel the same, and can't wait to get one for my 31 Ford Coupe.....

 

[Rigby]

Wait, what? How is this a dud?

Because it is not very practical due to the cable requirement, and doesn't do much that you can't also get by simply dashmounting your phone. Also, it seems the car makers are in no hurry to adopt it.

It's probably one of the most innovative ideas in automotive audio technology in almost ever. Letting us use an interface we're already familiar with, instead of making us use proprietary crap that is different in every car.

Yes, it's a nice vision, but the current implementation doesn't live up to the promise IMO.

 

[Dresling]

Seriously laggy.

 

[ka-spot]

i want one for my bike and one for my desk..

and i want my watch!

 

[JamesPsyKocsis]

Seems laggy. I'll stick with a dash mounted phone.

There's a natural lag when capturing a display on video. It's most likely just as responsive as iPhone.

 

[Romey-Rome]

They need to make this with a detachable screen. Meaning the unit can be in one place, and the screen elsewhere in the car. I've done this myself, but it's s big hassle making custom cables to replace the micro ribbon cables. Din dash install options are dying out in the car market.

 

[rotax]

This is exactly what I am trying to figure out. All we need is a lightning dock that allows access to the car's speakers and microphone and also kicks the iPhone itself into Hands-free or Eyes-free modes. Why do we need another screen? Why do we need to pay $600 for something that can function as just a dock?

Exactly! give me an interface box so I can use my steering wheel controls and car audio amp and microphone and use my iphone itself as the touch screen interface with a CarPlay App that looks like what we see here with Sirius and other radio large preset buttons etc, and access to Siri etc.

 

[geo1378]

This is not necessary and the lag kills it. I have a 5.5 inch iPhone now so the screen size is irrelevant on this. Make a car radio that docks your phone in landscape mode and has a car mode and that would make more sense for a good price. Sony did this for android phones and i think iOS might work with it too but it connect wirelessly i think and car play is not activated. $600 for a laggy device is not acceptable, a $399 or less iPad wouldn't even lag like that for half the price. RAM is so cheap now and they either didnt use enough or used an old slow processor. With hey siri command and a 5.5 inch iPhone this is worthless

 

[poppy10]

Very disappointing - was looking forward to the first CarPlay demos but this is poor - low-res screen, laggy, and the physical structure is cheap-looking. At $600 you may as well buy an off-contract iPhone and have it permanently fitted to the dash

 

[mrjr101]

Because it is not very practical due to the cable requirement, and doesn't do much that you can't also get by simply dashmounting your phone. Also, it seems the car makers are in no hurry to adopt it.
Yes, it's a nice vision, but the current implementation doesn't live up to the promise IMO.

Im with you here. If manufacturers want to include this in their dashboards as a selling feature, fine, it doesnt hurt. But why would I need to spend so much money in this when my iphone currently integrates very nicely via Bluetooth and does all of the functions that CarPlay does?It is a waste IMO. Now if theyre throwing GPS integration with the iphone and I would be able to see the iphone's navigation on the dashboard then thats a different story and a cool new feature. Otherwise, I would prefer to place my iphone comfortably on a dashboard mount (wirelessly!).

 

[Swift]

I don't see the point of that particular model shown. My iphone 6 plus screen is seems bigger than that and is mounted to my dash right next to my radio. I can just do all of that on the phone, what's the point of the screen mirroring?

It's not screen-mirroring. There's a limited subset of apps -- the ones you need and can safely run in a car -- and once you plug in your iPhone with the Lightning cable, it's black. Control rather goes to this double-DIN radio. Lots of different control mechanisms are used in say, the Mercedes package, which is a kind of click-wheel.

So, I think they want to make sure you don't get involved in a game of Angry Birds are you're barreling down the freeway. The more involved stuff is with Maps, say, which I guess they're relying on your good sense to take care of before you take off.

 

[rdlink]

I already have a mount with bluetooth, this just seems redundant to me. Now if the screen was the size of what is in the Tesla, then we can talk.

The key here is that Apple, who knows a thing or two about UI and usability is going to standardize and control things, vs. the car manufacturers and aftermarket stereo makers, who are abysmal at UI.

 

[Old Muley]

When I get home later this evening, I'm going to download the firmware and update my AVIC-5000. Hopefully it will go well.

 

[troy14]

People are confusing these units with an iPhone/iPad/iDevice.

They are also stand alone units that control your speaker system, as well as various audio sources. Pioneer did not make these units to only control your iDevice.

Go look at other in dash receivers and see how much they cost, as well as home theater receivers. They do a lot more than just display your iDevice.

Pioneer put in Carplay as an attractive feature for someone looking to replace their car head unit. Granted with more and more cars integrating everything into a center console unit approach, less people are going to be changing out their head units - but still the point is there.

 

[Richdmoore]

Apple has not officially announced wireless for Carplay, although it is likely that they are working on it. Note, though, that it will require a Wifi radio in the car/headunit, since Bluetooth does not have enough bandwidth to mirror the display.
That may be so, but you're not supposed to use any GUI while driving. Even if Carplay is somewhat simplified, it is still a distraction.
Not sure what you mean. I can control phone calls using the steering wheel controls via Bluetooth, and even trigger Siri with the phone button. Not sure why I would want to integrate Carplay with the reverse camera? That comes on automatically on the integrated screen when I'm in reverse.
It's not possible to connect the iPhone to an external GPS antenna.

At this point, I think Carplay is pretty much a dud, unfortunately.

FYI, while there is not a simple antenna, you can use an external gps unit (wired or Bluetooth) with any iOS device. Look up Bad Elf Gps units, they work great for marine/flying/driving, even with wifi only devices.