Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto: The Tipping Point Is Here

I’ve been yammering on about the advances in infotainment systems in cars for nigh on five years now and given what I’ve seen, we’re close to some kind of major tipping point. Radio consultant Mark Ramsey agrees.

[I]n the long run, it will be the domain of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – that these platforms will squeeze out most alternatives.

Why? Because consumers will exert their will on automakers and demand that their dashboards are not only as powerful as their smartphones but that they areidentical to them (at least within the constraints of driver safety, a sacrifice any driver understands even if he doesn’t respect it).

This will become even more true when cars self-drive and the passengers are left to self-entertain, using their eyes as well as their ears.

Now USA Today reports that Android Auto is coming to more than 100 car models in 2017:

The auto industry is racing to keep up with the growing demand. Less than a year ago, fewer than 50 vehicles were offering one or both, or were scheduled to. For the 2017 model year, the list has grown to more than 100, and more announcements are expected in the coming months. General Motors now offers both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on 30 models. Ford wasn’t even on the list a year ago, but for the 2017 model year it becomes the first full-line vehicle manufacturer to offer Android Auto and CarPlay on every vehicle line it sells, including its luxury Lincoln brand.

Toyota is one of the lone holdouts, and as a user of their latest and greatest proprietary system, I can tell you if they don’t wake up and smell the coffee I, for one, will never buy another Toyota again.

Read the whole blog here.