Volkswagen was apparently planning to show off Apple’s CarPlay at CES 2016. Sadly though, Apple intervened and prevented the automobile manufacturer from doing so. The reason for this move from the Cupertino company remains a mystery though.
We wanted to demonstrate wireless CarPlay and the owner of CarPlay technology didn’t allow us to,
Volkmar Tannerberger, head of electrical and electronic development, explained to Car and Driver.
CarPlay allows your car’s infotainment system to mirror an iPhone’s display. You can select apps and run a whole lot of stuff on this. There are a few functionality limitations keeping safety precautions in mind, though. Wireless use of CarPlay, which is a feature of iOS 9, hasn’t yet been offered by any automaker so far. The current tech requires a USB interface between the iPhone and the infotainment system.
Tannerberger didn’t reveal why the Cupertino company stopped the German automaker from showcasing the new tech. Some possible explanations could be that Apple wants to show off the tech at one of its own events like the rumored March event or WWDC 2016 in June or with another automaker that it has partnered with.
Volkswagen instead demonstrated the ability to connect your phone to your car via WiFi using MirrorLink, an open-source competitor of CarPlay which isn’t available on iPhones. MirrorLink is compatible with Android and can be used to stream and control music stored on the phone, pull up navigation directions, and access other approved apps that are hosted on the phone.
