tech2 News Staff

Fancy an Audi? Wait until 2015, and you might find Apple’s CarPlay integrated in your dream model - taking its cool quotient higher than if you buy it today.

Audi has confirmed that it will introduce Apple’s CarPlay in 2015 models, a feature which allows drivers to access their iPhone and the Siri voice-activated assistant from the car's dashboard. It allows integration for Apple Maps, phone calls, iMessage and iTunes music, which drivers can access using Siri, a touchscreen, and the standard dials and buttons on the car’s dashboard, or steering wheel.

Apple has been tight-lipped about integrating third-party apps into CarPlay, so we can’t be sure if Google Maps will be made available for CarPlay users. Apart from Audi, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo have all revealed plans to bring CarPlay-equipped vehicles by next year.

Close on the heels of Apple announcing CarPlay, Google launched the Android Auto platform that would leverage Android for navigation, communication and music. Android Auto works similar to CarPlay to help drivers focus on the road while attending phone calls or receiving turn-by-turn navigation instructions. Once launched, it would be interesting to see how the features from the two tech giants compare against each other.

Similarly, Windows in Car is in its testing phases. Just like Apple is trying to bring an iPhone-like experience with its soon-to-be launched car system, Microsoft too intends to do the same by bringing the Modern UI and Live Tiles from its Windows Phone OS into the car's entertainment console interface. Windows in Car will let users check emails, messages and even make calls, through the dashboard. But unlike Apple, Microsoft has opened its platform to developers to bring third-party apps on its in-car feature.