Apple's New CarPlay Monitors Personal Data To Predict Movement
CUPERTINO (CBS SF) - Apple's new hands-free car integration system - known as CarPlay - will not only allow you to access your phone wirelessly, it will also track your movements and communications in order to predict where you are going next.
The system enables newer iPhones to plug into compatible cars so that drivers can use voice commands or a dashboard touch screen to pull up maps, get directions, make calls and request music. But it's also tracking what you've been up to.
"CarPlay makes driving directions more intuitive by working with Maps to anticipate destinations based on recent trips via contacts, emails or texts, and provides routing instructions, traffic conditions and ETA," the company said in announcing the service Monday.
"The crazy thing is...it can give you timely directions and traffic warnings based on that information," CNET Editor Sharon Vaknin said. "It's really Apple. Its IOS. It looks and feels and acts like the phone you already use...it's really using your phone as the brains of it."
The company saying it would initially be rolled out on Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo vehicles only, with more affordable car-makers such as Honda and Hyundai expected to joining the fleet in the near future.
"We're not hearing that Google Maps will work with it," said Vakin. "So Apple will force us to use Apple Maps which, up until now, has received a lot of negative feedback."
CarPlay requires Apple's latest software, iOS 7, and an iPhone 5, 5C or 5S which use the new lightning connection.