At the recently held "Spring Forward" event of Apple last March 9, wherein the company officially launched the Apple Watch and the new 12-inch MacBook Air, Apple CEO Tim Cook also said that "every major" automobile manufacturer is now supporting CarPlay.
CarPlay is Apple's infotainment system that is based on the iOS, a vehicle-optimized dashboard that allows for easier access to apps and music stored within the user's iPhone.
The interface, which was announced by Apple in 2014 allows users to plug in their iPhones into their vehicles for displaying directions, making and receiving calls and text messages and using Siri, in addition to other features on the dashboard that is replaced by a simplified version of the iOS 8.
While CarPlay allows the user to interact with certain services and apps, the driver is also prevented from accessing more distracting functions and apps while in motion for added safety while driving.
The system has seen a slow adoption rate so far, with only a handful of vehicles being shipped today that support CarPlay. Two of the current car manufacturers that support CarPlay, however, are supercar manufacturers Koenigsegg and Ferrari. Users can also avail of CarPlay currently through an aftermarket dashboard unit from companies Pioneer and Alpine, which can be installed in many current models of vehicles.
Other car brands that Apple has listed as supporters of CarPlay include Mercedes Benz, Jeep, Ford, Jaguar, Honda, Hyundai and Audi.
Volkswagen, however, recently revealed plans of shipping CarPlay with certain car models later in 2015, and Chevrolet also said that it will be using the CarPlay technology in the 2016 version of the Volt hybrid. CarPlay will also be shipping with the upcoming 2016 Volvo XC90.
According to Apple, over 40 new models of cars will ship with dashboards that support CarPlay before the end of this year, which would greatly expand the reach of the system and its adoption rate among consumers.
Apple's CarPlay, however, is just one of the several infotainment options available to both car manufacturers and customers. Some car companies are using proprietary infotainment technology in their vehicles, and in some cases, the Android Auto system of rival Google is also available either as an option aside from CarPlay or in addition to it.
Toyota, the biggest automobile manufacturer in the world, said last month that it has not committed to using either CarPlay or Android Auto in its vehicles. However, Toyota is among the listed car companies that will release models supporting the technology in the CarPlay page in Apple's website.
