CarPlay Integration May Be Possible in Older Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Working on Aftermarket Solution

Apple’s CarPlay feature, introduced earlier this week, may be able to be installed in older vehicles, according to new information from Mercedes-Benz. The car company has told 9to5Mac that it is working on “an after-market solution for previous cars,” that would allow CarPlay to function in older models.

We’ve confirmed that at least Mercedes-Benz is looking into aftermarket installations of CarPlay that will allow older models of vehicles to access the feature. While the company confirmed that it is trying to get an “an after-market solution for previous cars” it couldn’t confirm when the option might become available. While there is no info yet on how the aftermarket installation would work, we’d imagine it will be a dealer installed accessory for select older models like Honda and others already offer for Apple’s Siri Eyes Free feature.

While it is unclear how an aftermarket solution might be implemented, information uncovered earlier this week indicates that CarPlay works in conjunction with BlackBerry’s QNX car operating system. The QNX Car Platform is what powers many of the existing in-car infotainment systems installed in a wide variety of automobiles.

CarPlay can be likened to Apple’s AirPlay, utilizing in-car infotainment systems to mirror the iPhone’s display and functionality, which indicates that it is a technology that can possibly be installed in older vehicles as well as new ones. It will be up to both individual manufacturers and Apple to decide whether aftermarket options will be available for older cars, however. Mercedes-Benz is thus far the only manufacturer that has indicated an aftermarket solution might be possible.

The majority of CarPlay’s functionality is supplied by the iPhone, including Siri voice control, Maps and GPS and access to features like messages, phone calls, and third-party apps. While CarPlay does currently require a hardware interface and a wired connection in the form of a Lightning connector, Volvo has indicated that Wi-Fi connectivity is coming in the future.

At the current point in time, CarPlay has only been demoed in cars from Volvo, Ferrari, and Mercedes-Benz, but Apple has struck deals with several other manufacturers including Honda, Ford, GM, Jaguar, and Hyundai, all of which are expected to launch vehicles with CarPlay support in 2014.

Apple Reportedly ‘Scrambling’ to Make Required Changes to In-App Purchase Policies

Apple may be rushing to make changes to its App Store in order to comply with an earlier FTC agreement that requires it to modify its in-app billing system, reports ZDNet. Apple has until March 31 to make the changes required by the FTC and may be trying to roll them out in the company’s forthcoming iOS 7.1 update.

As part of this FTC settlement, Apple must modify its billing practices to obtain consumers’ express consent before billing them for an in-app purchase. Apple also must provide customers with a way to easily withdraw this consent for future purchases.

While it might sound trivial, changing the App Store to obtain “consumers’ express, informed consent” before billing them is a significant change. It involves fundamental changes to the App Store order flow and there are a lot of dependencies involved.

One source I spoke to says that it’s taking Apple longer than expected to make the required changes. In order to meet the government’s second criteria (the option to withdraw their consent at any time) Apple must require a password for all IAPs by default, and perhaps make a no-password window an option via settings.

These requirements likely necessitate some changes to Apple’s iTunes payment processing system, which now needs to verify that consent was given before processing a payment. It may also require some modifications to iOS 7, including its Restrictions feature that already provides limits on in-app purchases by children, although some aspects of the update may be able to be deployed remotely.

These new in-app purchasing requirements have not been spotted in any iOS 7.1 beta releases, suggesting Apple is still implementing any necessary changes on the operating system side. ZDNet‘s source says the company would like to roll out the changes as part of iOS 7.1, but given word that iOS 7.1 is due “any day now” in order to support streaming of next week’s SXSW iTunes Festival, it is possible that the in-app purchase changes could be pushed back to another minor iOS update before the end of the month if required.

Apple’s CarPlay Requires ‘Fairly Light’ Integration for Third-Party App Partners

Apple announced CarPlay earlier this week at the Geneva Auto Show, bringing Siri-powered messaging, voice calling and streaming music to the car dashboard. Brian Lakamp, president of Digital for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, talked with Michael Grothaus of Fast Company about iHeartRadio’s experience as an early adopter of Apple’s new in-car technology.

iHeartRadio is an internet radio service that pulls music programming from 800 Clear Channel radio stations across the US along with other sources. It was one of only four streaming music products that Apple selected as a launch partner for its CarPlay service.

“Apple is pretty selective about how they disclose information,” says Lakamp. “Apple made us aware of the opportunity. We were enthusiastic to participate and then worked closely with them to build the demo that they just demoed in Geneva.”

iHeartRadio, along with the other launch partners, had early access to Apple’s private CarPlay API. Lakamp didn’t provide a timeframe for how long it took the company to add CarPlay integration to its app, but did confirm the process was “fairly quick.” He also noted that it could add CarPlay to its existing iOS app without having to create a new app dedicated to the Apple technology.

“The way that Apple constructed this is a relatively thin layer that we need to build to copy existing apps that move some of the control and command structure to the console,” Lakamp says. “Then the console simply acts as a remote control to your app. It was a relatively light integration.” […]

“Apple provided twin lanes for the UI and a framework for the UI to operate within, and so made that part of it relatively easy as well. It’s a relatively straightforward directory structure and a player structure that has a limited set of controls, or limited set of things you can do. They’ve got a consistency of feel on the platform, as you might expect from Apple, and a simplicity around how you browse through a menu of choices,” says Lakamp.

Clear Channel, which owns and operates terrestrial AM and FM media stations, is not afraid of the competition presented by Apple, even if CarPlay does provide “a simple, clean, elegant approach” to connecting an iPhone to an automobile. These new technologies are “additive, and they’ve extended the opportunity.”

Apple’s CarPlay initiative is supported by several major automobile manufacturers, including Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai and others. It will debut in select 2014 models and will work with any iOS device that has a Lightning port, including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5.