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Title: Apple's New CarPlay 'Ultra' Won't Fix the Biggest Problem of Phone-
Connected Cars

Link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/05/16/2111...

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Apple's next step for
CarPlay is a version you'll only get to try if you're a fan of luxury
cruisers or a popular spy film franchise. CarPlay Ultra, with its new suite
of exclusive features like custom gauges, is coming first to Aston Martin
vehicles with the largest, most blaring dash screens. The more advanced
version of CarPlay won't necessarily fix the lingering issues the software
has with some modern vehicles. Segmenting CarPlay into newer and older
systems may make things worse for those with aging cars. Apple's CarPlay
Ultra includes a new kind of dashboard alongside real-time information that
can include car diagnostics -- like tire pressure -- or dashboard gauges. You
should be able to control temperature and other car-based features as well.
The new version of the software includes options for dashboards or console
screens, and it will work with on-screen controls, Siri, and "physical
buttons." CarPlay Ultra was supposed to launch in 2024, but Apple missed its
release date by close to half a year. The new feature suite was first
revealed at WWDC in 2022, where Apple promised a "unified and consistent"
suite of informational dashboards offering more control over radio and AC
"without ever leaving the CarPlay experience." Last year, Apple showed off
"the next generation" of its car-focused app that included custom gauges and
other layouts made for a variety of automakers. It lacked much of the full-
width, busy design of the initial iteration from two years prior. [...] To
entice more manufacturers, CarPlay Ultra is supposed to adapt to multiple
screen sizes thanks to a modular layout system with more options for
companies to adhere to their own brand identity. Apple promised carmakers
they could resize and reorient gauges on a dashboard like you do widgets on
your iPhone. Users can change up various gauges on the dash and bring up apps
like Apple Music or Maps in between your temperature gauge and speedometer.
Aston Martin showed off these features on an Aston Martin DBX, a luxury SUV
that costs more than $250,000. Apple said these features should be coming to
the U.S. and Canada first, with more Aston Martins getting these features
through software updates from local dealerships. Apple said its still trying
to bring these features to brands like Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Maybe we'll
see Ultra on a vehicle regular folk can afford. "The customizable dashboards
are a way for Apple to let each carmaker have their say in how their vehicles
look, but they won't help all those who are stuck with regular CarPlay on
their aging beaters," concludes Gizmodo's Kyle Barr. "The new version will
inevitably create a distinction between those with new software and others
with legacy software..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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