The Apple iOS and Android operating systems have changed personal computing and communications enormously. If the auto industry doesn’t watch out, those technologies could alter the entire landscape of a vehicle’s dashboard.
Currently, Apple CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto are secondary in-vehicle infotainment interfaces for the corresponding smartphones that run the respective companies’ systems. Automakers provide their own primary setups to handle entertainment and navigation. Although Ford says its new Sync 3 supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it’s keen on making sure those manufacturers don’t get complete control over what is precious interior real estate.
That’s why the Blue Oval open sourced the backbone of Sync 3, SmartDeviceLink, a software platform upon which developers can write versions of their own programs, such as Pandora. According to re/code, “Ford’s hope is that if it gets multiple carmakers to use the same system, mobile developers will find it easier to create apps for cars; currently, they are forced to rewrite apps for more than a dozen different in-car systems.”
One manufacturer that’s joining Ford in the use of SmartDeviceLink is Toyota; the Blue Oval is in talks with Honda, Mazda, and Subaru as well.
Although the automotive industry works at a slower pace than the tech industry and Apple and Google do well at creating enjoyable consumer electronics experiences, automakers can leverage their interior electronics presences to control more than just entertainment functions. For instance, Ford’s system is capable of remotely starting and locating appropriately equipped Ford vehicles. The 2017 Ford Escape will bring built-in wireless connectivity via AT&T, which will enable the use of such features.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
