Here s what s going on in the growing world of connected cars and car infotainment systems.
Who would you trust more with your driving data — Apple and Google, or Ford and Audi?
Carmakers are using Apple s CarPlay or Google s Android Auto, but that doesn t mean they want to get too cozy with the Silicon Valley giants. Reuters reports that some carmakers want to keep control over potentially lucrative drivers data — such as information about steering, braking and range. The carmakers can use that information to help create new digital services related to travel planning or auto repair and service. Or — this could be controversial — share data with insurance companies, which could use it to determine rates. (Sounds like this would get the attention of regulators.)
Apple told Reuters that it anonymizes and does not store CarPlay data, while Google said it allows users to choose whether to share data generated from using Android Auto.
Speaking of CarPlay, Apple is reportedly trying to get carmakers to become app developers for its smartphone-based system instead of the other way around. Ideally, this would create a more seamless experience for drivers because CarPlay would be integrated into the vehicle controls. But some are skeptical about the push for that very reason, according to the New York Times: You d think that carmakers would want to be platform-agnostic. And some carmakers have already developed their own connected-car systems, which work with a variety of tech apps.
Last stop is distracted driving. Cheerleaders for the colorful, iPad-like dashboard/infotainment control centers say the screens are so big and the voice tech so good that it s a preferable alternative to people handling cell phones while they drive. But Reuters cites concerns of people such as Joe Simitian, the former California senator who wrote the state s laws on hands-free driving, who says he thinks legislators will struggle with for years to come the safety issues brought about by big new screens in cars. The article notes that automakers aren t required to comply with current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration driver-distraction guidelines.
Photo: Apple CarPlay shown in a Ferrari. (EPA)
