The auto industry has become the latest battleground for the world’s software majors. At stake, is the dominance of car dashboards. In this heavyweight slugfest between Apple and Google, it’s not clear who’ll reign supreme. At ringside, other players are also joining the party…
It’s not only automobile majors who are fighting for a share of the global car market. Computer software and consumer electronics giants are also jockeying to grab a lion’s share of the operating systems for cars.
Apple and Google are now locked in an intense fight to dominate dashboards. But a host of other players are also waiting in the wings to get a foothold in this lucrative business. In the coming years, one can expect carmakers to mention, next to the data related to engine and fuel consumption, the software environment used.
For now, many car manufacturers seem to be undecided on which software to settle for. And so, many of them have decided to let in rival software companies – taking more than one operating system that integrates with different types of smartphones. While the software has nothing to do with the electronic control units that regulate the mechanicals of the car, the war is over the dashboard of icons that provide services such as maps, music, messages, etc., via the connected smartphone. “The computer now marries the car,” said Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen’s worldwide chief, at the recent presentation of the eighth-generation Passat. Nothing could be truer.
The Car Play operating system, developed by Apple, has already garnered broad consensus among automobile manufacturers. Here, it’s displayed on the dashboard of the Ferrari FF – the first compatible model in the world. The system works with the iPhone 5, and newer models.
THE SMARTPHONE IS THE UNDISPUTED STAR
Behind the war for the operating systems of a car lies a massive business to be tapped. For example, copying the software system of an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy onto the dashboard means that you can use applications like Spotify for streaming music that could potentially reduce interest in traditional radio stations and divert attention to new platforms.
Another point concerns satellite maps. On the car’s dashboard, the same maps as the smartphone would be displayed – perhaps with POI’s (Points of Interest, favourites, etc.) refined as per the tastes and preferences of the user. The restaurant, hotel, or the tyre repair shop that would like to appear on the map will have to pay, of course.
The choice of the operating system encourages the adoption of compatible devices. For example, an automobile synced with the iPhone will make the owner buy the Apple smartphone to take advantage of all of its capabilities. Finally, another revenue source could be the data traffic and agreements with the mobile operators that enable the car to always stay connected. For example, Vodafone recently announced a contract for the supply of SIM cards integrated into the new Audi models starting from 2015. The LTE standard will also allow the reception of streaming movies and other infotainment content.
WINDOWS GOT THERE FIRST
The struggle for the software dominance of cars began last January at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, with Google announcing the Open Automotive Alliance. The alliance is a group of more than 40 technology and automobile companies, such as Audi, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, and chipmaker Nvidia, which want to customise Google’s mobile operating system for cars.
But, in reality, the race began long ago – when the first display with GPS and radio started to appear in the car. GPS and radio paved the way for the simple on-board computer, which was barely able to calculate the average mileage and fuel consumption.
Microsoft, the largest software maker in the world, debuted in the automotive industry in 1998 with a project created together with Japanese manufacturer Clarion. The system was called Auto PC, before evolving two years later into Windows CE for Automotive and subsequently into Microsoft Windows Auto. Then, in 2010, it was renamed, for the fourth time, and became Windows Embedded Automotive.
Korean auto major Hyundai has adopted both the available operating systems, Android and iOS, for their cars. Here, we see the Google operating system connection on board the 2014 Kia Soul.
After its debut in the Ford Sync in 2007, the Microsoft operating system has been adopted, albeit with some variations, in 15 models of the Fiat group, in addition to Nissan and Kia. Windows Embedded Automotive enables you to control the radio and other entertainment functions via voice commands and manage phone calls through a connected mobile. Paradoxically, today, Windows’ technology for the automotive business is the most laggard.
LITTLE GREEN MAN ON THE DASHBOARD
The first objective of Google’s Open Automotive Alliance is to sync Google Maps and play music (which includes services like Pandora, Spotify, Songza, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, etc.) together with ad hoc developed applications – which will be available online from Google Play, the app store for the Android world.
The intention is that Android is able to independently identify the applications that ought to remain in the foreground based on the user’s habits and preferences. In addition, different blocks of notifications and messages will appear on the display in Google Now style. This software attempts to predict the user’s intentions, using the search memory for music for example. Now Google may also suggest local points of interest. The Android Car system also offers voice recognition capabilities for the maps. A simple command of the destination address is enough to activate the navigation system, which is based on Google Maps.
ADVANTAGE APPLE
But while Google has launched its ambitious plans to conquer the dashboard, Apple is already in pole position. Once you link the iPhone via the Lightning connector (from the iPhone 5 onwards), the icons that will appear on the dashboard are Telephone, Music, Maps, Messaging and Now Playing. Additionally, even Podcasts and Spotify, or the symbol of the brand of the car (as in the case of the Ferrari FF or the Hyundai Sonata) appears, which can be used to access details of the car as well. All the softwares can be activated by voice command, and there’s no need to take your hands off the wheel. These services can also be used directly on the device (or, for instance, through the rotary controller on the Mercedes C Class), or via the touch screen.
It’s appropriate to say that Tesla is running against the trend. It has a17-inch screen and a Linux operating system called the Roadster. Besides Infotainment, there’s also a web connection that enables remote management of the car.
The Car Play graphic is similar to the iPhone’s menu. For example, you can slide the ‘pages’ – skimming the surface of the screen and ‘tap’ to activate the various functions on the display. The Telephone feature displays the address book, and, of course, also the numeric keypad. The ‘Music’ icon allows you to access your music playlist just like when you’re using iTunes, or stream music using web radio stations. Even the maps and destinations can be activated by voice command.
Sending messages while driving is not an issue with Car Play either. Instead of typing an SMS at the risk of causing an accident, you can just activate the dedicated app to record a message and then address it to a user in your phonebook. Plus, Apple just bought Beats – a company that provides a music streaming service for a fee – which, presumably, will become an important offering of Car Play in the near future.
The system also brings a travelling companion on board – Siri, your virtual assistant. Siri can read messages, provide directions, search for an address, play a song, and even answer questions of a general nature. You can also ask Siri to send an e-mail to the office to report a delay, or to find a restaurant, a hotel, or a shop in the neighbourhood.
LOW COST PLAYER
Apple and Google aren’t the only ones who want to take control of in-car multimedia. An alternative operating system is MirrorLink, which wants to conquer the entry-level market. And that could already be a done deal, as Volkswagen has started to offer it on the new Polo. The operating system has also been presented on a series of compact cars – like the Toyota Aygo, Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108 – built into a system offered by Pioneer. It’s a standard system that integrates your smartphone with the infotainment system of the car.
Currently, it can be used with Android smartphones, but within a year they’ll develop a software update meant to extend the synchronisation to Apple’s iOS. Practically, the MirrorLink environment provides a simplified interface suitable for automotive use thanks to its few large sized icons. Designed by Nokia, which in 2009 presented it with Magneti Marelli, MirrorLink uses a set of non-proprietary technologies – such as IP (Internet Protocol), USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Real-Time Protocol (RTP, audio) and Universal Plug and Play. And this is one of the reasons why it’s low cost.
One of the advantages of Mirror Link is the fulfilment of the criteria for safe driving. The permissions for using apps in ‘auto mode’ or ‘mobile mode’ are ‘embedded’ within the application. For example, while driving, video players don’t work – but everything else is permitted within the navigation app.
CONNECTIVITY - OPERATING SYSTEMS
THE MAIN ACTORS GOOGLE, APPLE AND MICROSOFT From Mountain View, Cupertino, and Redmond in the United States, Google, Apple and Microsoft respectively are looking at the automotive market with great interest. In fact, in the past, attempts have been made to create custom made operating systems (designed for specific automotive brands). But, in the current scenario, the focus must be different. Since people are mostly familiar with smartphones, it’s the car’s interface that’ll have to adapt to this new vision, and not vice versa.
ANDROID AUTO
Google will bring the little green man to the dashboard. But the display will only show a few icons (those that can be safely used in a car, and which don’t require too much attention to manage).
APPLE
Apple’s operating system is called Car Play, and the first cars that feature iOS for the car (Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo) are already on the road. Twenty-four more manufacturers are ready to come on board.
WINDOWS
Microsoft has announced its Windows in the Car operating system, which is used by Nokia Lumia phones. The on-board device will have the Metro interface, with active square icons, called ‘tiles.’ But it’s still not known which carmakers will adopt this system.
The MirrorLink system on board the new 2014 Volkswagen Polo. It’s functional and economical. As a result, this standard has been adopted by many phone and car manufacturers
MIRRORLINK: WORKS VERY WELL
We tried the MirrorLink system on a Citroen C1. We used the same version that does duty on the top-end variants of the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 108, and Renault Twingo. The models are equipped with a resistive touch screen and a USB connection on the dashboard.
On the C1, the solution has proven to be very good for the quality / price ratio – although it’s not at the same level as the top-of-the-range stuff. In particular, the controls of the touch screen have some mild latency (the time between the input and the responsiveness of the software), but that’s not too problematic.
All things considered, if connected with a Samsung Galaxy with Android on board, the system is a very good compromise. It offers the basic functions – such as music, maps and the possibility to make a call via the speaker phone, which was once the privilege of luxury cars only. On the Citroen C1, connecting the smartphone with a USB cable to the dashboard to activate the operating system is very easy. At this point, you can choose between the playlist of songs stored on your phone or continue to use the cars’ radio.
The navigation system that appears on the display is the smartphone’s navigator, which is Google Maps. One just needs to type directly on the screen to activate the destination route calculation. Since the smartphone remains connected via the cable, there’s no danger of the battery running low as it’s always getting charged. The mobile’s antenna works as a GPS aerial. Finally, another icon on the main screen shows data related to the trip computer – such as the fuel consumption and mileage, shown through simplified graphics for easier reading.
The list of MirrorLink-enabled smartphones is growing rapidly with Samsung, Sony, Nokia, HTC, and Panasonic already on the list. It seems that, within a year, the system will be compatible with the Apple iPhone as well.
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