is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
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The list of car companies looking askance at Apple’s newly release, all-encompassing version of CarPlay is growing longer.
In an interview on Decoder, Ford CEO Jim Farley said he is taking a wait-and-see approach about whether to authorize Apple CarPlay Ultra in Ford’s vehicles. After years of teasing, Apple launched the CarPlay Ultra earlier this year in several models from Aston Martin, with Porsche expected to come next. The upgraded phone mirroring system is designed to deliver greater integration with the vehicle, offering not only the ability to have CarPlay on multiple screens at once but also the option to adjust things like climate controls and drive mode settings from within the CarPlay interface.
But since its launch, Apple has yet to announce any additional automakers beyond Aston Martin and Porsche. That delay could be the result of companies, many of which are attempting their own software modernizations, expressing concerns about Apple’s desires to take over all the functions inside the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius said as much on his episode of Decoder last year. And now its Farley’s turn, who admitted he wasn’t that impressed with the first iteration of CarPlay Ultra.
Ford CEO Jim Farley isn’t ready to let Apple take over all the screens. Photo by Bill Pugliano / Getty Images
“We don’t like the execution in round one of Ultra, but we’re very committed to Apple,” Farley told Wall Street Journal columnist and Decoder guest host Joanna Stern. “I’ve talked to Tim many times about this.”
Ford isn’t saying no to Apple, Farley said, it just wants some clarity about how CarPlay Ultra will interact with some of the core vehicle functions, including advanced features like hands-free driver assist.
“How far do you want the Apple brand to go?” he asked “Do you want the Apple brand to start the car? Do you want the Apple brand to limit the speed? Do you want the Apple brand to limit access?”
“We don’t like the execution in round one of Ultra, but we’re very committed to Apple.”
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