Ford’s CEO Jim Farley was interviewed on Decoder’s latest podcast episode, and guest host Joanna Stern asked about plans for CarPlay Ultra support. Here’s the update Farley gave about where Ford currently stands with CarPlay Ultra.
CarPlay Ultra support seems likely at some point, but not any time soon
In the lead-up to CarPlay Ultra launching earlier this year, Apple’s latest list of automakers who had pledged support included Ford.
Historically, Ford has been a strong partner with Apple in supporting CarPlay. But now it’s been months since CarPlay Ultra officially launched. So when can Ford owners expect support?
It sounds like nothing’s coming any time soon.
On the latest episode of Decoder, Joanna Stern asks Ford’s CEO Jim Farley if Ford is “considering” CarPlay Ultra. His response isn’t as enthusiastic as Ford drivers might hope.
We are. We don’t like the execution in round 1 of Ultra, but we’re very committed to Apple. I’ve talked to Tim many times about this.
Farley then explains his belief that Ford doesn’t have the right to disrupt a person’s digital life when they get in the car. They want to “make it as easy as possible” for drivers to seamlessly continue using their preferred technology.
All of this sounds relatively positive. But reading between the lines, it appears that despite the previous pledged support, CarPlay Ultra is not actively in the works for future Ford vehicles.
Opposition to potential Apple control of critical vehicle functions
... continue reading