Apple doesn’t need an iCar to rule the road

It’s no secret that late Apple CEO Steve Jobs was keen on bringing the company’s technology to the automotive world. In fact, according to longtime Apple board member Mickey Drexler, “Steve’s dream before he died was to design an iCar.” Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Shiller, echoed those sentiments during the company’s copyright infringement trial against Samsung, saying there had been discussion of Apple making a vehicle.

Immediately following Jobs’ death, it seemed like his dream might never come true. But since then, Apple has made a big push to integrate its Siri technology into vehicles. Meanwhile, automakers are finding ways to get iOS apps to work on the dashboard. These and other moves have set Apple on a collision course with Microsoft and Google in a market that’s still very much up for grabs.

Although voice recognition has been available in cars for several years through technologies like Ford’s SYNC (powered by Microsoft), Apple’s Siri is making serious inroads with multiple automakers. Chevrolet already offers Siri integration in its Spark EV, as does the 2014 Cadillac CTS. Other manufacturers — including Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ferrari, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota — are expected to bring Siri into their cars in the near future.

Siri Eyes Free mode is a specialized version of Apple’s voice-controlled digital assistant that interfaces with a vehicle’s own voice-control feature. Users sync their Siri-equipped iPhone with their car’s infotainment system via Bluetooth or USB, and activate the feature by pressing their vehicle’s voice-control button, usually mounted to the car’s steering wheel. Siri Eyes Free lets you do everything from make calls and play music to hear and compose text messages while you’re behind the wheel.

Siri Eyes Free differs from the standard version of Siri found on the iPhone and iPad by limiting the software’s functionality to combat distracted driving. Features removed from Siri Eyes Free include the ability to perform Web searches and anything that requires the user to look at the iPhone’s display. If, for example, you ask Siri what a waterfall is, it will say it is unable to provide you with that information, as the reply generally provides users with a picture of a waterfall.

“Siri Eyes Free is going to be a step in the right direction,” said Ben Bajarin, an analyst at technology research firm Creative Strategies. But where is Apple going next? (from mashable.com)