Ford executive criticized Apple CarPlay Ultra (3 photos)

Tech giant Apple and its CarPlay Ultra

Apple, as a tech titan, usually draws lines of customers for its high-end products. However, automakers are not particularly enthusiastic about CarPlay Ultra.

The software launched on May 15 in Aston Martin vehicles in the US and Canada. At the time, the company said:

CarPlay Ultra extends CarPlay and delivers the best in-car experience by deeply integrating with the car to bring together the best of both iPhone and car.

Apple also said it would work with automakers to develop custom themes for their cars that “reflect their unique design philosophy.” This promised to provide “an experience that feels like it’s been custom-tailored to each car.”

However, we haven’t heard much about CarPlay Ultra recently, and a number of automakers aren’t showing much interest in it. Another one to add to that list is Ford CEO Jim Farley, who criticized the system in an interview with Decoder.

Ford’s stance on CarPlay Ultra

When asked about the possibility of adding CarPlay Ultra to their cars, Farley said the company is considering the option, but that it “doesn’t like the execution” at this point. He noted that the automaker is “very committed to Apple” and that he has spoken to Tim Cook multiple times.

Farley also hinted that the company aims to be neutral, allowing both Apple and Android users to have a quality experience. It’s hard to argue with that, although the company is studying customer experiences in China to get an idea of ​​what to do next.



Focus on AI

The executive mentioned AI-based assistants as being “very important” to Ford. In fact, Farley believes that “every customer should have an AI assistant in their car.” He added that it won’t just be a voice, but “something concrete” that you can interact with, like a companion.

Back to Apple, Farley hinted that there are a lot of questions about the relationship and who controls what. He noted that there is a limit, and that is control over the car itself. In essence, displaying information on displays is acceptable, but the situation becomes more complicated as integration deepens.



Implementation prospects

While this is just a brief overview of the hour-long discussion, don’t expect CarPlay Ultra to arrive at Ford anytime soon. However, it seems that artificial intelligence will become a part of cars, whether consumers want it or not.

The auto industry continues to experiment with third-party technology integration, but remains cautious about handing over control of key functions. This could affect how quickly innovations like CarPlay Ultra are adopted by mass manufacturers. In the future, we can expect more personalized systems that combine AI assistants with the safety and reliability of the car.