X

Apple demoes CarPlay in a Mercedes-Benz (pictures)

Apple's new CarPlay iPhone mirroring feature got its first public demo in a Mercedes-Benz C-class during the 2014 Geneva auto show.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
MB_CarPlay_02.jpg
1 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
At the 2014 Geneva auto show, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated how Apple CarPlay works. With an iPhone 5 connected to the car's USB port, this icon-based interface was available on the car's center LCD. In the Mercedes-Benz, the driver would use a jog dial on the console to select functions and menu items.
MB_CarPlay_08.jpg
2 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
CarPlay is capable of using multiple screens for its icons, making it expandable. As of this demonstration, the only apps were navigation, messaging, phone, and audio. The four third-party apps also available were iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and Beats Music.
MB_CarPlay_03.jpg
3 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
For navigation, CarPlay uses Apple Maps. The maps appear bigger than they would on an iPhone, expanding to the size of whichever LCD is installed in the car. When browsing the map, it shows in plan view, but changes to perspective under route guidance. Although it is not possible to initiate navigation without being in a data connected area, routing will continue when passing through areas where the connection drops for brief times.
MB_CarPlay_04.jpg
4 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
CarPlay emphasizes voice command for most of its functions. For destination entry, you can talk to Siri, or choose from this list of recent and shared addresses. CarPlay will even pull addresses from emails and text messages, including them in this list.
MB_CarPlay_05.jpg
5 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
Route guidance takes into account traffic in similar fashion to Apple Maps and shows information about upcoming turns.
MB_CarPlay_07.jpg
6 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
When accessing Siri, the same wavelength graphic appears on the car's LCD that does on the iPhone.
MB_CarPlay_06.jpg
7 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
For phone calls and messaging, CarPlay draws from the same contacts list stored on the phone.
MB_CarPlay_12.jpg
8 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
Just as on an iPhone, you can see recent text messages, ordered by date and listed by correspondent. However, the interface never shows any text messages. You can have Siri read a text message, and take dictation of text messages to be sent.
MB_CarPlay_13.jpg
9 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
Podcasts can be selected from the Podcasts app.
MB_CarPlay_09.jpg
10 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
The audio app defaults to iTunes Radio stations.
MB_CarPlay_10.jpg
11 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
The audio apps lists Apple's standard music library categories, such as artist and album name. Along with choosing music from these lists, you can also request them by voice from Siri.
MB_CarPlay_11.jpg
12 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
The playback screen overemphasizes the play and skip controls. Album art appears as a subtle background for each track.
MB_CarPlay_14.jpg
13 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
The iHeartRadio app lists favorites and stations geographically close to the car but does not let you search for new stations.
MB_CarPlay_15.jpg
14 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
The nearby stations list works kind of like local radio.
MB_CarPlay_01.jpg
15 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
Mercedes-Benz C-class will be its first model to get the CarPlay feature, which should come out by the end of 2014.
MB_CarPlay_16.jpg
16 of 16 Wayne Cunningham/CNET
The standard Mercedes-Benz interface and functions are all still available with CarPlay.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos