Apple to Show IOS in the Car at Geneva … in a Ferrari
According to Brand Finance and other business experts, Ferrari- not Apple- is the world’s strongest brand. Apple, however, are no dummies- and they’ve decided to hitch their “iOS in the Car” wagon to Ferrari’s ever-rising star when both companies step out onto the stage at the 84th Geneva International Motor Show and show off Apple’s in-car operating system … in the new, production-ready LaFerrari hybrid super car and the new for 2014 Ferrari California T.
Apple and Ferrari first announced their collaboration almost a year ago, after last year’s Geneva show. It makes perfect sense, then, that the first fruits of their labor should appear now, on the largest automotive stage in the world … and not too long after Ford hilariously announced that it would be integrating- *snerk!* a version of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS into its own cars.
Further evidence for the upcoming announcement comes in the person of Eddy Cue. Eddy’s the vice president of Internet Software and Services at Apple, likely one of the people most involved with iOS in the Car, and just so happens to have been named to the Ferrari’s board of directors last November, making the Ferrari/Apple connection that much more obvious.
SO, while we wait for the official announcement to happen at Geneva, let’s take a look at the highly visible Ferraris that are expected to carry the new Apple iOS in the Car system, below. Just, you know, don’t expect Siri to be any good.
Apple iOS in the Car / Ferrari California T
I've been in and around the auto industry since 1997, and have written for a number of well-known outlets like Cleantechnica, the Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more. You can also find me talking EVs with Matt Teske and Chris DeMorro on the Electrify Expo Podcast, writing about Swedish cars on my Volvo fan site, or chasing my kids around Oak Park.
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"not too long after Ford hilariously announced that it would be integrating- *snerk!* a version of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS" QNX is an RT-OS that predates Blackberry by many years. RIM bought them in 2010, and used it as the basis of Blackberry 10, but QNX Car is not just a version of BBOS -- it's more accurate to say it the other way around. It's also used in many other vehicles.
iOS makes me crazy, but my wifes Blackberry locks up so often I call it a brickberry. I'd rather deal with engineered obsolescence and disabling "updates" than a car that decides it's not your turn and it's time to contemplate the infinite loop. QNX may well be OK though. I'll let others bleed to bring this tech up to prime time standards. Once it's settled for a few years and it's actually safe I'll enjoy the new toys.