Aston Martin teamed up with Apple, who was the first car manufacturer to launch CarPlay Ultra. In daily use, Apple’s system proves intuitive, but not without defects.
Apple knows how to do marketing. A software or hardware update is not simply “new” or “next-gen”-that is too pedestrian for the team in Cupertino. “Ultra” sounds much cooler and more promising. The name adorns the highest Apple Watch and is now also applied to your next development of CarPlay. The expectations are high. After all, Apple’s smartphone interface has already installed new life to the aging infotainment systems: simply put your iPhone and your most important apps appear on the car’s touchscreen. No more chunky menu navigation – just a few taps, and they are switched off, whether for navigation or telephone pairing.
This core principle does not change with CarPlay Ultra, which is celebrating his debut in the Aston Martin DBX. But now it offers much more. Drivers can not only configure the central touchscreen, but also the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Various layouts are available from a classic rotary counter and a speedometer to a full-screen navigation card. The climatic elements also move to the touchscreen, and other widgets can be added from the iPhone to the start screen. Topics and color schemes can be adapted – although no background images. “Photos as the background could cause contrast problems,” explains Michael Wanzeck by Aston Martin von Cockpit & Digital.
For Aston Martin, the partnership with Apple is a stroke of luck. As beautiful as his cars are, his infotainment technology has remained. Apple has reportedly contacted other manufacturers. While BMW and Mercedes have strongly invested in their own systems and are in control of their vehicle architectures, brands such as Ford and Stellantis may be more inviting. After all, the Apple system is free – it simply brings your own ecosystem into the car to deepen customer loyalty. Combine the screens of your car with your iPhone and your Apple Watch (preferably the Ultra 2), and the Apple environment becomes complete.
Apple and Aston Martin began developing integration two and a half years ago. “They came in droves,” recalls Wanzeck of the Cupertino engineers who took the expansion of CarPlay very seriously. It is not surprising that Apple also dictated the direction. You have the feeling that you use CarPlay Ultra on the go. For Apple users it is in the second nature: they wipe and tap the screen, adapt the digital cluster via steering wheel controls and by pressing a center consoles, the driver -assist -menu is indicated in familiar iPhone graphics. The logic follows the UI design of Apple, whereby articles are deactivated about simple finger gestures.
The result is a seamless symbiosis between the iPhone and the car – but even Apple has weak points. If you don’t rely on Siri, your smartphone remains the primary surface. In contrast to many infotainment systems, the Aston does not have any settings such as “motorways” adjusted directly on the touchscreen – you have to do this on the phone. You can activate auto zoom for navigation, but only on one of the two displays: either on the central screen or the cockpit. The other only shows the route overview. And if Apple decides that a future iOS version or the iPhone generation will no longer be supported, you have to upgrade.
Google Maps is currently not available at CarPlay Ultra – but that’s on Google, not on Apple or Aston. Interestingly, Waze works (also in the possession of Google). And what about Aston drivers with Android phones? “You can fall back on the local infotainment,” says Wanzeck. But Aston’s customer base is mostly on Apple-centered-5 to 8% Android.
Some manufacturers feel uncomfortable when they give Apple the keys for their infotainment systems. CarPlay Ultra Taps in the existing architecture and hardware of the car. The graphics in the cluster run in the onboard processors of the car. Of course, this accumulates cyber security concerns – every networked computer can be a potential entry point for hackers. Apple’s ecosystem is generally considered safe but not impenetrable. Aston Martin also implements his own protective measures, with encryption and constant monitoring of the attacks constantly monitoring.
So when does CarPlay Ultra go on the street? The system will perform in the United States this month (we tested it in a DBX), and Europe will follow Vanquish Volante in August before they have a broader introduction in the entire area. It is crucial that Aston also offers a retrofit solution that contains the full functional rate.
