Hey, everyone, it’s Mark. The next-generation CarPlay interface is a precursor to an eventual Apple-designed Tesla rival. Also: Apple’s flawed new multitasking system, what it means that the company’s tvOS was missing in action at WWDC 2022, and how the event was full of clues about an upcoming AR/VR headset. 

Last week in Power On: Apple’s AR/VR headset and realityOS won’t be at WWDC, but the product will still be a hot topic.

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Apple’s next-generation CarPlay interface. Source: Apple

When Apple Inc. unveiled a new version of CarPlay at the Worldwide Developers Conference last week, it was more than a software update—it previewed one of the most exciting products in the company’s pipeline: an electric car.

The move fit a pattern for Apple. Before the company enters a major new product category, it usually releases something that serves as the foundation.

• In January 2001, Apple launched iTunes. Ten months later, the iPod arrived.
• In 2014, Apple released HealthKit and the Health app, which heralded the Apple Watch’s debut in 2015. 
• Also in 2014, Apple introduced HomeKit. That predated the HomePod smart speaker, as well as smart-home hub technology being integrated into the iPad and Apple TV.
• Currently, Apple is all-in on augmented and virtual reality, having launched ARKit in 2017. It’s also continually adding new related technologies across its platforms, creating the foundation of its upcoming headset and realityOS. 

Next up on the list is the latest generation of CarPlay—what I consider to be the most tantalizing announcement from this year’s developer conference. I don’t believe we’ll see the new CarPlay system on public roads until 2024, but Apple had to announce it, in part, to help pressure automakers to adopt the software. It’s a source of tension: Some car companies don’t want Apple to take over their interface, and the software could ultimately be used in a future vehicle that they have to compete with. 

As I reported last October, the new CarPlay expands Apple’s in-car interface from controlling just Apple apps to controlling the entire vehicle. The new CarPlay is capable of replacing a car’s instrument clusters, radio, temperature controls and more with an Apple interface. 

Apple’s next-generation CarPlay interface. Source: Apple

The new interface is also fully customizable, letting users personalize the look of their instrument clusters, the screens in their cars, and widgets for weather, calendar appointments, trip data, time zones, music and smart-home appliances.

I think the new CarPlay interface is exceptionally well-designed and will instantly become a must-have for a new car purchase. It also looks more like an entirely new operating system than just a next-generation version of CarPlay.

That’s why it seems like the ideal interface for an Apple car later this decade. But that raises a key question: Why would Apple bring this interface to third-party cars if it’s planning its own vehicle with the same approach? 

The easy answer is that Apple wants to show consumers its car chops. You like what you see here? Then you’re going to love the Apple car. It also helps the company learn about the auto industry and gather the necessary data to help build its own ride.

But let’s go deeper. Apple needs to keep adding reasons for people to hold on to their iPhones and upgrade to new models. On average, Americans spend an hour behind the wheel daily, according to some estimates. If a consumer loves the in-car interface powered by the iPhone, that’s another check box that will keep the customer from switching to Android.

There’s also a potential way for CarPlay to become another revenue driver for Apple. Today, Apple doesn’t collect royalties or fees from automakers that use CarPlay. The current system also requires connecting an iPhone.

But the situation could change if Apple got more involved with the process. In-car infotainment systems require special components, software and engineering time—and that’s not typically the core competency of car makers. I’m sure some of them would love to pass off that responsibility. 

Apple’s next-generation CarPlay interface. Source: Apple

If the next version of CarPlay becomes popular enough, perhaps Apple could create a version that is built completely into vehicles and doesn’t require an iPhone. Google currently offers such a system, called Android Automotive (rather than the Android Auto feature that requires a phone). An Apple “carOS” could be useful for automakers, which are always looking for features that can increase sales and cut expenses. Paying a royalty for Apple to handle their in-car OS might be the answer. 

Now, back to the Apple car. How far along is it really? Despite all the recent staff departures from the project, I’m still led to believe that development of a vehicle is moving forward. 

The latest I’ve gathered is that Apple is negotiating supply-chain deals for car parts and overall manufacturing. I’m also told that Kevin Lynch, the new head of the project, has roped in some of his lieutenants from the Apple Watch group to help develop the car.

Lynch also recently reshuffled the car management team, and people familiar with the group say it’s now hitting deadlines that it might have missed under previous leadership. 

I’m told that Apple has some of the car industry’s best design minds working on what the actual vehicle will look like. That includes former Aston Martin interiors manager Duncan Taylor, ex-Aston Martin chief concept engineer Pete Jolley, former Tesla exteriors and interiors vice president Steve MacManus and ex-Porsche executive Manfred Harrer. 

Though people familiar with the project doubt Apple will meet its goal of shipping a fully autonomous car around 2025, the company is still aiming to announce a vehicle as early as then. Even without self-driving capabilities, a well-designed Apple car with all of the iPhone’s bells and whistles could quickly become a serious challenger to Tesla Inc.

HTC Vive headset being used at WWDC 2017. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

WWDC 2022 was full of clues about Apple’s future AR/VR headset. As I said would be the case six months ago, Apple didn’t unveil its mixed-reality headset at WWDC. When I reported on the decision to delay the introduction, I had heard that a fall unveiling would also be a stretch. I’m now thinking the debut will probably be early 2023 if something doesn’t change dramatically (which, of course, is possible). 

But as I reported before the show, we did get plenty of hints that things are still moving forward with Apple’s augmented reality efforts. Let me break down a few of the clues:

• ARKit 6 was announced, adding 4K video capture in augmented reality, new depth APIs and quicker placement of AR objects in the real world. Apple has made big improvements to its underlying framework that will help power the future headset. 
• Apple announced RoomPlan, a new Swift API that allows for the scanning of a room to understand its dimensions and objects. This technology will obviously play a vital role on a mixed-reality device. 
• Metal 3 with support for improved graphics and higher-performance gaming was also announced. Expect Metal to be part of development for realityOS, the software that will run the headset.
• SharePlay was extended out of FaceTime, allowing users to jointly watch content in Messages. Apple is clearly trying to break SharePlay out of individual apps and make it a stand-alone, systemwide feature. Jointly experiencing content while in AR and VR will be key to Apple’s device. 
• Passkeys—a replacement for passwords—also was shown. Who wants to input passwords on a mixed-reality headset? Seriously, try doing it on an Oculus Quest. 
• A new dictation feature allows simultaneous text and voice input for typing. That’s clearly in preparation for text input on the headset. 
• New features for scanning and interpreting text live, as well as the ability to better parse subjects in images, will also play nicely with the eventual device. 
• And, finally, Ray Wong over at Input hilariously pointed out that Apple’s new “buy now, pay later” service could also make the cost of the headset a lot easier to handle (since it has a limit, you’ll need to wait for the monthly installment version of the feature with Goldman Sachs). 

We’re likely only months away from seeing a lot more clues—or even the device itself. 

Apple’s new Stage Manager feature on an iPad Pro. Source: Apple

Apple’s new Stage Manager multitasking feature is a confusing mess so far. I’ve been giving Stage Manager a spin for the last few days on macOS Ventura, and I think it’s a mess. Even the software’s purpose isn’t exactly clear. It essentially lets you place either one window or a few windows in the forefront of your workspace. You can line up your recent apps on the left side of the screen, allowing you to quickly jump into them.

I see what Apple is trying to do here, but it’s just yet another multitasking layer. It oddly doesn’t replace Spaces or Mission Control, but works with them. I think Apple needs to pick a direction and stick to it.

I haven’t had a chance to use it on the iPad because the feature oddly requires an M1 model and doesn’t work on the A12Z iPad from 2020. Apple says the feature “requires large internal memory, incredibly fast storage, and flexible external display I/O, all of which are delivered by iPads with the M1 chip.”

From what I’ve seen, the approach makes more sense on the iPad, but Apple has been trying to make its interfaces more uniform. As I reported before WWDC, the company wants the iPad to feel more like a Mac than an iPhone.

Stage Manager also could be a precursor to the extended Mac display feature in the works for Apple’s headset, but that may not arrive in version 1.0, I’m told. 

Apple TV set-top-box. Photographer: David Paul Morris

Notably absent from the WWDC keynote: any talk of tvOS. Apple’s tvOS, the operating system that runs on the Apple TV (and a variant of which runs on the HomePod), got zero stage time. That’s because there’s really nothing new in this area other than some underlying smart-home frameworks, namely Matter support.

Obviously, this is a concern. I can’t recall a single year in the last decade when Apple neglected to add new features to iOS, macOS or watchOS, so clearly something is up with tvOS. Maybe it has to do with Tim Twerdhal, previously head of marketing for the Apple TV, exiting the company last summer (he wanted Apple to make a cheaper box or stick but was shot down by his bosses). 

Or maybe Apple’s small Apple TV and HomePod software team is busy revamping the OS for its next-generation Apple TV and HomePod products. They’re working on an update to the original HomePod size, plus a combined HomePod, Apple TV and FaceTime device for the living room. 

Whatever the case, Apple’s efforts for the home and living room aren’t giving fans much to look forward to.

And if you want more tech news, be sure to check out Techmeme, an aggregator I like. Techmeme also has its own newsletter that you can subscribe to here.

Q: Is a 2022 iPad Pro expected soon?
Q: Do you think the new CarPlay interface might create distracted-driving problems?
Q: Why is the new iPad multitasking feature exclusive to M1 models?

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