Does CarPlay update mean we won’t see a dedicated Apple Car?

At this week’s Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, which more deeply integrates with a car’s hardware. Some folks think this hints at features in the rumored “Apple Car.” I’m wondering if it means that Apple has decided to forego making its own vehicle and will instead work to incorporate CarPlay features into vehicles made by current car makers

CarPlay will now be able to provide content for multiple screens within the vehicle. Apple says that deeper integration with the vehicle will allow users to do things like control the radio or change the climate directly through CarPlay, and using the vehicle data, CarPlay will render the speed, fuel level, temperature, and more on the instrument cluster.

Users will be able to personalize their driving experience by choosing different gauge cluster designs, and with added support for widgets, users will have at-a-glance information from Weather and Music right on their car’s dashboard. 

Apple says more information about the next generation of CarPlay will be shared in the future, and vehicles will start to be announced late next year.

Mmmmm. “Late next year”? On. Nov. 18, 2021, Bloomberg reported that Apple is accelerating development on its “Apple Car.” The article says the electric vehicle will be self-driving and could roll out in 2025. 

What’s more, in a note to clients — as noted by AppleInsider — investment bank Wedbush said Apple is likely to announce a strategic electric vehicle partnership in 2022 to lay the groundwork for an “Apple Car” release in 2025.

With the new CarPlay announcement, I can’t see Apple announcing a strategy electric vehicle partnership this year. Personally, I’d rather see Apple get back into the Wi-Fi/router business than enter the automobile business. The latter is, to quote a song from “Aida,” a step too far.