It’s been quite some time since Apple initially unveiled CarPlay, its in-car system that aimed to help people use their iPhone hands-free.
Despite the fact that CarPlay hasn’t seen a huge adoption just yet, auto manufacturers haven’t been shy about claiming support for the system in their own vehicles. That includes Volkswagen, as well as Honda, which recently both confirmed that CarPlay would be featured in (some of) their vehicles. The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 recently made its way to dealerships with CarPlay onboard, too, and The Wall Street Journal‘s Joanna Stern got behind the wheel of one to test out Apple’s in-car systems effort while taking a trip between Manhattan and Rockaway Beach in Queens.
Generally, Stern had positive things to say about CarPlay, noting its ease of use, especially when things like Siri are considered:
“But DJ Siri to the rescue! All week she has accurately taken my requests, playing them via Apple Music (but not Spotify or any other third-party apps). “Siri, Play ‘Little Red Corvette.’ ” “Siri, play me Madonna’s top songs.” “Siri, who sings this song?” She does it all—though I wouldn’t object if she were a tad faster.“
However, things got a bit bumpy when Stern tried out Apple Maps, and found that the overall experience is less-than-stellar compared to Google Maps:
“When I got in the car to go to my friend’s baby naming, Apple Maps routed me through midtown Manhattan, showing a blissfully traffic-ignorant blue line all the way to the destination. Google Maps, however, knew that Park Avenue was closed. It routed me to the FDR Drive, on Manhattan’s east side. Ignoring Apple, and choosing Google’s route, I got there on time.“
While Stern isn’t shy about pointing out the positives that CarPlay offers, she is also not worried about pointing out the areas where Apple still needs more work, and where CarPlay’s services suffer behind Google’s own offerings, including Google Now and Google Maps:
“Do I wish CarPlay supported Google Maps so I wouldn’t always be questioning if there was a better route? Yes, but this is the pain we endure from the ecosystem trap. More and more, Apple and Google are scheming to keep us using their services—and no one else’s.“
The full review of CarPlay is available through the source link below.
[via The Wall Street Journal]
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