Massima
So far, everyone has witnessed a significant blunder from the folks at Cupertino. During WWDC in 2024, they announced cutting-edge enhancements for Siri as part of an upcoming iOS 18 update. They even went so far as to produce widely aired television commercials highlighting these features before their release. Ultimately, this past spring, acknowledged they were unable to provide these features as advertised They would only arrive in the following year—likely with an iOS 19 update—and some are wondering if that date can actually be achieved .
Naturally, it evoked AirPower , another item that Apple showcased during their presentation but ultimately cut due to an inability to deliver it. Similar parallels were drawn between this situation and Apple’s extended effort to create its own 5G cellular modem, which was later abandoned. C1 modem Shipping for the iPhone 16e was announced, but the company didn’t take center stage (so to speak) to make this promise.
I believe there's a more suitable comparison: Next-generation CarPlay.
It’s been how long?
Apple initially introduced the " next generation of CarPlay back at WWDC in June, 2022 . That’s right, nearly three years ago.
To be honest, Apple referred to it as a "sneak preview" and mentioned they were eager to share additional details later on. Unlike the absent iOS 18 Siri functionalities, which did not appear in their main advertisements, Apple didn't promote products featuring the upcoming version of CarPlay through widespread advertising campaigns either. However, they displayed an array showing prominent automobile manufacturers and stated that "car makers globally are enthusiastic about bringing this updated concept of CarPlay to consumers."
Back then, Apple stated "the unveiling of vehicles will occur towards the latter part of next year," which pointed toward late 2023. During summertime in 2022, this seemed like quite a lengthy period and an unusually premature declaration from Apple. As we approached the close of 2023, Apple finally revealed the initial lineup for advanced CarPlay models; however, they included only two manufacturers—Porsche and Aston Martin—who planned to release cars equipped with enhanced CarPlay functionality in 2024.
Apple
Only 2024 passed, and the cars failed to appear. Moreover, no new vehicle announcements were made. To make matters worse, brands such as GM also retreated. other direction, dumping CarPlay entirely In 2024. Only last month, Porsche announced Its new "Communication Management System," which encompasses both hardware and software for future vehicles, offers nothing more than the familiar CarPlay compatibility we've come to expect.
After missing its initial far-off deadline and with no sign of a launch imminent, the upcoming version of CarPlay seems likely to remain perpetually in development, particularly for vehicles that fall within the budget range of average consumers.
An issue stemming from Apple’s actions
In 2022, Apple wasn't required to demonstrate the updated CarPlay, and it's challenging to grasp why they chose to do so. At that time, announcing support for vehicles was not planned to happen yet. late 2023. Why not simply unveil it at WWDC just a year after this announcement?
Furthermore, why not delay the announcement until the first automakers are involved? actually Are they prepared to unveil their supporting vehicles and jointly market them? Why not simply maintain secrecy until everything is ready for shipment, similar to how it was handled during the development of the C1 modem?
As with the updated features of Siri, Apple has introduced new functionalities. marketing needs surpassed its capabilities There wasn’t any technical justification for unveiling something that was not ready yet; there were no grounds to present to clients. This decision prioritized marketing over the actual progress of development.
Apple
This capability was enhanced by moving to pre-recorded events. It became more challenging to present a polished, completed demonstration of a feature that might still be unfinished and could potentially remain so during a live onstage presentation.
In hindsight, we shouldn’t have been so surprised when Apple said it couldn’t deliver on its Siri promised. When 2024 came and went without even a hint of next-gen CarPlay coming to market, we could have realized that Apple has started to engage in that most un-Apple practice of promoting stuff while it is still early in development.
Apple has big expectations ahead of it for WWDC in June. It has to convince users that it can create new experiences we’re excited about after the disappointing release of Apple Intelligence, convince the market that it isn’t disastrously behind on advanced AI technology, and convince the press that its promises are trustworthy.