Apple has announced the CarPlay infotainment service at the International Motor Show in Geneva will be held from March 6-16.

CarPlay got the impression as "the best iPhone experience on four wheels." CarPlay listens to the voice and places phone calls, controls music, gets directions with the Apple Maps and plays text as dictated, all these without distraction.

iOS Apps In CarPLay

CarPlay supports music apps that include iHeartRadio, iTunes Radio, Spotify, Stitcher and Beats Radio. There is no apparent support for Pandora yet. The reason was unclear but with iTunes Radio having the same functionality can be one. Custom stations can be created in both services where users may select a song, an artist or genre. Beats Audio and Spotify allow users to search albums and songs to play, whereas iHeartRadio and Stitcher are for listening radio stations.

First Cars With CarPlay

Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will pioneer having the first cars with built-in CarPlay. Volvo pointed the innovative XC90 sports utility car to handle iOS using a cord as Wi-Fi will come later. Other automobile makers planning to join the pack are BMW, General Motors, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Hyundai, Honda, Kia Motors, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota, Suzuki and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

Competitors

CarPlay's competitors will be other infotainment platforms like Embedded Automotive (Microsoft's Windows), Open Automotive Alliance (Google Android) and GENIVI Alliance (Linux). There are speculations that Ford Motor Company will switch from Microsoft to an infotainment platform for Sync 3. Many are expecting Ford will pick BlackBerry QNX.

iOS In the Car Is Now CarPlay

Apple talked about iOS in the Car (now rebranded as CarPlay) in June 2013. It is the company's vision for iOS to take the integration to a new level.

Senior Vice President Eddy Cue of Apple's Internet Software and Services said during a demo in Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2013 to integrate an iOS into a car's screen so it can place calls, go to Maps, play music and display iMessages right on the dashboard screen so it will be convenient and offer the most minimal distraction.

With 12 states having existing laws prohibiting drivers from using handheld devices while driving and 42 states forbidding drivers from text messaging, CarPlay can be a very convenient option. It can save many lives by minimal distraction and with their eyes always on the road. Multitasking has always been dangerous and CarPlay drives the users to the right direction.

CarPlay will come as an update of iOS 7. It will work with lightning-enabled iPhones such as iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5.