JoeMa

Apple announced that their new CarPlay feature will be available in 2014 model Mercedes. Does anyone know which specific models support CarPlay?


I'm guessing the 2014 S-Class will support it but cannot find anything specific on the web about which MB models support CarPlay.


To learn more about CarPlay, visit Apple's site: https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/

somersetjon

Don't know which models and when, and searching the internet, as I'm sure you have, reveals nothing - typical for this type of announcement.


A few observations to create debate:


1. Apparently 'Siri' is key to this thing, so I guess nothing happens when you don't have a network connection, or more frustratingly everything takes 15+ seconds when you have a slow one (like me).


2. I'm a big fan of touch screens for cars and I hope more things go that way, my Jag had that back in 2001 - awesome (well the screen, not the car). I heard Audi didn't like touch because of the finger prints on the screen!!! Obviously the Tesla is good on this, as is the new Porsche 918.


3. Pleased to see MB on the launch of this, and Audi not included at all? Would hope to see Google included too as no one wants to rely on Apple Maps now do they?????


Cheers


Jon

somersetjon

Looks like the new C Class has it


http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/03/merced...class-gallery/

ramjaw

http://media.daimler.com/dcmedia/0-9...0-0-0-0-0.html

Mercedes-Benz will be the first German premium automotive manufacturer to bring Apple's “CarPlay” infotainment system based on the iPhone into cars. How the system operates in vehicles is being demonstrated by Mercedes-Benz in a new C-Class at the Geneva Motor Show. As soon as Google brings its own in-car infotainment system to market, Mercedes-Benz customers will also be able to enjoy the world of Android in their cars. As a result, and as already demonstrated two years ago when it presented the combination of the Drive Kit Plus and Digital DriveStyle App, Mercedes-Benz continues to be the leader when it comes to smartphone integration in vehicles. Mercedes-Benz also offers its high-end infotainment system COMAND Online, compatible with most of the current smartphones. This enables customers to use Mercedes-Benz Apps while driving in a safe and comfortable way.

What belongs together is growing together: smartphones have become an indispensable part of everyday life, and embedded in-vehicle infotainment systems currently communicate intensively with the outside world. The seamless integration of these two systems is able to provide customers with maximum comfort.
Last June, as part of its 24th WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference), Apple announced a so-called in-car infotainment system based on its “iOS in the Car”. Now the company has announced the official completion and release of the iPhone-based solution under the name “CarPlay” which gives iPhone users an incredibly intuitive way to make calls, use maps, listen to music and access messages with just a word or a touch. Mercedes-Benz is the only German premium automotive manufacturer which is planning to support the system from the outset, and is demonstrating how it works in Geneva in a new C-Class.

As soon as Google brings its own in-car infotainment system to market, Mercedes-Benz customers will also be able to enjoy the world of Android in their cars. Mercedes-Benz has already shown to impressive effect how an Android-based in-car infotainment system could look like in the SLS AMG in 2011: with “AMG Performance Media” it is possible to display lateral and longitudinal acceleration, along with engine output, torque and accelerator pedal position. Laps completed on a race track can be recorded and called up later for the purposes of personal driving analysis. Additional functions such as internet access and WiFi hotspot functionality are options that customers can add to the system.
“Two years ago we set a new trend with the integration of the smartphone into our vehicles, and Apple and Google have picked it up,” according to Prof Dr Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “We offer our customers an ideal in-car infotainment system. We are constantly developing the connected car with the latest technologies available, so that every Mercedes-Benz driver can use their smartphone in the car in full comfort and safety.”

Car Connectivity Consortium develops MirrorLink

Mercedes-Benz has therefore been committed to the development of such solutions for a number of years. It is therefore no surprise that the company was a founding member of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) in 2011: manufacturers of mobile phones, technology companies and vehicle manufacturers are working together on “MirrorLink”, a uniform standard for the integration of smartphones into the vehicle architecture. The goal of Mercedes-Benz, alongside the integration of iOS and Android-based devices, is to offer maximum compatibility for smartphones with other operating systems.

Drive Kit Plus and Digital DriveStyle App

It was also at the Geneva Motor Show two years ago that Mercedes-Benz presented a trendsetting innovation: for the first time in the history of the motor car, the combination of the Drive Kit Plus and the Digital DriveStyle App enabled comprehensive smartphone integration into the vehicle architecture, and therefore safe and convenient operation while driving. As part of this system the smartphone is connected to the vehicle via a cable (using the Drive Kit Plus) and at the same time charged. An application developed by Mercedes-Benz, the Digital DriveStyle App, runs on the smartphone and combines all essential functions under Social (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Google+), Media (e.g. Aupeo Personal Radio) and Places (e.g. Navigation, Google Places). Thanks to the high graphics and processing capabilities of the smartphone, these functions are shown in brilliant clarity on the vehicle display. The Digital DriveStyle App is operated via the vehicle controller. In addition, communication can also be carried out using Siri, the iPhone's digital voice assistant, without the driver having to take their hands off the steering wheel.

The Drive Kit Plus and Digital DriveStyle App are currently compatible with iPhone generations 4 and 5. Support for Android-based smartphones will be available from the middle of the year. Additional information is available at http://drive-kit-plus.com.

COMAND Online & Mercedes-Benz Apps

In addition to smartphone-based solutions, Mercedes-Benz also offers its customers COMAND Online which is a high-end infotainment system that caters to virtually all customers needs. Navigation with real-time traffic service, digital radio and TV receiver, online access including Mercedes-Benz Apps specially optimised for use while driving or a WiFi hotspot in the vehicle are just a few of the features of COMAND Online. It is also possible to send routes from Google Maps and here.com (formerly Navteq) directly to the vehicle. Destinations from the iPhone app “Where To?” by FutureTap, for example restaurants or event locations, can also be sent to the vehicle and fed into the navigation system.

gmaister22

thing is, will it be available for existing cars?

my car should arrive in a week and i really want to add carplay

somersetjon

Retrofit to existing cars is either NO or very expensive!!


I think it's going to take a couple of years for all this to settle down and as with all things the implementations will get better each year.


The Command system is pretty good in the GL so I've no complaints, and it all works without an internet connection which isn't something to rely on!

somersetjon

Have you researched Drive Kit Plus - which is iPhone integration, but with a cable - this also charges the phone - nice

JoeMa

The current GL models do not support Apple's Lightning cable so it's unlikely the existing head units will support CarPlay. This is how they keep you coming back for a new GL every few years.

somersetjon

According to UK website, for iphone 4/4S (no lightning cable)

For Drive Kit Plus
[1] Available for current models of the following: A-Class, B-Class, C-Class (Saloon/Estate), CLS-Class (Coupe & Shooting Brake), E-Class (All Models), CL-Class, CLA-Class, ML-Class, GL-Class, S-Class, SL-Class and SLK-Class. For the latest compatibility please contact your local Mercedes-Benz Retailer.




I did see there is a new version of Drive Kit Plus for 5/5S/5C but whether that works with X166 GL I don't know.


I do know it's damned expensive though!

bud.jones

Do you mean Apple's 30-pin to Lightning adapter cable? I'll be getting my new ML350 within the next two weeks and I was planning on purchasing that particular cable to use with my iPhone 5. I've seen posts that indicated success as well as failure with the cable and am not sure what to believe at this point. Some posters have said that the cable will charge the phone only - apparently iPod Out can be used with the 30-pin port on the earlier iPhones, but the new 8-pin is incapable of iPod Out, at least with the connections we have thus far. CarPlay should change all that, as it allows access to the apps on the iPhone, with the same 8-pin port. Of course, there are other posters that say just the opposite - that their Lightning-equipped iPhones can both be charged and retain the iPod Out functionality.

benyl

Lightning cable part number for GL. $59 MSRP

A0033 827 0904

2014 CLA-Class
2012-2014 C-Class
2010-2014 E-Class
2012-2014 CLS-Class
2013-2014 SL-Class
2013-2014 GLK-Class
2012-2014 M-Class
2013-2014 GL-Class
2013-2014 G-Class

bud.jones

If what you mean is that the existing cable can be swapped with another cable, then that would be nice. I have yet to explore that possibility. Thank you for that information.

cookstar

Apple Car Play

bud.jones

Thanks for posting that, cookstar. The one question I was hoping he would ask, however, is if MY14 vehicles would be able to use CarPlay, or if it is restricted to MY15 and beyond.

benyl

I am thinking you need NTG5. Only the S class and the new C class have NTG5. Everything else in 2014 has NTG4.5

bud.jones

and, let me guess, replacing NTG 4.5 with NTG 5 is NOT a dealer-provided service, right? Oh well, when my ML350 gets here in a couple of weeks, I'll find out.

bud.jones

You are correct on that score. Details here. That being said, I will still accept my current order - I can't wait for the MY2015 models to get my ML.

cookstar

cookstar

I dont know but something tells me that no you cant use it in MY14 vehiles without some sort of hardware upgrade versus software.

somersetjon

You have to plug it in - that's so 20th century - rubbish!

sharpxia

I don't think it would work for current models, and for sure not for MY12 and earlier, because even the DKP doesn't even work on it. I would spend $1000 to have the upgrade, but looks like MB doesn't even offer that kind upgrade.

Ah_gl450

http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/06/merced...lder-vehicles/

Mercedes-Benz working on aftermarket CarPlay installations for older vehicles

JoeMa

I was just about to post the same link. Thanks.


Hopefully the X166 is on Mercedes to-do list. I would love to have CarPlay in my GL550.

cookstar

Here you go, looks like Car Play can be put on older MB's as well

Update: Mercedes told us its “goal is to offer an after market solution by the end of the year.”

There have been a lot of mixed reviews of Apple’s CarPlay, a new feature that brings iOS into the car by displaying a customized interface for core iOS apps on in-car displays of select vehicles. A couple of the the common complaints you’ll be hearing about CarPlay: Its implementation varies from vehicle to vehicle as car makers use different touchscreen technology and varying approaches to meld CarPlay with their own in-car systems. Another problem is that it’s so far only coming to a few new vehicles by the end of this year including a pricey new FF from Ferrari, a new C-Class from Mercedes-Benz, and the XC90 SUV from Volvo. That certainly didn’t make owners of last year’s C-Class model happy, but the good news is we’ve confirmed that at least some car makers are planning to offer aftermarket installations for older vehicles.


We’ve confirmed that at least Mercedes-Benz is looking into aftermarket installations of CarPlay that will allow older models of vehicles to access the feature. The company confirmed that it is trying to get an “an after-market solution for previous cars” and hopes to have it on the market by the end of the year. While there is no info yet on how the aftermarket installation would work, we’d imagine it will be a dealer installed accessory for select older models like Honda and others already offer for Apple’s Siri Eyes Free feature.

This week was the first time car manufacturers— Mercedes, Volvo, and Ferrari to kick things off— showed the feature actually up and running in new vehicles and announced availability for later this year. Apple also confirmed in its announcement earlier this week that it’s also working with other car companies, including, BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota, but didn’t provide specific timeframe for announcements from those companies.

We reached out to Volvo and Ferrari about aftermarket installations but haven’t heard back yet.

I’d imagine it won’t be long before we also start seeing some DIY implementations using an iPad.

http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/06/merced...lder-vehicles/

bud.jones

Don't count on the iPad solution anytime soon, at least not as an officially-sanctioned solution from Apple. On one of the videos, the Apple representative stated that CarPlay is not for the iPad, but only the iPhone. The only two MB vehicles with CarPlay integration have that "chicklet" style COMAND screen. Why would you need two devices of roughly the same size in your car, especially when one doesn't need to be viewed? I think that's Apple's stance, as well.