Photo: Aston Martin
Carmakers are slowly but surely picking their side in the battle for infotainment control. General Motors hoped it'd start a revolution when it dropped Android Auto and CarPlay for Android Automotive, but not everybody agrees with this strategy.
Ferrari recently decided to hand over the keys to its infotainment systems to Google and Apple, and now Aston Martin follows in its footsteps with a similar message.
Aston Martin, which is one of the first two carmakers to adopt the new-generation CarPlay experience (alongside Porsche), recently admitted that going for an all-screen experience powered by an in-house infotainment system is not what its customers expect when buying a new car.
On the one hand, offering larger screens that replace buttons is not the right approach for Aston Martin, Alex Long, Aston Martin's head of product and market strategy, has recently been quoted as saying in an interview. Not everybody wants to take their eyes off the road and look at a gigantic screen to find a digital button for something as simple as adjusting the temperature in the cabin.
As a result, Aston Martin will just stick with buttons for the most essential control, not only because it wants to go for an analog cabin but because it makes sense and it's easier for drivers interested in the driving experience to reach them. Aston Martin cars are built with performance in mind, so drivers want to look at the road, not at a screen, Long explained.
On the other hand, despite the trend some carmakers try to dictate, Aston Martin won't give up on phone mirroring. Everybody has a phone in their pockets, and investing in an in-house infotainment system doesn't make sense, considering the companies that offer phone projection systems invest billions of dollars to get them right. Long compared Android Auto and CarPlay with tires, explaining that Aston Martin doesn't start building its own tires. The company gets its tires from companies that are expert at building high-quality tires, so it chooses to buy products already excelling at their purpose.
The same thing for Android Auto and CarPlay, so Aston Martin doesn't see a reason to spend billions on an in-house infotainment system when these two alternatives already offer an advanced experience powered by a mobile device.
Ironically, Aston Martin will pioneer the new-generation CarPlay, a system built specifically to use the entire screen estate in the cabin. CarPlay will run not just on the infotainment screen but also on the passenger display and the instrument cluster. However, the new CarPlay will support heavy customization, so carmakers can pick the right approach for their cars, including limiting the experience only to certain displays.
The first car with the new-generation CarPlay should be announced by Aston Martin later this year.
Aston Martin, which is one of the first two carmakers to adopt the new-generation CarPlay experience (alongside Porsche), recently admitted that going for an all-screen experience powered by an in-house infotainment system is not what its customers expect when buying a new car.
On the one hand, offering larger screens that replace buttons is not the right approach for Aston Martin, Alex Long, Aston Martin's head of product and market strategy, has recently been quoted as saying in an interview. Not everybody wants to take their eyes off the road and look at a gigantic screen to find a digital button for something as simple as adjusting the temperature in the cabin.
As a result, Aston Martin will just stick with buttons for the most essential control, not only because it wants to go for an analog cabin but because it makes sense and it's easier for drivers interested in the driving experience to reach them. Aston Martin cars are built with performance in mind, so drivers want to look at the road, not at a screen, Long explained.
On the other hand, despite the trend some carmakers try to dictate, Aston Martin won't give up on phone mirroring. Everybody has a phone in their pockets, and investing in an in-house infotainment system doesn't make sense, considering the companies that offer phone projection systems invest billions of dollars to get them right. Long compared Android Auto and CarPlay with tires, explaining that Aston Martin doesn't start building its own tires. The company gets its tires from companies that are expert at building high-quality tires, so it chooses to buy products already excelling at their purpose.
The same thing for Android Auto and CarPlay, so Aston Martin doesn't see a reason to spend billions on an in-house infotainment system when these two alternatives already offer an advanced experience powered by a mobile device.
Ironically, Aston Martin will pioneer the new-generation CarPlay, a system built specifically to use the entire screen estate in the cabin. CarPlay will run not just on the infotainment screen but also on the passenger display and the instrument cluster. However, the new CarPlay will support heavy customization, so carmakers can pick the right approach for their cars, including limiting the experience only to certain displays.
The first car with the new-generation CarPlay should be announced by Aston Martin later this year.
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