Apple’s CarPlay solution might not look like much on the surface but as we explained shortly after its debut, CarPlay is a pretty huge deal for the auto industry. In a market overrun by terrible infotainment solutions, Apple’s CarPlay allows an iOS device to take over a vehicle’s stereo system and provide drivers with access to Siri, music, calling and plenty more. The bad news, of course, is that you’ll need a car with a compatible infotainment system in order to use CarPlay. As it turns out, however, users will be able to add Apple’s CarPlay product to just about any car beginning this fall.
According to a Nikkei report from this past weekend, Japan-based Alpine Electronics is planning to release an aftermarket car stereo system this fall that will include CarPlay support. The system will be installed in the console of a car, just as current aftermarket systems are now, and it will reportedly use a wired connection rather than Bluetooth to connect to Apple’s iOS devices.
The report notes that Alpine’s system will likely be the first aftermarket solution that is compatible with CarPlay, and it will become available sometime this fall in the U.S. and Europe for between $500 and $700.
