Hands On With Apple’s CarPlay In The Ferrari FF

Yeah, that looks neat. The system's response time is pretty snappy, very much keeping up with the human response time.

As for backward compatibility with older FFs or other older Fcars, that onus probably falls on QNX (Blackberry), Apple and potential hardware manufacturers for retrofits. Ferrari is not really in the business of selling infotainment retrofits so someone else will probably have to jump in. I imagine older FFs should potentially work with CarPlay unless the new head unit needs more room than is available in the older cars.

 

There are other factors to as I'm not sure how CarPlay manage:
- Feeding the car GPS signal to the phone
- Should in theory provide external mobile antenna to the phone too (not sure about that one).

If Car Play rely on iPhone GPS antenna performance would potentially be disastrous in build up area.

There is no CarPlay architecture document available AFAIK. It could use a design similar to Remote SIM access and all the communications handled by the car unit but I wouldn't hold my breath, it's a first generation product and might be limited to just being an external display :-(

 

CarPlay uses an external GPS antenna.

 

I believe CarPlay makes the built-in infotainment essentially just a screen... all the snappiness is due to the speed of the iPhone 5/5c/5s. That's good news!

 

And any latency with the connection.

 

I live in the US, and I've been using my Android (Galaxy S4) GPS exclusively for a long time now. I have no significant problems with GPS signal except where you'd expect it (inside a tunnel). I do plenty of driving in the most built-up urban areas imaginable. It's been great because the apps available for Android phones just kick the stuffing out of any car-integrated NAV system I've seen. Not only do they provide real-time traffic but some of them are social now, with drivers reporting specific conditions (e.g. cops, details on traffic).

 

Hi,

But that means having the mobile in a "good" position (like an holder on the dashboard), not hidden in the glove box for example.

 

So lets get this right carplay is reliant on a cellular signal?...if that's the case makes it pretty useless in a lot of countryside in Yorkshire!..Don't even get a good DAB signal in many places round here
I don't think the thing looks particularly good, interfaces looks a bit 'childish' for want of a better expression.
Would swap the whole infotainment thing in the FF for my BMW 5 series system & bang & olufsen sound,dont see anything here that gets near changing that

 

If carplay gets really stupid and uses the cellular system that would be somewhat bad as maps need to be on board. However there is a nav app called NAVIGON that maintains the maps in the phone so there is no network connection necessary. I regularly drive through central Ohio where AT&T is dead and Navigon works well there, of course so does the maps in my current Ferraris without carplay.

http://www.navigon.com/portal/us/produkte/navigationssoftware/index.html

Rick

 

It seems to me Carplay itself isn't reliant on the cellular signal. The relevant question is what does the nav app rely on.

I think Carplay and whatever systems are available for competing smart phones are the future because there are features these phones allow us to use which the vehicle manufacturers can't even imagine.

I also agree that the other manufacturers are way ahead of Ferrari in terms of infotainment. To me thats one issue with the FF, which is intended as a daily car, it has something in between 1-2 generations ago infotainment.

 

Yes certainly agree on that one c11, as much as I do love the ff, it bugs me that ferrari cannot pair up with a decent infotainment company.. The ff is a luxury everyday tourer yet one must put up with a massive generation gap on the creature comforts

 

I'm now having done 12,000 miles in my FF and having never had reasonable radio reception linked to Nav that is mostly lost considering my next car?

FF would be the choice if the latest info system + carplay is up to speed? however as stated earlier Ferrari seem hopeless at providing the luxury GT basics.

It's good it drives so well especially when lost!!!

 

Yep I think Ferrari need to sort it out, on a 458 , or an 'occaisonal' use car, ok hifi etc not an issue, if you are going to market a £250k+ car as a grand tourer, everyday use, then It really is not on putting infotainment systems from generations ago in them. This will push people to the S mercs & the like for day to day touring.
Why can they not pair up with Bang & Olufsen or Bowes & Wilkinson etc....? madness

 

it is possible to get one and make it work in a 2104 FF with Chrysler radio ?

 

Did anyone ever find out if Apple Carplay could be retrofitted into FF?

 

Just asked when I purchased mine 2 weeks ago (2012) and it can't be retrofitted.

 

OK, Many thanks!