Apple unveil major vehicle update to help drivers on roads - 'It's the best of iPhone and your car together'

During the Apple event in Cupertino, California, viewers were treated to a glimpse into the new iOS 18 functions and how AI would make a huge impact on the functioning of iPhones, iPads, Macbooks and even cars.

For many years, Apple CarPlay has been a way to allow vehicles to play music, show maps and read out text messages via its Siri function.

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However, Apple has revolutionised the process of using CarPlay by integrating AI technology with Siri, allowing drivers to interact with it without taking their eyes off the road or touching their phones.

This will be especially useful for drivers who often use Apple or Google Maps when on the road, with Siri able to read out live updates to traffic and the live estimated time of arrival.

Ben Crick, Human Interface Designer at Apple, explained how the development of CarPlay would help motorists behind the wheel and when on the road.

He said: "It’s the best of iPhone and the best of your car together in a unified, consistent experience across all of the driver’s displays.

"One that’s familiar where it matters, yet new, beautiful, and unique to your vehicle.

"Unique to your brand, totally at home in your vehicle, with all the benefits of expanded features, deep integration, and familiar interaction patterns."

Apple has also pledged to end the scourge of car sickness for passengers with a new Vehicle Motion Cues feature.

It will work by using animated dots on the edges of the screen that represent changes in vehicle motion to help reduce sensory conflict.

Apple has not yet released a date for when the new CarPlay features will be available, although many experts have suggested it will come in the coming months.

Other features will allow people in the car to change the vehicle settings, including air conditioning and control the windows.

Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities analyst, said the AI announcement was a "pivotal moment" for the future of the company.

He said: "Apple is taking the right path to implement AI across its ecosystem while laying out the foundation for the company's multi-year AI strategy across the strongest installed base of 2.2 billion iOS devices over the coming years."

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Apple's AI investment comes as Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk embarked on a tirade, attacking OpenAI's ChatGPT functions, as well as vowing to ban Tesla employees from using Apple products.