Many automakers, including General Motors, Volvo, and others, partner with Google to deliver Android-based infotainment systems, but Ford is taking a different approach. The company recently announced a partnership with Apple to use the tech giant’s MapKit for Automotive. The move will enable clever new mapping features and other upgrades to Ford’s SYNC infotainment interface.
Before going too far, it’s important to note that the Ford-Apple tie-up will not bring as deep an integration to the vehicles as Google’s Android Automotive, which runs the entire interface. The MapKit software gives Ford more flexibility in navigation displays, and it will help improve Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise driving system.
A New Era of Partnerships
Apple was on the path toward building its own vehicle, but that plan was scuttled in early 2024. In the time since, the company has beefed up its Apple CarPlay software, releasing CarPlay Ultra, which takes over the entire digital display system, including the gauge cluster. Ford announced that it would eventually offer the system, but it isn’t part of this partnership.
This announcement is the latest in a long line of partnerships between the tech and automotive industries. BMW works with Amazon to deliver generative AI features in the iX3, and Hyundai/Kia relies on Nvidia’s hardware to power advanced driver-assistance features. The moves represent a significant shift in the two industries’ relationship, as it was a far more uneasy coexistence just a few years back.
Executives feared that companies like Apple and Google would overtake their technology systems, controlling the in-vehicle experience. While that might be true for systems like Apple CarPlay Ultra, both industries have considerably warmed to the idea of working together. The good news for Ford owners, at least for now, is that this new mapping partnership leaves the automaker in control of the design and implementation of new features.
