Google to reveal in-car operating system. Should Apple be worried?
It was only a matter of time: Following the launch of Apple's CarPlay in-car operating system at this year's Geneva Motor Show, Google is set to reveal its own automotive operating system. Known internally as Google Auto Link, the company will reveal its system at a software developer聽聽this month.
础蝉听聽(subscription required) reports, Auto Link is the first product developed in conjunction with the Open Automotive Alliance, a group of companies including聽Audi, General Motors Company [NYSE:GM], Honda,聽Hyundai, chipmaker NVIDIA Corp and Google itself. Just like CarPlay, it's not an "embedded" system but a "projected" one鈥攁n operating system that uses a driver's own smartphone operating system. In this case, that's Google's Android聽OS, available on a multitude of hand-held devices.
The interface hasn't yet been revealed, nor has any announcement been made as to which automaker will use the system first. When the Open Automotive Alliance was formed, the group said it would bring Android to cars "starting in 2014". By contrast, Apple's system was聽聽in conjunction with Volvo, whose new touchscreen infotainment system聽will聽feature CarPlay in the聽. Other automakers set to use CarPlay include Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.
Apple's CarPlay interface closely resembles that familiar to iPhone and iPad users, and handles several in-car functions鈥攁s well as letting users bring up certain smartphone apps in their vehicles.聽Google itself is familiar to many drivers from existing interfaces. Audi uses Google Earth satellite images for its GPS maps, while some Hyundai drivers can use a built-in Google search engine and voice commands to find nearby destinations.
In addition to Auto Link, Google is also making noise regarding new Android platform features which, in Google's own words, "enable the car itself to become a connected Android device". More details of this are expected soon.
