At WWDC 2, Apple Confirms To Enter Deeper Into The Automotive Industry

JAKARTA - Apple Inc on Monday, June 6 announced that it will further integrate its software into the car's core drive systems. This confirms Apple's attitude that it will continue to explore the business in the increasingly promising automotive sector. Apple announced this at WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) 2022, its annual software developer conference.

The Cupertino US tech company is also showing off a new car dashboard which is said to be able to display data from key instruments such as speed, fuel level and mileage. Apple said it was in talks with automakers such as Ford Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Corp.

The software links deeper into the core drive system than previous versions were limited to the vehicle's infotainment display for playing music and displaying maps. Apple said vehicles using the software won't be announced until late next year.

Polestar, the maker of premium electric vehicles owned by Geely China and Volvo Cars, has also installed the current version of Apple CarPlay into Polestar 2 cars via an over-the-air update later this month. It's just that Polestar spokesman, JP Canton, still doesn't want to explain which Polestar car will get the newer version that Apple announced last Monday.

Reported by Reuters, a spokesman for Ford, which announced a software deal with Alphabet's Google last year, declined to comment on Apple's announcement. Ford and other automakers have formed a number of alliances with major tech industry companies including Apple, Google and Amazon.com.

But the automaker remains vigilant to allow the tech giant to access the data generated by connected cars, or to allow them to replace the automaker's brand with their own in dashboard displays.

On the other hand, the iPhone maker from the United States has also launched many features for payments and business collaboration.

At WWDC 2 Apple also announced that its new MacBook Air laptop was redesigned with a new M2 silicon processor, which is said to be 35% faster than the previous M1 chip.

The new laptop will weigh 2.7 pounds (1.2 kg) and have a 1080p high-definition camera to provide better images during video calls. The MacBook Air will start at $1.199.

The M2 chip will also power the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which will start at $1.299 and be available next month. Prices are $100 lower for college and university customers as Apple targets the back-to-school market.

Apple also announced that users can buy now and pay later for those purchases. Apple Pay Later will be available wherever Apple Pay is received and managed through Apple Wallet.

Users can make the same four payments without interest or fees. The move puts Apple in a competition for direction with payment providers such as Affirm Holdings Inc and PayPal Holdings Inc.

Meanwhile, Apple's iPad is also receiving an overhaul of its operating system to make it easier for users to handle multiple apps and displays and collaborate more easily on business-focused documents such as presentations.

Apple is also previewing an app called Freeform, which will act as a virtual whiteboard that multiple users can touch to share ideas during video meetings via Apple's FaceTime service. This productivity feature puts Apple in more direct competition with Microsoft, whose Surface tablet computers are popular with business users.

Apple also added an edit button to iMessage for sent messages. This beats the edit feature of Twitter that its users have been asking for for a long time.

The tech giant also added a tool called "Security Checks" to turn off access to sensitive information for people in abusive situations.

Apple introduced a new technology called Passkeys to replace passwords on websites. Apple says Passkeys are more secure than traditional passwords because Passkeys are never stored on a web server. The company says it's working on enabling the use of Passkeys with non-Apple devices.

Apple also introduced tweaks to popular apps including live sports scores on Apple TV, making the shared video watching app available in messaging and the shared tab in its browser. Apple shares closed up less than 1%, similar to their levels at the start of the presentation.

So far, Apple has only provided a few updates to augmented reality developers. It introduces a new interface called RoomPlan, which uses iPhone and iPad to create a 3-D floor plan of a room.

Apple didn't give any hints about future devices such as mixed reality headsets. Such a device would be Apple's first entry into the new computing device category since the Apple Watch shipped in 2015 and will compete head-on with Meta Platform Inc., which has revealed plans for a mixed reality headset codenamed "Cambria" to be released this year.