The company is looking to add functions that would allow one
to control climate-control system, speedometer, radio and seats using their
iPhones, Bloomberg quoted sources.
The agency report added that the project called ‘IronHeart’
internally, is still in its early stages and would be successful with
cooperation from automakers.
To get into the details of what all would be offered new via
the Apple Carplay functionality, the report stated that drivers will be able to
control inside and outside temperature and humidity readings, temperature
zones, fans and the defroster systems, settings for adjusting surround-sound
speakers, equalizers, tweeters, subwoofers, control seats and armrests, the speedometer,
tachometer and fuel instrument clusters.
Apple could eventually allow access to controls and
instruments spanning nearly the entire car via the CarPlay interface.
In future, the data gained could also could be used by Apple
or third parties to create new kinds of apps or add features to existing
functions to enhance customer experience.
Apple CarPlay is a part of more than 600 car models
worldwide and through its IronHeart project, the company is making its
strongest push into cars since the CarPlay was released in 2014.
However, the report stated that automakers could be
reluctant in sharing the control of key features inside vehicles with Apple.
Car manufacturers such as Tesla have completely disregarded the efforts of
Apple and Google and have chosen to build their own infotainment ecosystems.
While Apple's plans for its own autonomous and electric car
has faced several setbacks, and is still far away from reality, the company is
continuing to make inroads into the auto industry with its CarPlay system.