Toyota: Apple CarPlay, yes. When? Not saying, actually

For a little while on Wednesday, it looked like we had a date for when Toyota would start offering Apple's new CarPlay smartphone integration for iOS devices.

Then early Thursday, the automaker shifted from drive to neutral, with this brief note on itsofficial Toyota UK blog :

 UPDATE 13/3/14: A previous version of this article said Apple CarPlay would be in Toyota cars from 2015. This is incorrect and we are happy to put the matter straight. No announcements have been made about if and when Apple CarPlay will arrive in Toyota cars.

The headline on the blog post does suggest a certain amount of enthusiasm for the new iPhone-related technology -- "Apple CarPlay: Toyota joins in-car iOS project" -- but the subhead takes a more tentative, standoffish tone: "Apple's CarPlay software could bring the iPhone experience to future Toyota models." (Emphasis added.)

So it's going to be a while before your Corolla can become the biggest iPhone accessory that you own. A single model year certainly would have been a fairly quick adoption in the glacial world of automotive update cycles. (Remember, it took over a decade for USB ports and Bluetooth to reach their current levels of ubiquity as audio sources.)On Wednesday, the blog entry had given a more definitive sense of timing, stating that "come 2015" we'll be seeing the technology in Toyota dashboards.

We've known since the announcement of CarPlay that Toyota was a "committed partner" and would eventually be bringing the technology to future models in its line. We knew this because it said so right there at the bottom of Apple's Web site.

And we're still left to wonder which Toyota models will be the first to get CarPlay compatibility, how the CarPlay technology might coexist with the automaker's Entune app connectivity suite, or if (or, more precisely, when) we'll see any bleed-over into the automaker's Lexus luxury marquee.

Editors' note: This story was originally posted March 12 at 5:22 p.m. PT with Toyota's original statement of AirPlay adoption being on track for 2015. It has been recast with Toyota's subsequent statement that it has made no commitment on when AirPlay might land in its cars

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Apple's 'iOS in the Car' technology to roll out next

Apple's "iOS in the Car" operating system, which would let drivers access various iPhone functions through a car's built-in screen, is set to head out of the garage next week, says a report.

Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo are the automakers on board for the launch, says the Financial Times, which cited unnamed sources in reporting that the official announcement will take place at the Geneva Motor Show. The FT said neither Apple nor the carmakers would comment.

Beyond smartphones, "the bigger opportunity for Apple and its ecosystem is becoming essential not just for people texting, checking news, watching movies, and playing games, but for massive growth areas such as transportation, home automation, and health care," CNET's Dan Farber noted last week, following a report that Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions had met with Elon Musk, CEO of electric-car maker Tesla, in 2013.Apple talked up iOS in the Car at its Worldwide Developers Conference last year, with VP Eddy Cue -- a Ferrari board member -- showing a mock-up of a car's LCD with Apple menu buttons for maps, phone, music, and messaging. Cue said the functions could be accessible via Siri as well. Many cars already include integration with iOS music functions. Cue said Chevrolet, Ferrari, Honda, Jaguar, Mercedes, Nissan, Volvo and others would be introducing iOS integration this year.

Apple's rivals are also aware of those opportunities. The Wall Street Journal reported in December that Google had teamed up with Audi to develop in-car entertainment and information systems based on its Android OS. And, of course, on the home automation front, Google is set to buy Nest for $3.2 billion.