iPhone fans will not have to buy a new car to get in on the CarPlay fun if a report from a Japanese business newspaper is correct. Alpine is reportedly planning on releasing an aftermarket stereo sporting CarPlay this Fall.
According to MacRumors, Clarion is also working on a CarPlay-enabled headunit and will eventually support CarPlay in both its aftermarket and OEM products.
Nikkei reports that Alpine is aiming to be the first to market with an aftermarket CarPlay receiver. It will hit the U.S. and Europe later this year at a cost of $500 to $700 (plus installation).
Apple announced its in-vehicle iOs platform earlier this year with several key automotive partners including Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari. But at CarPlay’s announcement, talk circled around integrated platforms found in new vehicles — not solutions for fans wishing to add the platform to their current vehicles.
The aftermarket stereo market has taken a hit lately due to the deeply integrated platforms currently found in most autos. Where it used to be a trivial task to swap out a stereo for an Alpine headunit, the latest models of the most mundane grocery-getter now has a stereo not designed to be swapped out. Still, there are a whole lot of slightly older vehicles on the road that can take advantage of the safety provided by a system like CarPlay.