Not Just The iPhone: DOJ Is Angry With Apple's Plan To Dominate With CarPlay Too — Here's Why

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges in its lawsuit against tech giant Apple Inc AAPL that the company is employing its phone mirroring service CarPlay to dominate the automotive industry in addition to the smartphone market.

What Happened: Infotainment systems are now key in newer vehicles, the DOJ noted, while adding that Apple is now using CarPlay and forcing users to experience driving as an “iPhone-centric experience” if they are to use the features provided by CarPlay. Apple CarPlay enables a car’s central screen to mirror the iPhone and use the iPhone to control maps and entertainment in the car.

The next generation of CarPlay is expected to take over the vehicle’s screens, sensors, and gauges, allowing it to display key vehicle aspects.

“By applying the same playbook of restrictions to CarPlay, Apple further locks in the power of the iPhone by
preventing the development of other disintermediating technologies that interoperate with the
phone but reside off the device,” the lawsuit said.

Why It Matters: Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst at Guidehouse Insights and an expert on vehicle software, deems these allegations from the DOJ to be “misleading.” He told The Verge that carmakers necessarily do not have to let Apple take over all its screens as they still develop a basic software interface for users who don’t have an iPhone or smartphone.

Several automakers including Ford offer both CarPlay and its Alphabet Inc-owned counterpart Android Auto on their vehicles. However, players like Rivian, Tesla, and GM prefer to employ their own infotainment systems than utilize third-party systems from either Apple or Google

More About The Lawsuit: The DOJ’s lawsuit against Apple alleges that the tech giant violated antitrust laws by restricting competitors' access to iPhone hardware and software features.

However, Apple said in a statement to Benzinga that it will defend against the lawsuit.

"We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it,” Apple said. "This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect.”

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

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