Why Apple Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Turn a Car Dashboard into an iPhone
Siri, can you distract me more?
Apple’s attempt to deter drivers from using handheld cell phones by having an entire dashboard mirror their iPhone’s display is prompting a conversation about why regulators aren’t taking action on “infotainment” systems that induce the very dangerous driving that manufacturers claim will do the opposite.
As part of its annual Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday, Apple previewed an update to its controversial “CarPlay” function that will essentially broadcast much of a motorists’ iPhone onto the car’s cockpit, in addition to the center entertainment touch screen already on many cars.
The feature will display a range of iPhone widgets directly alongside the speedometer and other traditional dashboard instruments, all in one integrated operating system that drivers can customize for maximum distraction. Calendar notifications, turn-by-turn directions, Apple Music, real-time information about the weather, local UV indexes, and an array of other apps will surround drivers at all times, constantly tempting them to take their eyes off the road to read backlit blurbs of text rather than using CarPlay’s less-convenient speech-to-text functions.
Apple also added that eventually, CarPlay’s visual features may even be projected onto the windshield itself via the car’s “heads up” display, possibly distracting motorists even more.
Marx says the popularity of infotainment systems is symptomatic of America’s larger tendency to look to technology to solve urgent transportation problems, without stopping to confirm that it actually works first.
“Whether AVs’ potential to end car crashes, or ride hail to end traffic jams, or infotainment systems to end distracted driving, technology companies have made a lot of big promises, but they haven’t been able to follow through,” they added. “That’s because we’ve ignored the real, structural problems of orienting our transportation system around theautomobile.”
To actually end distracted driving, Marx says we may need to reduce app-based solutions, and focus on older technologies that actually save lives — like the bicycle, the bus, and well-designed sidewalks and roads.
“If we’re thinking about what’s really going to make transportation better, it’s not going to be about putting more services at our fingertips when we’re driving around,” they said. “It’s about tackling those political, thorny issues that started these problems in the first place. It’s about looking at the car itself, and asking ourselves whether car dependency is good for us. And then, it’s about investing in alternatives, like transit, cycling, and even ebikes — rather than hoping that Elon Musk, Uber, or Apple will save us.”
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