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CarPlay gets a big boost

CarPlay gets a big boost

Porsche's deep integration of Apple's in-car platform is a good sign.

Leander Kahney
July 12, 2023

After GM dumped CarPlay in future vehicles, one automaker is going in the opposite direction and offering even greater integration of Apple’s in-car platform.

Porsche is the first carmaker to offer vehicle controls inside a CarPlay app. The My Porsche app allows drivers to fiddle with audio, climate and lighting controls from within the CarPlay interface.

It’s a big and important development in the battle for auto interfaces. Will other carmakers follow suit and offer even greater vehicle integration?

Let’s hope so. I’m a recent CarPlay convert. And, like a majority of car buyers, I wouldn’t consider any car without CarPlay (see also yesterday’s poll results below). Let’s hope other automakers get on board.

Also: It’s day two of Prime Day, and we’ve updated our post with the very best Apple-related deals, including the lowest price ever on AirPods Max headphones. (One catch: They’re factory refurbished, but “pristine.”)

Also in today’s newsletter:

Several popular Apple TV+ shows are up for Emmy awards. Did your favorites get nominated?
Luna Display just got a big update that makes it better for using an iPad or Mac as a second display.
The Idris Elba thriller Hijack on Apple TV+ is total nonsense but entertaining anyway, and this week’s episode is another winner. But stay away from season two of The Afterparty: It’s a dud.
There’s a big debate in today’s setups post — are huge screens actually bad for you?

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Porsche's new app integration drives CarPlay forward

With the My Porsche app showing up in CarPlay to control audio, climate and lighting, we may soon see such integrations in other cars, too.

Best Prime Day deals on Apple gear and accessories [Updated]

The only thing we like more than Apple gear is a great deal on Apple gear. Here are the best Apple-oriented Prime Day deals of 2023.

Luna Display peer-to-peer connections make iPads even better Mac monitors

Luna Display’s ability to turn an iPad into a high-performance second screen for a Mac gets an upgrade with peer-to-peer networking.

^{A message from Momax}

More Momax Prime Day deals: Save on GaN travel adapter, magnetic charger with stand and more

Momax Prime Day deals include a compact GaN travel adapter, a magnetic portable charger with a stand, and other specialty Apple accessories.

Get started watching ‘Foundation’ with gorgeous first episode free on YouTube

Anyone curious about the big-budget sci-fi epic “Foundation” can now take in the very first episode … no Apple TV+ subscription required.

‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Shrinking’ and ‘Bad Sisters’ earn Emmy nominations for Apple TV+

The streaming service racks up dozens of nominations, with “Ted Lasso” getting no fewer than 21. Did your faves make the cut?

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Get Microsoft Office for Mac (and learn how to use the software) for just $29.97

If you don't own Microsoft Office for Mac, this is your best chance to get it at a great price. Plus, you'll also get thousands of dollars' worth of training on how to use the apps in the popular software suite.

New Apple Card customers get 10% Cash Back on App Store transactions

Apple's latest promo for new Apple Card customers gets them 10% Daily Cash on App Store and other Apple purchases.

The terrorists start to get nervous this week on ‘Hijack’ [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

High-flying Apple TV+ thriller "Hijack" deals with a new threat even as the last one is still being mopped up in the airplane's aisles.

This ‘Afterparty’ is officially over [Apple TV+ review] ★☆☆☆☆

Even great actors can't salvage this unfocused show that’s based on a tired gimmick. "The Afterparty" season two is a total misfire.

Today in Apple history: 'Antennagate' scandal hits its peak

On July 12, 2010, the iPhone 4 suffered a major blow when "Consumer Reports" said it couldn't recommend the new smartphone.

Can using a huge smart TV as a display harm you? [Setups]

Today's Mac Studio setup surfaces a debate over whether big smart TVs and ultra-wide monitors are ergonomically safe.

Tweetz o’ the day

Prototype Apple AirPower for ¥88 (approximately $13 USD) on the Chinese marketplace. The seller appears to not have known what they had, listing the AirPower in a way that implies only the microprocessors had value. #appleinternal
— Apple Demo (@AppleDemoYT)
12:06 AM • Jul 12, 2023

Midnight Mac Wallpapers 🌚
An exploration into the solitude of working late into the night.
basicappleguy.com/haberdashery/m…
— Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy)
2:19 PM • Jul 12, 2023

Apple’s official Park #Wallpapers for iPhone Part 1 of 4
(Rest can be found in this thread - no not that thread…this thread 😅)
RT to help others access them 🫶
— AppleTLDR (@AppleTLDR)
4:11 PM • Jul 11, 2023

Happy #PortfolioDay
Hello, my name is Dmitry, and I am Principle Software Designer and Creative Art Director.
And I do a lot.
— Dmitry Novikov (@novikoff)
7:54 PM • Jul 11, 2023

One more thing ...

❝

We didn’t know much about each other twenty years ago. We were guided by our intuition; you swept me off my feet. It was snowing when we got married at the Ahwahnee. Years passed, kids came, good times, hard times, but never bad times. Our love and respect has endured and grown. We’ve been through so much together and here we are right back where we started 20 years ago — older, wiser — with wrinkles on our faces and hearts. We now know many of life’s joys, sufferings, secrets and wonders and we’re still here together. My feet have never returned to the ground.

— Steve Jobs’ note to his wife on their 20th wedding anniversary, 2011.

Today’s poll

Did you buy anything on Prime Day?

Results from yesterday’s poll: Do you use Apple CarPlay?

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