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Richard Devine
Beyond the fancy OEM installs of CarPlay we saw at the Geneva Motor Show, rumblings of aftermarket solutions continue with word of a possible Alpine unit this fall. According to Nikkei what we'll be seeing is the first commercially available aftermarket CarPlay unit in the U.S. and Europe:
While a slew of carmakers will soon start offering vehicles that come standard with a CarPlay interface built in, the Japanese company's device is to be the first aftermarket product compatible with the system. It will first be available in the U.S. and Europe and likely cost around $500 to $700.
The unit will then apparently go on sale in Alpine's native Japan 'as soon as 2015.'
Car makers like Ferrari and Mercedes getting onboard is awesome and all, but most of us can't afford a new Ferrari or Mercedes on a whim, especially just to get CarPlay. However, $500 to $700 – while still a lot of money – is a much more feasible option for a lot more people. Alpine has been making quality car stereo equipment for many a year now – I've owned a few myself over the years – so we're looking forward to hearing more about this.
Source: Nikkei
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