Apple Launches the MapKit for Automotive SDK, First With Ford

Apple Newsroom:

Apple and Ford today announced that Apple Maps will be integrated directly into Ford’s upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Platform through Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK. Coming to Ford’s UEV Platform in 2027, this integration will deliver a beautiful and easy-to-use navigation experience powered by Apple Maps directly to the vehicle’s displays. Road-level Maps information will also enable Ford’s Latitude AI team to build a seamless hands-free driving experience.

Leveraging Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK, Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle Platform will offer drivers turn-by-turn directions using natural language, real-time traffic and incident information, intuitive search featuring detailed place cards, and routing options to help users easily find the best route to their destination. Additionally, Ford UEV drivers will benefit from an intelligent EV routing functionality, including battery preconditioning. Ford will also use road-level information from Apple Maps as part of the development of its next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving capability to deliver a more seamless on-ramp-to-off-ramp experience.

Apple services have historically been sold as complements to Apple hardware: Apple Maps, for a decade, had been limited to Apple devices, replacing Google Maps. That is no longer the case; Apple TV is a canonical example of Apple’s interest in broadening the Apple services market. Similarly, this new MapKit SDK — short for software development kit — is an intentional expansion of Apple’s services market following the abject failure of CarPlay Ultra, a version of CarPlay meant to consume the entire car software experience. Even CarPlay’s most fervent supporters, like BMW and Ford, haven’t adopted CarPlay Ultra because it exerts too much control over a driver’s experience. The CarPlay Ultra gambit was clearly an effort to make something out of the Apple Car project, also a failure.

Ultimately, I think the CarPl…