Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) doesn’t have anything to say about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s CarPlay, reports Apple Insider. Many find this interesting since Tesla CEO Elon Musk did confirm that he met with Apple about a year ago. Both parties have declined to say what was discussed at that meeting, however.
But keep in mind that just because Tesla and Apple met to talk about something, it doesn’t mean that they came to an agreement on whatever they were talking about.
Apple lists CarPlay partners
Most of the major automakers are indeed on the list of those supporting Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s CarPlay. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) (TYO:7203) and General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’ Chevrolet are on the list. Also Honda, Hyndai, Subaru, Nissan and even high-end automakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari are on the list. So why isn’t Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) going to the party?
A spokesperson for Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) told Apple Insider that they are “not commenting on Apple’s CarPlay at this time.” This is interesting not only because of last year’s meeting between the automaker and the technology giant, but also because Tesla tends to be pretty open about what it will do next.
Will Tesla side with Android?
[drizzle]Of course it’s always possible that Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) will side with Android rather than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in terms of connectivity for its cars. Musk has expressed his desire to see Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Chrome browser and also an Android app emulated in their custom in-car operating system. And there’s no denying that while Apple is very much in the game in terms of smartphone popularity, Android has a stranglehold on the world, making it a more global choice than Apple in terms of in-car connectivity.
According to Apple Insider, there is also the possibility that technical issues could be a problem. The site notes that QNX, a vendor of embedded software, is believed to be the company providing middleware for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s CarPlay. Apparently QNX “doesn’t have a position in Tesla’s software stack.”
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) isn’t the only high-end brand that is conspicuously missing from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s list of CarPlay partners. Fiat also isn’t there.
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