When announcing iOS 7 last year, Apple previewed an upcoming featured called iOS in the Car that will allow automotive manufacturers to integrate iOS-powered mobile devices into the media centers in their cars. The feature was noted as “coming in 2014” and no more was said about it until just recently when developers managed to get the system working on the iPhone Simulator.
Now, the Financial Times reports that three automotive companies are preparing to show off their first new vehicles equipped with the technology. This doesn’t necessarily mean that iOS 7.1—the update that will enable the feature on the iPhone and iPad—is coming next week.
While the update has been in beta for several months and could be released to the public next week, it’s also possible that the auto makers’ announcements will simply be a preview of things to come, with the software continuing to be developed on Apple’s end until a later release.
