Details about Apple's CarPlay system are gradually trickling out following its highly anticipated debut on Monday.
Apple and the automakers have released plenty of details, but nothing beats a firsthand look at how the system actually works.
See also: Apple Announces CarPlay Infotainment System
Apple's initial partners — Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari — have all released demonstration videos of the system in action, and the footage is revealing.
By far the slickest and most Apple-esque of the demo videos is Volvo's (see above), in a brief spot laden with visual effects and accompanied by the kind of inspirational music usually heard in an iPhone commercial. There's not much operational information in this video, but the sheer beauty of the system, as enhanced by Volvo's video wizardry, will probably be enough to stir wide interest in CarPlay on a mainstream level.
On the other side of the spectrum, Mercedes-Benz takes a very deep dive into CarPlay's system during a seven-minute pre-recorded demonstration that mostly focuses on the voice control features of the system. Here we truly get to see how Siri can be utilized within the CarPlay system to send and receive messages, as well as navigate maps.

This video is also the first time we get to see a user go through the process of plugging the iPhone into the CarPlay system via lightning cable. But the real surprise in the Mercedes video is introduction of a mouse-like device situated next to the driver's leg.
The circular mechanism can be turned like a dial and clicked like a mouse, and buttons sit to the left and right of it. The specifics of how the buttons and click wheel work have yet to be revealed, but the tool is an attractive and practical touch that will likely be a boon for drivers who still haven't made the leap into touchscreen interfaces.

Ferrari takes a different approach by actually showing off how CarPlay operates, right from the showroom floor of the International Geneva Motor Show. In some ways, this is the most useful video we've seen, as it shows how CarPlay works outside of a controlled environment, giving the viewer a realistic sense of just how responsive CarPlay is in the wild.
Based on the video, CarPlay's touchscreen functions are just as snappy as the iPhone, which should make the context transition from mobile device to dashboard that much easier for longtime iOS users.
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