Reports 9to5Mac:

According to people familiar with the plans, Apple is working with car makers on updated versions of car center consoles that could attach to iOS devices like the iPhone. Specifically, an iPhone could be plugged into a car and an optimized, redesigned version of Apple Maps will appear on the car’s built-in display instead of a proprietary GPS system found in many cars.

The Maps app on the dashboard — mirrored from the phone’s display — would then be controlled via voice with Siri, according to the report.

That Apple has bigger plans for the car beyond a hands-free assistant app is not surprising. The car will be an integral part of consumers’ connected, digital lives and Apple can’t sit that one out.

But the report is vague about how far along the company is with these plans. It mentions that the capability is based on iOS 7 — which is expected to be introduced at WWDC in June — but that “a public release could be potentially be far off.”

Considering how slow it’s been going for the Eyes Free feature, it could be a while for even fuller integration. It was at WWDC 2012, last June, that Apple announced that Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Honda, General Motors, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota were on board for Siri Eyes Free. To date, only General Motors has implemented the feature (two Chevy models) while Honda and Mercedes have announced plans.

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Honda called Siri Eyes Free an “in-vehicle tool that will help meet the connectivity and convenience needs of its customers in a responsible manner” in a press release. Siri’s Eyes Free mode is available to drivers who own an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 running iOS 6. It’s meant to let drivers interact with their iPhone while keeping their focus on the road. With Eyes Free drivers can make hands-free calls, send texts, listen to messages, make and find calendar appointments and select songs to play. Honda will integrate its Bluetooth HandsFree Link in-car software with Siri.

Apple first announced its intention to move its voice assistant software to connected cars in June 2012. Other brands said to be working on in-car Siri integration include Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota. Ford is a notable exception that will not be participating.

General Motors was the first to announce Siri-compatible cars last November: the 2013 Chevy Spark and 2013 Chevy Sonic, both of which are due to arrive this year.

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Notably, the automaker isn’t adding Apple’s service to any of its high-end models just yet, but these two smaller cars, which are aimed at buyers on a budget. But these two models will come with the newest version of Chevy’s MyLink connected car system, which may explain why these are the first two cars to support Siri integration.

If the future owners of those cars have an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 running iOS 6, they can connect their phone to the car’s infotainment system and interact with their phone through voice commands while on the road. There will also be a button in the steering wheel that will put Siri into “Eyes Free” mode. That’s intended to let Siri work as normal, but without lighting up the iPhone’s screen so the driver is more likely to keep their eyes on the road.

Eyes Free mode lets drivers use Siri to make hands-free calls, listen to, write and send texts, find and make calendar appointments, and call up songs to play. While in that mode Siri won’t give answers to complex questions if it requires the answer to be displayed on a webpage.

Apple first announced its intention to move its voice assistant software to connected cars in June. Other brands said to be working on in-car Siri integration include Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota. Ford is a notable exception that will not be participating.

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• Asymco looks at what may be driving Microsoft’s shift from being a software vendor to building integrated hardware devices with software — and how the company can possibly make a decent margin on them the way Apple has.
• A court in The Netherlands has ruled that the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2 infringe on a 3G patent owned by Samsung. Apple will be required to pay damages, but because it’s a FRAND patent, Samsung can’t get the devices banned in the country’s stores. (via The Verge)
• In a courtroom on a different continent, Apple will face off with Motorola today. Reuters has the background on what’s at stake. The two are in front of Judge Richard Posner, who has allowed one more injunction hearing after derailing a jury trial calling both sides’ various patent claims “ridiculous” earlier this month.
• CNET explains why Siri’s new “eyes free” feature may first come to two Chevy budget cars, the Spark and the Sonic.
• The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how using FaceTime over cellular could quickly eat up many customers’ wireless data plans.

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