Maybe we will only need to do one thing in the future-optimistic about our mobile phones.
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “ autocarweekly ” (ID: autocarweekly) , of: a block Tang
Yesterday, Apple released the first beta version of iOS 13.4, which includes the CarKey API.
Following many domestic Android manufacturers such as Huawei Xiaomi, Apple, the big brother in the smartphone industry, also wants to kill the car keys.
This also means that we have taken another step towards going out with only one mobile phone.
Now, a mobile phone can be an access card, transportation card, bank card, or even an ID card. You do n’t need to bring a wallet and a long bunch of keys when you go out. All we need is a mobile phone and at most a charging bank.
However, the car keys have different opinions. Even if keyless entry is configured, the owner has to bring the keys honestly. Even if the car key is compressed into a card, sorry, you have to bring it. Car keys, as the last hope of the key industry, have always been very strong.
But this time is different, because this time is Apple.
However, many people react first. Is this reliable? Hundreds of thousands of objects, a small mobile phone drove me away, who to talk to. Don’t worry about it, it’s very reliable!
01
Smart phones use NFC technology for convenient functions such as payment and access control cards.
NFC can be referred to as short-range communication. The NFCIP-1 standard stipulates that the communication distance of NFC is within 10 cm. In real life, this distance is even closer. Unless the receiving terminal of NFC is forged, the general method is difficult to steal personal information.
Also, for some technical reasons,The NFC receiver in the car can provide enough power for communication to the NFC terminal on the mobile phone. Even if your phone is dead, you can still drive the door.
At this point, using a cell phone as a car key is a natural fit.
And mobile phone manufacturers have accumulated enough experience in NFC, especially Apple, such as Apple Pay. The bank card information we entered into the iPhone will generate a virtual account number through the encryption method and store it in the security chip of the phone. This part of information cannot be accessed by third-party applications.
And Apple has packaged a coprocessor called Secure Enclave in the chip.
This processor will agree with Touch ID and Face ID for a secret code that only they know, so as to ensure the independence of fingerprint recognition or facial recognition, thereby ensuring payment security. The iPhone itself has a high level of security, both in hardware and software.
Second, Apple’s image in security is really good. Many of the smart phone security revolutions are led by Apple, such as the first introduction of payment-grade Touch ID and Face ID technologies. Including closed iOS system, various fancy system verification methods.
In the minds of ordinary consumers, iOS is more secure than Android.
Whether it is correct or not, the result is that Apple has occupied the safe supremacy in public opinion. And this perfect combination of actual performance and public image can convince Apple users to give Apple the safety of high-value products like cars.
Apple is ready for everything, but it owes only Dongfeng. This shareholder’s wind depends on the traditional manufacturers to blow, but also has to blow well.
02
Traditional manufacturers are currently divided into two schools:
One faction is willing to board the big ship of Apple, but also pays attention to some Android manufacturers, it can be said to be the act of pedaling two boats.
The problem with Android at the moment is that everyone is called Android, but they are all different. There are some differences between Chinese and Android outside of China. What’s more important is that this group of Android vendors does not have a speaker, which leads to everyone not having a hard standard. Of course, the disadvantage is that manufacturers have to make some fine-tuning according to different Androids, but this way the presence of the manufacturer’s brand is higher.
Apple is different on the other side. There is only one set of standards, and a large user loyalty with high brand loyalty. and,In CarPlay adaptation, there is also successful cooperation experience, which is a natural fit from various perspectives.
However, if everyone relies on Apple, how to show the differences and characteristics of their own brands is a problem. As we all know, Apple is very strong in some cooperation. How to not be suppressed by Apple’s brand image is also a question that some car companies need to consider.
Another group of vendors believes that since technology is not a problem, we might as well do it ourselves.
Tesla created a black card with NFC function on the Model 3, which achieves the same function, and at the same time can show the identity of the Tesla owner. Car companies with this idea belong to car companies with strong brand power and technology. Their car keys are also part of the brand culture, and they also have the ability to make car keys simpler and more luxurious.
This part of the car companies will not rely on Apple easily, they will still be self-centered. After all, for this car company, car keys have fewer attributes for keys and more attributes for decorations. Maybe sometime in the future they will be compatible with Apple’s features, but that may be the general trend, rather than willing.
No matter what kind of manufacturer, there is still a careful consideration. In case, due to the loss of the vehicle due to this function, who is responsible for this accident? After the mobile phone is lost, is it the responsibility of the vehicle itself to identify whether it is the owner of the vehicle, or is it remotely controlled by Apple to perform operations similar to the title freeze? Whoever has this authority must shoulder this responsibility.
At present, the vast majority of consumers still regard the car as an isolated object, although it currently has “social attributes” such as networking. Car manufacturers still have a significant responsibility for the safety of the car itself. If CarKey is realized, the convenience and credit brought by Apple will be attributed to Apple, and the safety pots are all carried by the manufacturers. No one would be happy.
03
Although the implementation is slow, mobile phones are basically an irreversible trend as car keys. Apple may still be the leader.
In the era of the mobile Internet, Apple ’s ability to push this giant is amazing. In recent years, Apple has basically done what it wants to do.
If the emergence of a function and a product can improve the quality of life visibly with the naked eye, just like the Airpods born out of nowhere, it will definitely form an irreversible trend. Apple is a master at creating this momentum.
From the perspective of consumers, they are used to a “lazy” life, they are used to smart phones to help them manage everything, they are used to more and more empty pockets, and they are used to living with only one mobile phone.
If a company tells us that bringing an extra car key has become a burden, you only need to tap on your phone to achieve the corresponding function. If the technology itself is no longer a problem, payment functions with higher security requirements have been easily implemented, and mobile phone car keys are not difficult, so why not lose the car keys?
Maybe we only need to do one thing in the future-optimistic about our mobile phones.