Apple recently signed a deal with Indian-based car rental service Ola to integrate Apple Music service as a part of its in-car experience. As part of a new entertainment platform Ola Play, Apple Music will be made available during rides.
Essentially, when a rider books an Ola car, they will be able to control air conditioning and music from an in-car tablet, while they’ll also be able to read ebooks and watch videos. In this case, the music will be streamed from Apple Music.
“Cars were initially built for the driver. But with ride-sharing, the control needs to be there for the passenger, and Ola Play works along that,” Ola Chief Executive Bhavish Agarwal.
Apple was rumoured to be working on a self-driving car initiative “Project Titan,” but its own car initiates have been somewhat unclear as of late, with some reports even suggesting that Apple has abandon plans for an actual car altogether. Nevertheless, its recent partnership with Ola suggests that Apple has other ways planned for entering the car industry.
This is the second deal of tech-giant with a ridesharing service. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a hefty $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing, a Chinese company. According to Cook, the partnership will Apple get some insight into the Chinese market.
