Alpine Announces 7-inch iLX-007, Its First CarPlay Display

Alpine is offering a new way to get Apple’s CarPlay in your favorite vehicle with the iLX-007, a 7″ CarPlay-capable deck. The new aftermarket entertainment deck is available through select authorized Alpine retailers at a suggested price of $800 and provides support for Apple’s in-car software solution.

CarPlay translates many iPhone functions into a format that is convenient and safe to use while driving, including Maps, Phone, Message, Music and CarPlay-enabled apps such as the recently updated Rdio. CarPlay is already available as a built-in feature on a select number of cars, but for those who wanted to use it in another type of vehicle, the only solution before Alpine’s offering was the Pioneer AppRadio 4. Alpine’s new iLX-007 includes a 7-inch screen, which is larger than the AppRadio 4 screen, as well as providing rear view camera system compatibility, three 2V pre-outs, and Alpine’s proprietary technology for better playback of compressed digital media.

Apple has designed CarPlay to be as universally consistent as possible, making it an ideal choice for those who want to use it without worrying about their brand of hardware. Alpine is offering this as one of the big selling points of the new iLX-007, and for those who want to retro-fit their current car with this technology, it may prove to be the perfect option. Some aspects, however, will differ depending on the OEM, such as whether or not the head unit has a capacitive touchscreen to provide better touch input response. Other than finer details such as these, the interface will be very similar regardless of what car the unit is being used in.

The Alpine deck is likely to gain popularity with those who are eager to utilize this new technology but aren’t currently in the market for a new car. It supports CarPlay’s voice-powered Siri interaction as well as a wide variety of other functionality, including working with Alpine’s TuneIt iOS app for equalizer manipulation and time correction. For those who are seeking the most extensible and customizable experience in a digital car deck, in addition to everything that CarPlay has to offer, this may be an excellent choice.

The Alpine iLX-007 in-dash receiver with Apple CarPlay includes the following features:

• Audio/video receiver with 7-inch capacitive touch screen
• Usability with Apple CarPlay to provide a seamless in-vehicle iPhone experience
• Voice-activated controls through Siri
• Three 2V pre-outs
• One aux input
• Alpine’s MediaXpander technology to provide improved playback of compressed media
• Input for a rear view camera system
• Audio, driving directions and phone calls are played through the vehicle’s speakers
• Uses Lightning connector
• Compatible with iPhone 5 or later, including iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 7.1 or higher
• Compatible with the Alpine TuneIt App (version 2.0) for customized sound tuning