 This is Dan Seifer with The Verge. Here at the New York International Auto Show, Apple is demoing CarPlay, its simplified version of iOS optimized for use in the car. We got a chance to look at how CarPlay works in upcoming Hyundai, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. CarPlay relies heavily on Siri. In fact, auto manufacturers can disable manual text input entirely and provides quick access to the things you need most while driving, namely music, navigation, phone calls, and text messages. CarPlay also provides access to third party apps that have been updated to support it. There's only a handful available right now, but you can listen to iHeartRadio, Spotify, or podcasts through your car's stereo. Most of the difficult interactions are done through Siri. You dial numbers, send and read text messages, enter destinations, and call up music with your voice. It works well most of the time, and the system uses the microphones already built into the car instead of using the iPhone's microphone to pick up your voice. CarPlay works in different ways depending on a car's specific hardware configuration. Volvo's implementation uses both a touchscreen and hardware buttons, while Hyundai opted for the all-touchscreen route. Mercedes-Benz chose to forego the touchscreen entirely and requires drivers to control CarPlay with a hardware knob and a handful of buttons. Like iOS, CarPlay really lends itself to touch interactions, and it was definitely easiest to use in the cars with touchscreens. Each car manufacturer integrates CarPlay into its existing navigation systems differently as well. Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz essentially run CarPlay as an app, with it completely separate from the native navigation system. Volvo on the other hand has built an interface that integrates CarPlay as a panel along with the native navigation system, Bluetooth phone app, and media playback. It's much faster and easier to navigate on Volvo's system, and it doesn't feel like you're working in two different worlds as much as the Mercedes and Hyundai's versions. The other thing that's a bit weird about CarPlay is that it duplicates many of the things that car makers have already put into their cars. It's a second navigation system, second phone app, second music player, and second voice recognition system. Car makers don't really have much of a choice here. If you don't have an iPhone, you're still going to want to use navigation and Bluetooth features in your car, and they have to provide them. Still, despite duplicating almost everything your car already does, CarPlay is nicer to use than virtually any automaker's interface, and it integrates with your text messages and smartphone apps much better. Apple's initial CarPlay rollout is rather limited. In addition to Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo, just Ferrari and Honda have committed to launching cars with it this year. Thirteen other manufacturers have also signed on board to support CarPlay at some point in the future. Will CarPlay be the car interface of the future? Only time will tell, but I really wouldn't mind having it in my car right now.