Offerings from two of the most valuable companies in the world could soon be united, according to $Tesla(TSLA.US)$ CEO Elon Musk.
What Happened: Musk is considering putting the AirPlay protocol from $Apple(AAPL.US)$ inside Tesla vehicles.
As reported by Electrek, Musk said he is considering Apple's AirPlay to improve the audio quality for Tesla vehicles against the existing Bluetooth.
Tesla has emphasized the quality of its sound system in newer electric vehicle models like the Model 3 and new version of the Model S.
The drawback is that some audio quality is determined by the Bluetooth when playing music from a phone in the vehicle.
Apple's AirPlay is a proprietary technology that allows streaming from multiple devices. A user suggested to Musk that using AirPlay could result in lossless streaming.
"I love that we can request a Tesla feature and it might be added. Like this: The speaker system in Teslas are so good, but we are limited by the quality of Bluetooth. Could we have AirPlay added? It adds the ability for lossless streaming. The hardware necessary is already there," the user asked.
Musk shared his response publicly on Twitter, suggesting his openness.
Will discuss this and other improvements with Tesla audio engineering. The new Model S and X sound system is incredible.
-Musk said
AirPlay uses Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, and Tesla vehicles are equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities.
Why It's Important: Tesla has shown reluctance to adopting Apple technology for its electric vehicles in the past.
Owners of Tesla vehicles have asked to implement Apple CarPlay previously to no avail. Tesla has its own software systems and has so far been content with their capabilities.
The comments from Musk show some willingness to bring in a key Apple feature to the vehicles if it can improve the user experience. This will be an item for shareholders of both Apple and Tesla to watch, as it could lead to a potential partnership down the road.