BMW and Apple have partnered so that you may “iPod Your BMW” (see http://www.ipodyourbmw.com/). Full pages ads in USA Today and elsewhere are heralding this marriage as “total driving control meets total tune control”, and lots of folks are mega-excited over it.
I may be missing something here, but why on earth would I want to “plug your iPod into the iPod connector cable in your BMW’s glovebox”? Have they never heard of wireless? Come on, create a Bluetooth add-on for iPod, or something similar, and make it seamlessly cool. Sure, it may cost a bit more, but look at the demographic, this is supported by BMW 3 series, X3, X5, and Z4 Roadster, not cars driven by anyone who is overly budget conscious and looking to save a buck.
This seems like a cool idea, with a not overly cool implementation.
But then again, I don’t own a BMW or an iPod, and am a bit of a wireless-nut, so what do I know.
iPod Your BMW … Wired?
6 responses to “iPod Your BMW … Wired?”
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Ben,
From what I can tell, the ipod is somehow hooked in to the stereo using the standard cd changer connection. So, the ipod emulates a cd changer.
I think that’s why it’s not wired. The stereo doesn’t even show the track name, just the number, and you can only have 5 play lists to pick from.
So, I believe this is a first step…. and not optimal.
Doug -
The iTrip solves this problem for me and my Jetta. Its a little gizmo that sits on top and then broadcasts on any radio frequency you choose. Completely wireless and good quality.
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plus you can’t use it if your bimmer has a CD changer or nav
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An iPod is just one more expensive thing that can get ripped off. What I would love to see is a car stereo capable of reading a data DVD full of music files and playlists. A few DVDs in my glove box and I’ll rarely have to move music in and out of the car. Best part is, if somebody steals a DVD more power to them. Let them enjoy my collection, I’ll just burn another copy. The stereo is more likely to be insured than an iPod, right?
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Nah, what you really want is a car with a satellite data connection that can stream audio direct from your home network so you always have full access to your entire eMusic collection anywhere on the road!!
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Or you could use Alpine’s solution due out this summer. It connects the iPod to Alpine’s Ai-NET bus and allows a properly equipped Alpine head unit in any car (unlike BMW’s 2002 or later requirement) to control the iPod.
Or use Alpine’s latest fancy smancy big honkin’ display that looks to support MP3 playback from DVD.
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