iPod interfaces in 73 million cars by 2011
Apple's ubiquitous iPod (34 million will have
been sold by the end of 2005) is driving a new trend in auto design - OEM-supplied iPod adapters and auxiliary input
jacks.According to the Telematics Research Group, OEMs and aftermarket suppliers are rolling out device integration solution for mobile audio devices at an unprecedented rate to meet growing demand. A Volvo/PhatNoise solution to be offered by Volvo Japan in January is shown at right.
According to TRG, worldwide there are only 900,00 cars in use with iPod integration, and 6 million with auxiliary input capability. By 2011, those figures are projected to be 73 million and 150 million, respectively.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bernie 4:11PM (12/22/2005)
This is great news. My concern is that, like almost everything else, there will be no standard connector type, so my car will only work with my iPod and my son's Philips mp3 player won't work. What ever happened to standards? Does anybody actually use them anymore?
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dave 4:13PM (12/22/2005)
That isn't surprising with the lead in MP3 player sales. I do like the idea of the input jacks so other devices can access the system.
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intercar 4:16PM (12/22/2005)
the "auxiliary input capability" means you are not limited to ipods but can use other mp3 devices. ipods lock u into their site whereas mp3 players like iriver or creative give you more choice.
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eric 4:28PM (12/22/2005)
Manufacturers would do well to include an iPod - fully integrated - with certain cars. I tend to think they could score a deal with Apple and someone like Dension and it would cost less than a CD changer. Even if it costs more it would still be a great thing. Would I pay another $200 - $300 to have an integrated iPod rather than a CD changer in my H3? In a heart-beat. From what I've found, no one - nobody - makes a device for integrating an iPod into the stock stereo of the H3 - or even my Mustang for that matter. Sucks...
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Elliott 4:30PM (12/22/2005)
'bout time. I remember once I read somewhere a quote from a Ford marketing exec about how they do research to see whether things are fads or trends. They decided that downlaoding music was a fad and chose not pursue factory-installed jacks for MP3 players.
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Kamil 4:32PM (12/22/2005)
"My concern is that, like almost everything else, there will be no standard connector type, so my car will only work with my iPod and my son's Philips mp3 player won't work. What ever happened to standards? Does anybody actually use them anymore?"
Yes... it's called an aux input, as mentioned above. It's essentially a headphone jack which has been used for decades.
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Rishi Khaitan 4:33PM (12/22/2005)
I find it hilarious that a 3.5mm analog input jack is the latest hot trend in OEM audio electronics. You'd think the industry would atleast try to standardize on a universal digital input connector.
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djbango 4:33PM (12/22/2005)
it's not a good idea to base an interface around one product. As volitile as the industry is, it could be a matter of time until the next great medium comes along and changes the scene. Would it not make more sense to make a universal adapter so that OEM suppliers are not constrained by the decision Apple (or any one company for that fact) decides t odo with their product
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Kevin Buchanan 4:34PM (12/22/2005)
It's great to see more automakers and audio companies offering iPod integration, though most of the solutions present a few shortcomings. In my own '04 New Beetle, I use an adapter on my CD changer input that switches it to regular RCA jacks, which then go to my Belkin iPod car charger/preamp via a Y-cable (through a ground loop isolator), and the Belkin plugs into the iPod's dock connector (the iPod itself takes up residence on the dash - I took my Beetle's bud vase, modified a Belkin iPod cupholder mount, and placed the mount in the bud vase. Works better than the cupholder because it's much closer to your line of sight). This gives me full quality audio, but has a few cables to hide.
The downside to my approach is that you must use the iPod's interface, which is fantastic for personal use but is a little on the small side for use in a moving vehicle.
The manufacturer solutions (like BMW's and Volvo's) take the control from the iPod and give it to the head unit, but this is deeply flawed. The small displays on car head units and the cumbersome interface design (for example, using the 6-CD buttons for getting to the first six playlists, or something like that) are awkward when you're talking thousands of songs.
The ideal would be a unit that resembled a nav system - a large screen, two nice fat knobs, and a dock for the iPod. Slide the iPod in, and a bigger (easier to see) iPod interface comes up on the screen Use one knob for navigation - scroll through the songs/playlists, click the knob in to select. The other knob controls volume. Simple, easy, and perfect for use in a car. Make it look cool, too - so it matches the iPod.
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djSyndrome 4:59PM (12/22/2005)
Most of these are a joke. The BMW/MINI interface - like most others - forces you to create five or six specifically named playlists that are then selected as 'discs' on the head unit. Not exactly user-friendly.
I would like to have access to all of my iPod's functions through my factory stereo. Then again, I can't blame automakers for not wanting to do this - Apple is notorious for changing designs and interfaces at a moment's notice (where'd the Mini go again?), and the auto manufacturers would be caught holding the bag if His Steveness were to go and change the 30-pin connector and interface in any way.
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Scott Eaton 9:29PM (12/22/2005)
""3. the "auxiliary input capability" means you are not limited to ipods but can use other mp3 devices. ipods lock u into their site whereas mp3 players like iriver or creative give you more choice.""
False. The iPod does NOT lock you into the iTunes music store (which, by the way, has lots of free content and podcasts too). 90+% of the content on my iPod is not from iTMS. The iPods play many standard formats (and always have, unlike Sony's). Either way you slice it, the iTMS is the best store out there anyway.
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Justin Bell 8:17AM (12/23/2005)
My dad payed quite a bit for an Alpine iPod interface adpater. But the interface for using the iPod via the Alpine model he has really sucked. I could only choose between playlists or a complete list of the songs. There was no way to browse by artist/album/genre/etc. like you can do with the iPod or iTunes.
I think many car stereos are like this. Sure they can connect to an iPod, but only the top-of-the-line models have a half decent interface to access the iPod with.
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Car-la 12:06PM (1/01/2006)
I like the way Pioneer has integrated iPod controls into its car stereos. Not too long ago, it was necessary to install a large CD-Changer in the trunk if you wanted to have a nice collection of your favorite songs with you. These days, all you need is an iPod which can hold lots more music than even the 50-disc changer that occupied half my trunkspace.
I'm sure standards will evolve over time, and so will control interfaces.
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