Apple to Integrate iPod With Car Radios

I have Volkswagen's iPod integration in my Jetta. Best money I ever spent on car audio.

I have the Alpine iPod Interface installed...so I have full iPod integration with my Alpine head unit. The iPod sits in my glove box, and I have full control from the head unit...including browsing of playlists, artists, albums, etc...and full id tag info displayed on the stereo. If that's the level of integration they're talking about, then I'm all for it.

As for proprietary this or that...*every* player has something or another proprietary about it. The simple fact that there are more 3rd party add-ons (including replacement batteries!) for the iPod than any other player...by a VERY wide margin, and the simple fact that the iPod is the only player that gives me FULL control in my car, hardwired into the back of the stereo...well, show me a true replacement and maybe I'd give it a look.

i drive a scion xa (it's a great little car and gets 40mpg on the highway...on a clear day...with the wind at your back). Anyway, as Scions are trying to be the new car for GenY (or something like that) they have already integrated iPod and mp3 capabilities.

We didn't buy the fancy charger unit but the auxilary jack works just fine. Kudos to carmarkers for getting on board.

Regardless of what one thinks of the iPod, this is an extremely smart move. I've tried FM tuners, but depending on what you play off the pod, they can cut out, etc. And you still have to futz with the pod itself if you want to change songs - the click tactical wheels helps, but it's not perfect.

In addition, Ford plans to add auxiliary audio input jacks on nearly half its lineup, starting this fall. Tunes from any gadget — iPods, other MP3 or CD music players, cell phones and game handhelds — will then be playable on the cars' audio systems without the need for extra adapters or FM transmitters.

Oh, only about a decade too late. Oh, why, oh why did it take so long for car makers to realize the usefulness of adding this ¢50 input to their built in car stereos?

A few months ago, I bought an iPod car adapter that allows me to listen to my iPod through the factory head unit while using the disc changer controls on the radio to control the iPod. The adapter also charges the iPod.

I am perfectly amazed it took Detroit as long as it has to 'innovate'.

It seems to be that car companies add yet more distractions to their vehicles every year.

Why do people need an Apple iPod in their vehicle? Sure, it provides some form of entertainment while traveling from Point A to Point B but, at the same time, it also provides a distraction to drivers, which is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents.

I thought it was ridiculous to even place cellular phone holders in the Mercedes-Benz line of vehicles, but this is just taking the "digital age" too far. Instead of Apple iPods, why don't radio broadcasting companies make a more diverse set of radio stations, so that iPods are an unnecessary feature?

Another solution to this problem would be if Apple created some form of "iPod remote", where a user could control his Apple iPod via remote control. How about voice recognition? This way, a user could just press one button, say the name and track of the song he wants to hear, and the iPod automatically begins to play it.

I suggest Apple begin taking a hard look at these options, since it's not good for a company's reputation to be linked to traffic accidents. Just look at Sony's Discman back in the 1980s.

In Britain, this technology is quite common now. Many new cars include iPod integration, at all prices. It is especially common in cars attracting a younger market such as Citroen, however is also common in Volvo and BMW models.