This is totally hilarious, it doesn't work with most BMWs, more Apple RDF. Check the facts:

http://www.engadget.com/entry/6720595414083573/

Totally Lame - Doesn't Work With Most Humans

I love Apple products, I so want an iPod. But cost prohibits it. And once again Apple is targeting it's whiz bang product at the smallest audience it can find, the elite few who own BMWs. Why not go after owners of EVERY SUV in America?

They may sell 10,000 of these adapters...if they're lucky.

And I'm a fan.

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RealityCheck wrote:
This is totally hilarious, it doesn't work with most BMWs, more Apple RDF. Check the facts:

When unleaded fuel first came out it wasn't recommended for older cars.

When music CDs first appeared they didn't work in most home stereo systems.

I don't see where Apple or BMW have made any sales claims or issued any sales projections for the new device. What's hilarious?

The fact that it doesn't work in most BMWs pales insignificance to the fact that all other mp3 players work with absolutely no cars at all, this is the first seemless intigration, unless you count the iTrip (genius by the way).
Apple is pioneering an idea, and you can't expect a new product to work seemlessly with every other product on the market instantaniously.
Did mini disks work in CD players instantly, no, new players had to be produced to intefrate the MDs.
Bravo Apple, for pioneering.

My only question--acknowledging that Apple and BMW did it first--what took them so long?

How about doing a deal with OnStar, and getting voice activated track switching, etc.?

Just a dream.

Anyway, this is awesome. I want a BMW now, darnit!

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Tiger wrote:
I love Apple products, I so want an iPod. But cost prohibits it. And once again Apple is targeting it's whiz bang product at the smallest audience it can find, the elite few who own BMWs. Why not go after owners of EVERY SUV in America?

They may sell 10,000 of these adapters...if they're lucky.

And I'm a fan.

Um... you do realize that most factory radios still sold in the US don't even have an aux in for portable cd-players/ipods/etc..., don't you? Let alone stearing controls and a head unit that could connect to a iPod.

There's no way for Apple to go and make a universal adapater that does what this one does with the custom BMW interface and controls. There very little 'stadards' between car radio makers.

Back when I was shopping for a new Jeep, I had to make sure to get a particular factory radio to make use of a third party adapter to trick the cd changer interface into accepting the audio from an iPod.

I believe Alpine has an adapter for their Ai-net to allow a head unit to control iPods, but I didn't investigate it further at the time because I wanted to avoid bying a new head unit (due to cost and the hassle of getting them to work with my steering wheel controls).

Basically, I see this as a first step. Start at the high end to pay for the R&D, then other auto makers will get interested and maybe Apple can provide specs for a interace that other car makers can build into their radios.

Yeah, the Mini Cooper is soooooo expensive! I woulldn't call $20 or so for a car "elite." Sheeesh, now that we've come full circle in the "Apple is the BMW of computers" nonsense, can we PLEASE move on?!?!!

Products are expensive. Some of us can afford them. Some of us can't. There are plenty of folks that think WE are elite because they can't afford ANY computer, let alone a Mac!

So, boo hoo, I can't afford a G5 and a 23" cinema display. I'm sooooo mad at Apple for that!

-Ken P

This is a no-brainer. Every modern automobile should have an aux-in jack on the head unit. This is NOT rocket science. It would add value to the car without adding any real cost.

I still think the Apple/BMW solution is a little sloppy: a cord in the glove box? Ugh! I think most people were thinking more along the lines of a slot in the dash (or head unit) that you'd stick the whole iPod into (like a cassette), and pop it out when you're done. Reahing over to unplug it from the glove box when you leave is less convenient and feels less like the "complete and elegant solution" that Apple usually comes up with.

Hopefully we'll see a Apple-branded head unit (w/ internal HD and iPod interface) in the near future. THAT would be MUCH cooler that this is. I expect that BMW will be offering this option with a free iPod thrown in before too long too.

-Ken P

Forbes offers a stellar review of the iPod-BMW connector.

I think this product is indeed a sign of new times and I suspect a rush for similar solutions from many of the major auto makers.

Maybe BMW can talk Apple into redesigning their iDrive. Every review I've read makes it sound like an interface that Microsoft would design: Sloppy, non-intuitive, overly complicated.

I should note here that MS did _not_ design the interface. Some reviewers apparently noted the above, which caused some of their more gullible readers to assume that MS did have a hand in it. They did not.

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Guest wrote:
How about doing a deal with OnStar...?

Aaaagghhh! Never! The absolute last thing I want on my next car is a tracking device that phones home and tells some goober sitting in a room 3000 miles away where I am.

I have an Oldsmobile from 1990 that has both the stereo controls and the temp. controls on the steering wheel, many other brands have done so also.

The story here is the integration between the stereo controls and the iPod, not the placement of the controls.

Cheers,

The Bandit

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Steve W wrote:

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Guest wrote:
How about doing a deal with OnStar...?

Aaaagghhh! Never! The absolute last thing I want on my next car is a tracking device that phones home and tells some goober sitting in a room 3000 miles away where I am.

Hey! Apple seems to have dropped all traces of the Mini Cooper from the "iPod Your BMW" campaign! It's just GONE! Wazzup widdat?

-Ken P

I can see it now:
"Apple and cancer researchers team up and find a cure for lymphatic cancer using a G5 cluster."

RC: "This is hilarious. The cure only works with ONE kind of cancer, and not on the cancers that 95% of the rest of the cancer patients have! They didn't make the cure work on really important things like diaper rash. They could have done that with just a $500 PC.

No wonder Apple's market share is .000001% and dropping."

Did I miss any?