Pods Unite

burgburgburg writes "Apple has released the QuickTime video of the new commercial they made in conjunction with Volkswagen. The connection between the two? Buy a New Beetle. Get a new iPod. Take a look at video. It's the 15 GB iPod and all the accessories needed to hook it up to the new Volkswagen." It uses a casette adapter, which is really lame. Of course, I use a casette adapter with my iPod, but I am not a German engineer.

Comments

My iPod is super!

[computerme]

Oh wait. this is the part where i am supposed to whine that it does not have Ogg Vorbis support right...?!

Re:My iPod is super!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah. I bet if you rolled up next to women with the windows down and told them that your car has support for Ogg Vorbis, they'd be really impressed.

Moreso if you're driving a Volkswagon Beetle.

Re:My iPod is super!

[zephc]

glad you like your iPod, but I'm also glad you aren't this guy

Re:My iPod is super!

[SN74S181]

Is there an in-dash MP3/Ogg player for 6 volt ignition?

Re:My iPod is super!

[dasmegabyte]

It is a male fallacy that girls are impressed by long, sleek rocket cars.

The girls I know like clean cars with luxurious acoutrements. Past a certain point, they don't care about how fast or loud or covered with chrome and decals it is. These are people who like SUBTLETY, who obsess over details, safey and cuteness. That's the beetle for you.

Besides, the volkswagen beetle is a nice car. It's comfortable inside, surprisingly roomy despite its apparent size, and there are lots of really nice editions out there. My personal favorite is the 1.8 turbo with the two tone leather interior, sunroof, sport suspension, rims painted to match the paint job...I've got a friend who drives one of these in jet black, and he gets more bumper than a body shop (to quote the film Airheads). In fact, of all the members of his rockabilly band (with their requisite 1960s chevrolets), his car gets the most attention. Could also be the drumming. Chicks dig a drummer.

Re:My iPod is super!

[Golias]

It is a male fallacy that girls are impressed by long, sleek rocket cars.

Most girls are not impressed, true. However, girls that want to have casual sex know that a guy in a Mustang or Porche is driving it because he's horny, lonely, and wants lots of sex, and acting as if they are impressed is an easy way to open conversation.

Girls who don't want to have casual sex do not interest guys who drive Mustangs. They will drive Astro vans or Volkswagons if and when they are ready to settle down and get married.

By the way, according to Car Talk, the Beetle is the second-gayest car in America.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Re:My iPod is super!

[dasmegabyte]

Those car talk guys don't know wtf they're talking about.

For one thing, the Geo Tracker isn't even on the list. Here's a car that was WHITE with PINK AND PURPLE lettering down one side.

For another, the Jeep Wrangler is the ULTIMATE car of blondes out for a good time, and with the proper tire aspect, of frat guys looking for trouble. It is by no means gay.

(FYI, I drive the only volkswagen not on the list. SCORE 1 FOR DAS' SEXUALITY!)

Re:My iPod is super!

[Garion911]

Heh... I think the one that they forgot is the Subaru Outback... Tell me you couldn't picture a couple butch lesbians in an Outback........

Re:My iPod is super!

[eweu]

(FYI, I drive the only volkswagen not on the list. SCORE 1 FOR DAS' SEXUALITY!)

If that EuroVan's a rockin', don't come knockin.

Re:My iPod is super!

[deathmolor]

Hey I have a bettle and an iPod.. Grrr.... mine is black with flames painted on the side. It doesn't look gay anymore.

Re:My iPod is super!

[dfung]

> Hey I have a bettle and an iPod.. Grrr....
> mine is black with flames painted on the side.
> It doesn't look gay anymore

You had your iPod painted black then had them add little tiny flames on the sides and you don't think that seemed gay?

Re:My iPod is super!

[deathmolor]

hahaha.. no the beetle..the typo probably threw you off.. ;) the first post was calling the beetle a gay car.. they are good cars.. chicks do dig them.. really dig them

Re:My iPod is super!

[shelby289]

I have owned a 1966 mustang since I was 15. I still have it. It has never helped me get a girl in bed. Where are these girls? They weren't at FSU when I was there. Could there be another problem? Hmmmmmm? It couldn't be me?
Note to self: Never ask sex questions on Slashdot.

Re:My iPod is super!

[BiggerIsBetter]

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

No, of course not.

Re:My iPod is super!

[Zakabog]

Most girls are not impressed, true. However, girls that want to have casual sex know that a guy in a Mustang or Porche is driving it because he's horny, lonely, and wants lots of sex, and acting as if they are impressed is an easy way to open conversation.

Absolutely! I mean come on, who ever buys a mustang or a porsche to race it, or to have a sweet looking car? No one! And guys who buy VW jettas are never interested in casual sex. Sure...

Really though, what fantasy world are you living in? A person will buy a car that suits their needs. Sure some guys will buy a nice car to attract girls, but not just any girls. Girls that are looking for a guy that has money go for the guy in the Dodge Viper or the Ferrari. They aren't looking for casual sex, they're looking for a guy that has tons of money so the girl can have a nice life. And not every guy that buys a nice car is looking for sex. I was going to buy a Nissan 350Z, not because it'll attract females, but because it looked nice (for me) and was a fast car (not insanely fast but it's faster than the average car.)

Re:My iPod is super!

[hesiod]

> the first post was calling the beetle a gay car.. they are good cars.. chicks do dig them.. really dig them

That's because the chicks aren't threatened by you: They think you're gay.

Hmm, come to think of it, you might be on to something.

Re:My iPod is super!

[dasmegabyte]

That'll be the Passat. A car whose name my dad says sounds like "a wet fart."

Re:My iPod is super!

[lvdrproject]

Personally, i think the New Beetle is the greatest car of all time. And i don't care what anybody else, be it male or female, thinks of that. :'D

Re:My iPod is super!

[ePhil_One]

It is a male fallacy that girls are impressed by long, sleek rocket cars.

Good thing I also invested in some of those reclining woman silhouettes.

Re:My iPod is super!

[Golias]

Holy crap, somebody who actually took the context of my post seriously. (Clue: It was modded as "Funny" by so many people because I was going for laughs, not to convince you that Mustangs get you laid.)

Since you seem to be hanging on my every word, I might as well heartily endorse your choice of the Nissan 350Z. Nissan makes under-rated vehicles with reliable engines, and their sports cars are very cool.

calling clueful car manufacturers

[hedley]

Would it kill these guys to put a mini-jack on the dash (or somewhere) and an AUX setting on the stereo.

Bueller? Anyone?

Hedley

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Alien Being]

Well, like some morons said in the Toshiba laptop article, it might cost them $0.15 and ruin the profit margin.

Including bicylces and mp3 jukeboxes makes sense though.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[ProfKyne]

There are also the FM senders that you can attach to the iPod, which then are received by the car's FM stereo -- a wireless connection -- but I have heard mixed reviews of the sound quality.

Speaking of sound quality, the song that plays in this commercial is horrible.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Politburo]

FWIW, the quality through the cassette adapter and a local FM transmitter will be about equal, assuming you choose an FM frequency that will be uninterfered with.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[tomstdenis]

Two problems.

1. Analogue freq dial thingies. Those radioshack 20$ FM transmitters are useless to get on an odd frequency [recall FM is on odd freqs, e.g 93.9, 94.1, etc...].

2. Most populated cities have one useless station after another throughout the bands. All either discussing the rhetoric of the day [newsradio] or playing the teeny-bopper-I-wish-upon-a-pair-of-nice-melons musak. Oh yeah,and don't forget that even if you find a relatively unused band the thing only has a 2 foot range so you better tape it to the hood of your car beside the attenna!

As another poster asked it "would it hurt to put a aux jack 1/8" in the front?". It makes sense and would allow people to plug in new shit much easier than via casettes [which can jam] and FM transmitters [which suck ass anyways].

Or just better yet, build mp3 pod players into cars all together. E.g. like a removable harddrive tray. Just remove it, take it inside, program it, boom.

Tom

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[clifyt]

Kinda depends on the car.

For instance, I've tried 3 FM transmitters -- a generic one, the Griffen iTrip and another one I found from the Apple Store. None of them worked in my stereo.

I ended up picking up a new stereo JUST so I could run my iPod through it. On a larf, I decided to again try to solutions. Not a one worked any better. Only way to get it to work was to go outside and hold the transmitted next to the antenna. This REALLY sucks...

Well, it kinda worked on trips outside the city...doesn't help when there is a station, ever so weak it may be, on any channel you try.

I'm happy with the new AuxIn on mine...now I have to figure out how not to make all those wires look so ugly as they wind around the car...

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[mekkab]

Aftermarket radios have front panel input jacks (I believe the AIWA MP3 CD player had one... )

The other option is if you aren't using a trunk CD player and the head unit has RCA inputs, have an RCA to Mini adpater hanging out of your dash- then just plug and play.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[joebeone]

damn straigt... considering how many things have a line-out...

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[commodoresloat]

I have the Griffin iTrip, and it blows. I can't hear a damn thing in my car stereo with it. Apparently it works better in cities with few radio stations (I'm in LA; the airwaves are a little crowded). There are ways to slightly improve reception but it still is a waste of my 30 bucks. I can't find a car stereo with an aux in at my local car stereo dealer. Can anyone suggest one?

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[OMEGA Power]

I don't have a iPod but I tried using a FM adaptor with my nomad jukebox and the quality sucks (far worse than a tape adapter) especially in or near cities with a lot of radio stations.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[allgood2]

Maybe your just in a city with too many radio stations. Though, I live in San Francisco, which I think has a fair number of stations, and I use the iTrip with no problem. I'm not a radio listener, in general, so I can't say how many radio stations there are in San Francisco, but I started with the low end of the dial, and ended up on channel 89.7FM, which works like a charm for me.

This has also worked in two of my friends car, but admittedly they were just local trips, so I can't say how well it would travel from say San Francisco to San Jose or further. The sound quality is fantastic, well on my stereo, in the cars it was as good as the radio, which was ok to better than average. The only other issue I notice is for some purely instrumental songs, especially with quiet sections, the connection may lose its signal, this has happen to me when playing "Elegia" by New Order, but then skipping to the next song returns the signal, nice and strong.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[ESSBAND.]

There are a few head units that have AUX in. The best I've seen so far (price, features, etc.) is the Blaupunkt San Jose. Right around $200, plays MP3 CDs, has a nice interface, and sounds pretty good. I'd offer up a link, but the last time I went to Blaupunkt's site, I couldn't find info on this particular model. Go down to your local Fry's (where I found mine). Other than the Blaupunkt, I seem to remember that most of the Aiwa decks I looked at had AUX in, as well.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Anonymous Coward]

Couple of guys already make these and have them pre-fab for certain models, head units, etc.

PhatBox is one of them

www.phatnoise.com

kinda high on the price, but for the compatibility and integration into my new beastie...why not

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[wizbit]

1. Analogue freq dial thingies. Those radioshack 20$ FM transmitters are useless to get on an odd frequency [recall FM is on odd freqs, e.g 93.9, 94.1, etc...].


True, but I've become a big fan of the Griffen iTrip (mentioned here elsewhere, as well, i believe) - the thing can transmit on any public FM frequency, so it's easy to find an odd-numbered station that isn't already covered (or whose coverage is weak).

They're about to ship the new iTrip with support for the new iPods. They're sleek, they use negligable power, and they run off the internal battery instead of AA's like a "radioshack 20$ FM transmitter".

FM transmitting is underrated. The quality's not the best, but it's stereo sound, and near the middle of the frequency range sounds quite excellent.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[rnd()]

Reminds me of being in L.A. I was wondering why pressing the "seek" button on the rental car's radio only found the same 3 or 4 stations... I thought "this is L.A., there have to be more than 3 or 4 stations here"... Then I tried turning the knob. There was a station on nearly every available FM frequency. No wonder seek was confused.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[giminy]

It helps a lot if you fold your antenna down (assuming you can fold it down and don't have a power antenna), and run the little radio wire right over the front of your stereo. I use velcro to hold it down to the dash. Works for me, of course YMMV.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[giminy]

I remember looking at head units a few years ago, and Aiwa made one (apparently they still do) that had a 1/8" input on the front. They're not very expensive. Probably not the loudest thing in the world, but I don't like waking up the neighborhood, I just like listening to my music...

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[BWJones]

Would it kill these guys to put a mini-jack on the dash (or somewhere) and an AUX setting on the stereo.

I have been using the cassette adapter option in my 4Runner, but recently I started looking into the option of having a direct plug in to the stereo from my iPod. A little poking around lead to this company. The short of it is that I can plug one of these adapters into the CD-changer input on the back of my factory stereo and then run a mini-jack from the iPod directly into it. My local Toyota dealer tells me they can install it with a factory appearance for $40 making this a must have option.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Gojira Shipi-Taro]

The Honda Element has exactly what you describe. The mini-phono jack is in the passenger side dash over the glove box, next to a little tray to hold the player. I just bought one a couple days ago, as a matter of fact.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[ksheff]

I have a FM transmitter in order to listen to my mp3 player on my car's audio system. It works ok, but it also transmits electrical noise from the car, so there is always a low volume, but high pitched tone being mixed in with the music. It's not too bad if the car is idling, but it gets louder as the engine's rpm increases, so it gets annoying after a while.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[bconway]

Perhaps they figure that anyone that cares enough about their sound to use an auxiliary device probably won't be satisfied with the stock (junk) headunit, anyway. I rarely am.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[brooks_talley]

I'm not sure that the degradation from the casette adapter or FM transmission would be noticeable, when your source is probably a 128kbit MP3. In fact, the characteristic loss of high frequencies from the casette adapter might be merciful and serve to mask what MP3 does to high hats and such.

Cheers
-b

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[ncc74656]

Maybe your just in a city with too many radio stations. Though, I live in San Francisco, which I think has a fair number of stations, and I use the iTrip with no problem. I'm not a radio listener, in general, so I can't say how many radio stations there are in San Francisco, but I started with the low end of the dial, and ended up on channel 89.7FM, which works like a charm for me.

I noticed that problem with an iRock transmitter on a trip to Phoenix...the four frequencies on which it transmits are all in use down there. Here in Las Vegas (or on the road between here and there), there are a couple of frequencies with which it works well enough. The factory radio in my S10 picks it up with no problems if the device playing the music (usually a Palm Tungsten T nowadays) is in the center console and the iRock dangles off to the side. (Don't know how it works with the Sony in my car, but since that has a tape deck, I'd just use a tape adapter there.)

A head unit with a line-in jack would be nice, though. (Come to think of it, there's an outboard tape deck (installs in the center console) available for most Chevy trucks that works with the AM/FM/CD head unit. (My parents have one in their Tahoe.) This would imply that there's some sort of input (preferably line-level) on the back of the head unit. If there were a way to bring that out to a mini-jack into which you could connect an MP3 player, that'd get the job done.)

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[batobin]

MacWhispers did a review of four different iPod FM transmitters. They liked a product called "AudiaX".

Their conclusion, however, was that FM transmitters kinda suck in general. Much better to simply get a line-in.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Golias]

I use a cassette adapter in my '97 Ford Crown Victoria LS with my iPod and find that it sounds excellent. Far better than I expected it to.

On some cars, there's to much EM noise in the cab due to poor electrical shielding, which degrades the quality of anything you put through the tape player heads, but on most modern cars it should not be a problem.

The real advantage of the tape adapter? My dashboard has nothing but the Ford standard-equipment stock stereo on it, so when I slide my iPod into my back pocket, there's nothing in my car worth breaking in for. After having your window smashed once or twice by punks stealing your car CD player, you learn the value of not being a target.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Golias]

Stock units have gotten a lot better over the past few years. I used to drive a 2001 Nissan pick-up truck which came with a 100W AM/FM/CD/Tape system that sounded fantastic, even with the stock speakers!

Not all car companies are stuck in the mold of "slap in a cheap AC/Delco stereo and charge $250 for it" that was so common in the 80's. Most of them have woken up to realize that a good-sounding radio helps sell cars.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[yomegaman-pda]

I have one of those Aiwa's too, got it for ~$100 at Best Buy. It also has a line-level output on the back which I use with my Infinity BassLink subwoofer. It's plenty loud enough to fill up my little Saturn. I think it's a pretty good unit for the price.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[uradu]

> Analogue freq dial thingies

That's so 80's. Newer transmitters use digital tuning that is very frequency stable. RadioShack and other places sell transmitters like the irock or AudiaX quite cheaply, and these work much better than the old analogue freq dial thingies.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[cygnus]

it seems like you could do something like wrap a wire around the iRock a bunch of times, string it outside your window, and wrap the antenna in it. or maybe unplug the main antenna, run an antenna wire straight into your car, and do something with that.

anyway, i have an iRock in NYC, and it works fine.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[swgs]

You should give Crutchfield a try, they have great service, and a great selection of Car Stereo equipment. There are many head units that have AUX In these days, i have a great Panasonic head unit that i bought in 2000, and it has AUX In on the back. If you don't feel like digging through their website, just give them a call on the phone, their sales people know the products very well and can reccomend something for you and your car.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[babbage]

Anyone listening to MP3s probably isn't obsessed with audio fidelity as much as they are in the usefulness of the format. I for one would like to be able to plug my Clie PDA into an AUX jack & use it through the car stereo, then get out to run errands and keep using the Clie as a Walkman, then later get back in the car & play the music through the speakers again. It's a convenience thing, not quality (if quality was my concern I'd have shelled out for an iPod and a non-crappy car... :-)

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[pentalive]

My last saturn had this sort of a feature, a cable was coiled under the dash with a stereo headphone plug on the end.

The built in stereo was made by

blaupunkt (sp)

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[whatch durrin]

As another poster asked it "would it hurt to put a aux jack 1/8" in the front?". It makes sense and would allow people to plug in new shit much easier than via casettes [which can jam] and FM transmitters [which suck ass anyways].

I went with the girlfriend and looked at the new Mitsubishi Endeavor Friday. We test drove it, I did the guy thing and looked under the hood for no apparent reason, etc...

When we got back to the dealership, I happened to notice that the radio is not a regular form factor. It looked like buttons were placed semi-randomly across the center of the dash, which made it look like changing it out would be impossible.

Sure enough, I asked the sales guy, and you cannot just remove the factory radio and install an aftermarket! It appears you'd have to make your own custom enclosure to make it work.

He also mentioned that some manufacturers are making systems where the speakers only work with the factory radio. How is that possible?

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[whatch durrin]

I'm a little confused. Why would you need to buy an expensive piece of equipment and then pay more for dealer installation?

All you really need is a 1/8" stereo-->(2) RCA converter cable, right? You should also be able to get a panel mount 1/8" stereo jack from Rat Shack. Then all you would have to do is drill a hole at a good location on the dash and tighten a nut to hold the jack in place.

Am I missing something?

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[BWJones]

All you really need is a 1/8" stereo-->(2) RCA converter cable, right?

No, actually since the Toyota factory stereo does not have any audio in, I have to go through the CD-changer input which requires a special wiring harness that converts the CD-changer input to a couple of RCA jacks. From there you need an 1/8" stereo plug to RCA converter cable found anywhere. If I had more time, I might consider looking at the wiring diagram and making my own harness. However, that would probably take a couple of hours or more, so having the dealer do it is worth the money in terms of time saved for me.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[dejetal]

the new cooper mini s has a built in "audio jack" up front in the car. you can plug anything with an audio out in with the appropriate cable from the shack or wherever.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[akadruid]

drum roll!!!

Car manufacturers have been at this one for years. I know for a fact that Ford, Vauxhall (GMC) and Citroen have had non standard stereo units for at least 5 years, probably others too.

It is designed to reduce vehicle theft (because people always go for manufacturers standard systems) but mainly to increase sales of stereo upgrades, which are one of the more profitable add ons for a new car. Some manufacturers make over 50% profit on stereo upgrades.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Metroid72]

I work for a Car Manufacturer and I think this feature will become a must (especially in low-end vehicles).
I'm going to send a link with this thread to the Electrical/Electronic Systems department.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[data1]

Mercedes Benz includes an Aux-In in all models with a Navigation system, like my C320. But then again, this is Slashdot so i guess thats a moot point.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Van Halen]

There was a thread about this on Apple's discussion boards, and one guy mentioned a great idea: a sort of iPod dock in the dash, probably below the head unit. Slide the iPod in, it slips onto the standard dock connector, gets power and line out to the stereo. Even better would be showing track info on the head unit's display, and maybe even wiring in steering wheel remote buttons if applicable. Probably will never happen, but it would be excellent if Apple did work with any car company to do something like this.

I ended up installing a custom aux input cable in my 2002 Nissan Altima (it uses a funny connector in the back of the head unit designed for CD changers) and I just use a cassette adapter in the 4Runner. Works for me!

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[kimagine]

Golias, I do not want to get involved with you car stereo debate, nor with any of the 2000+ comments you have made regarding todays social and material issues. I am just concerned if your real name is Golias or is is something that you picked up somewhere? If it is your real name, please respond to kimagine_contracting@hotmail.com since I am new to this site and am not familiar with the response issues here. I am just trying to track down family. Thank You, Mark A. Golias

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[sean23007]

What deck did you get and for how much? I really need that audio in jack. Thanks in advance.

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[clifyt]

I don't even remember what brand it was. The ONLY feature I was after was the AuxIn. Can't really get them without CDs these days. I'm finding Cassette platers are getting to be more expensive than CDs.

It was the cheapest one CircuitShitty had on the display room wall and I'm kinda regretting it because it was a gaudy riceboy silver color and looks horrible in my car :-) Wish they had the same thing in basic black at the same price...but $120 including installation wasn't bad -- I just wish those fuckers didn't try stealing my other radio that was still good...had to go back for it after asking if they threw it in my trunk and got a Ummm Yeah...Came back and watched the guys talking for 3 minutes about who was going to get to keep it and what a dumbass I was to get rid of it before they turned around almost gasping for air knowing I was close to calling the management and having their asses fired... :-)

Re:calling clueful car manufacturers

[Golias]

It is not. I was unaware that there was anybody out there with an actual last name of "Golias."

For the record, "Golias" was the name of a satirically made-up "Patron Saint" of wandering minstrels, who got their musical education from various monasteries, and paid for their passage between them by entertaining people in taverns by writing smart-assed verses about the clergy. It is where the word "goliard" (usually pronounced "GAL-ee-ard") comes from.

As a musician, I've used "golias" as a favorite on-line handle since the BBS days.

Cassette Adapters

[Anonymous Coward]

Why, oh why, can't they just start giving us a 1/8th input jack on car stereos?? I've been wanting this for years, before mp3 players even, becuase I had a car that didn't have a tape player in the stereo and at the time I wanted to plug one in.

You'd think that designing and implementing such a thing would cost a fraction of what it costs to make and run this advertisent.

I would like to see some kind of poll of which is more useful to people.. a tape player or a 1/8th inch stereo input jack. After all, you can plug an external tape player into a jack easier, with more elegance, and for about the same cost as you can plug an external mp3 player into the tape player.. and I don't have any tapes anymore...

Re:Cassette Adapters

[evilned]

I know honda has this sort of setup standard on the Element, and I know its an option on most other Honda cars.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[str8edge]

Some of the JVC car stereos available in Canada have a 1/8th inch jack, and have had them for a couple of years. Its great for when a friend has a portable MP3 player and wants you to hear a song or two.

Not having to use on of those silly 1/8th inch to cassette adapters is a good thing, however a good quality 1/8th inch to 1/8th inch cable is important.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[interiot]

If you're in the market for a third-party head, some support various forms of aux-in. Some blaupunkts support this adapter which hooks in to the CD-changer function of head units.

Some people figure out ways to hack an aux-in from the cd-changer interface, but it seems so trivial for manufacturers to provide this, I don't know why all of them don't.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[bryanp]

Why, oh why, can't they just start giving us a 1/8th input jack on car stereos?? I've been wanting this for years,

There are plenty of them out there. I've never seen one on a stock auto-stereo, but take a trip to your local Best Buy / Circuit City etc.. and you'll see them available.

The very first model to pop up on Best Buy's page has one. I'm sure you can find more.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[nat5an]

It's actually possible to hook one up to your existing stereo. I'm not sure exactly how it's done, but I know this is how I've seen XM satellite radio receivers installed into cars. They install some equipment back behind the dash and out the front comes a 1/8th inch jack for plugging in the XM receiver, but you could plug any device in. My dad had one installed (the XM receiver) at best buy, and the equipment and labor (not counting the receiver itself, which he got for free) cost about $100. I'm sure you could do it for less yourself, but I'm also sure the method varies from car to car.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[_xeno_]

I've never seen one on a stock auto-stereo

I think this is the source of confusion here. The original poster gave us:

Why, oh why, can't they just start giving us a 1/8th input jack on car stereos?

The "they" has no antecedent, really, but presumably applies to the article, in which case "they" is presumably car designers.

I think what he was really asking is why there are no stock car stereos that have a 1/8th input jack - why car manufactorers don't start including them as standard equipment. This actually sounds like a good idea too - it's a feature that people obviously want (given that most third market car stereos have them), and it shouldn't be that hard to implement.

That being said, if you (the grandparent poster) really want one, you can buy a third-party stereo. They aren't that hard to install yourself (although there will most likely be some wiring work involved, splicing the stereo's wires into the car's wire harness), and if that's too complicated, you can find places that'll do the install for you. The installation will probably set you back $50-100, though, so keep that in mind when budgetting for the stereo. (If you do it yourself, materials for the install will run around $50 - items like the wire harness and the housing that's standard size, if your car doesn't have one (*cough* GM *cough*).) You can probably get a decent stereo for around $150 that has an input - the above poster's link, for example.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[KoshClassic]

Although this would be a great start, thinking towards the future it would be really nice if they'd actualy put an optical / digital input on the dash. Of course, there aren't that many portable devices out there these days that could take advantage of that, but it would probably spur the people making portable devices to include optical outputs on them (are you listening, Mr. Jobs?).

Re:Cassette Adapters

[ergo98]

but it would probably spur the people making portable devices to include optical outputs on them

Is there something inherently wrong with coaxial optical outputs? A lot of people seem to get a chubby about using optical, yet in this case, and even for multi-channel high-sample rate sound, a simple RCA coaxial cable is more than sufficient, and the quality is 100% (i.e. 100% of the bits make it through unscathed). Somehow thousands of suckers are out spending $40 for a 12" optical cable...must be right after they put the orange marker around their CDs.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[HBI]

Most modern car stereos have RCA-style line level inputs in the rear of the unit. You know, the red and white cables that plug the DVD/CD/whatever player to your home stereo?

Putting in an amplified signal to these inputs would cause some serious distortion. It's really only suitable for something that offers a line-level out, which is what XM does, i'm sure.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[EelBait]

Even better, they could build in a docking port into the dash somehow. On apple's dock, the firewire line supplies power which could come from the car's system, and it also has a line-out jack which could run to the amplifier. There is a connector on the top of the iPod for remote control which could also be wired to the car's audio controls.

I don't know why someone doesn't make a docking station for cars, it wouldn't be that difficult.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[Skater]

My low-end, first generation Sony in-dash CD player had one. ("You can hook up your walkman and play tapes!" was the selling point.) It even came with a small rubber plug for in it to keep the jack clean. This wasn't a problem for me since I never used it...

They're out there; you just have to look around.

--RJ

Re:Cassette Adapters

[rnd()]

You'd think that designing and implementing such a thing would cost a fraction of what it costs to make and run this advertisent.

Perhaps, but that would pale in comparison to the cost of fielding thousands of questions from customers asking why their headphones didn't work when plugged into that jack.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[dasmegabyte]

Well, one of the problems with aftermarket stereos is they're all too fucking fancy. Big bright displays trying to lure my into purchase with dolphins swimming on a shitty LCD. Whoa guys, I've been using winamp since 1997. Color me a bright shade of unimpressed.

Or with faces that slide down, pop out, and all sorts of other worthless servo controlled motions which will no doubt break within the next two years.

I bought a volkswagen in part because of the large buttons, easy access to information and the stylish (and non blinding) indigo and red dash lights. The stereo is no exception. My model year, the unit is manufactured by blau but keeps the same bevel as the other dash buttons, and basically blends into the dash, instead thrusting itself outward saying "HEY! I'M A CAR STEREO! LOOK AT THIS STUPID DOLPHIN! AND THIS GIRL DANCING!"

It is impossible to find all of these things in an aftermarket stereo. Stereos with the right colors have the wrong ergonomics, and stereos with decent ergonomics have the wrong colors. So, I use a stupid tape adapter with a lead that I spliced down to 9 inches -- just long enough to reach the ipod "stow spot" where the ashtray used to be.

Oh! And don't forget this nonsense -- VW car stereos have a cool "music sensor" that detects when a tape needs to be flipped. And they detect this at the end of any song on the ipod that fades out. So it flips the tape, which takes about 3 seconds...and you miss the start of the next song! Oh, and what's worse is that when the ipod stops playing, your tape ejects after about 30 seconds and the radio comes on. Meaning if I don't have time to switch albums in traffic, i have to shut the stereo off entirely to prevent this.

Ugh.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[BigJimSlade]

Just to chime in, my '95 3000GT has a 1/8th" jack right on the front of the stock Infinity sound system. I've never even considered replacing it because of this. When I needed a CD player for it, I got a Discman. Now I have a 30 gig iPod hooked in to it. Great stuff. Hope to see this on the next car (stereo) I buy.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[bdjohns1]

Actually, they do make "protocol converters" (which provide an AUX input for your car, and convert it into a signal that your car stereo can handle) for a lot of cars. Basically, if your stock/replacement head unit is capable of controlling a CD changer, you may be able to hook in this way.

Try http://www.pie.net/ - I got a converter for my 2001 Honda Civic for $50.

All you'll need to do is figure out how to get to the back of your headunit. My install details are at my blog.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[Q2Serpent]

If they percieved this to really be a problem, they would do two things:

(1) Add a headphone jack
(2) Make the line-in hidden by a small panel or something

This way, the clearly labeled headphone jack wouldn't confuse anyone, and those of us who wanted the line-in jack would be able to use it too.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[dacetone]

Funny, I went to the Best Buy in my hometown, and after looking at all the models on display to no avail, when I asked for it, they looked at me funny. Must just be me.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[DanCo]

What's to say every manufacturer doesn't do as you specify with option two, but does it really, really well? :P

Re:Cassette Adapters

[luisdom]

When I bought my car stereo, I discussed that topic with the seller. It was available in the expensive stereos. His conclusion (quite a reasonable one) was that the manufacturer didn't want you to plug your cd-mp3-whatever in a cheap player, they wanted you to buy their options (12 cd loader, etc.), with their semi-standard back connector.

Re:Cassette Adapters

[SPYvSPY]

You have hit the nail on the head. As the owner of an $800 Clarion head unit, I can confirm that even the most expensive car stereos are pure crap. Mine even has those fucking dolphins, which I hate vehemently. As a bonus, my wonderful Clarion has no internal amp. Wheee! Oh, and I get the privilege of navigating nineteen steps into the on-screen menu just to change the bass levels. Oh yeah--the fancy LCD display can display up to 8 colors!

New Acronym

[LightStruk]

IANAGE.

Re:New Acronym

[jgaynor]

AHhhhhhhhhhh you beat me to it! And I thought I was so clever!

damn

[b17bmbr]

i just bought an ipod. do i get a new beetle?

Re:damn

[geggibus]

You get about 0.12mBeetle for the 10 and 15gb models and a little less than 0.14mBeetle for the 30gb.

(Using the New GL beetle as 1 beetle(1278kg). The Ipods weigh 158g,158g and 176g)

Re:damn

[Zoop]

Why a beetle at all?

OK, this would have been a cool idea 4 years ago when the iMac came out, as many at the time suggested. Get a Beetle, get a matching iMac. But now the new Beetle is passe. Shouldn't these things be in that annoyingly trendy pseudo-Mini BMW keeps hawking?

They're supposed to be matching the hipness of the style, not the 3-years-ago-this-was-cool of the current crop of G4 processors.

In Car Firewire or USB ?

[vlad30]

So Is there a car with Firewire or USB connectivity from the manufacturer ?? If not how long before we see it ?

BTW I think this will be better than those in car removable hard drive solutions from 2-3 years ago

Re:In Car Firewire or USB ?

[pv2b]

This combined with electrical servo steering systems would allow you to steer the car using the jog wheel on the iPod.

Excellent for back seat driving.

Re:In Car Firewire or USB ?

[the_2nd_coming]

does ot matter....you cannot upload from an iPod.

Re:In Car Firewire or USB ?

[Klaruz]

BTW I think this will be better than those in car removable hard drive solutions from 2-3 years ago

Sorry, it IS better than most of them. But nothing has topped the empeg for best in car mp3 player. Nothing. Period. End of story. Ask any owner, or anybody who rides in the car of an owner. Of course, they cost over $2000 new and only 2000 or so were made.

The company just got bought by a high end audio mrfg. Hopefully they're revive the tech for a car player again. Maybe even more affordable. I just need to keep my friends from drooling on mine until something comes out.

(The ipod IS the best hand held player, just like my powerbook is the best laptop out there.) :-)

Is it really an incentive?

[Anonymous Coward]

If someone can afford to lay down the money for a new VW, couldn't they afford to get a new ipod if they really wanted to? I wonder then whether this is more of a promotion for apple than VW.

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[wo1verin3]

Scenario....

You walk to the store to get a bottle of coke.

They have one bottle for $0
They have a second bottle for $2

The bottles are identical.
You only wish to leave the store with one bottle.

Which do you take? Just because you can afford the $2 one, do you take it? Or do you take the free one?

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[Neophytus]

I take the free one, because £1.20 for a 500ml bottle is a rip off.

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[the_2nd_coming]

if you can afford to lay down the money for a new VW, you could afford the bike as well.

this is an incentive realy....you get something fun for free when you buy a car you need.

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[rnd()]

Assuming someone were to finance or lease the VW, the cost of the IPod added in would amount to about $5 per month or less.

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[Error27]

If someone buys your new VW, you can afford to give them an ipod. It must be a pretty good ad campainge if it's worthy of slashdot mention.

But you're right, Apple probably sold them the ipods at cost.

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[dasmegabyte]

Well, a new 15 GB iPod is $400. If you can, instead of spending this money directly on the iPod, spend it as part of a downpayment on a new car, and STILL get the iPod, you might be likely to do that.

It's a tie in deal. VW has done this in the past with Trek cycles (you buy a Jetta, you get a $200 Trek 800), K2 Snowboards (you buy a Jetta, you get this snowboard and no damn boots or bindings), and if i'm not mistaken they had an e-edition golf with a MS PocketPC.

A tie-in doesn't really save anybody any money, but it does associate your vehicle in a very unique way with an activity. Any car can transport a bike, but VW's got a car "built" for it. Any car can have a little handheld pc holder glued in it, but VW's got one "designed" for it. It's little things like this that get people curious enough to go and check it out at their local lot. And then chances are more likely that they'll buy something.

They're not the only ones to do this -- i'm thinking of Orvis, Eddie Bauer and LL Bean edition SUVs, which are the same with slightly altered upholstery or a slightly altered storage compartment.

I've always hoped VW would team up with Apple. They're marketted to the same people with pretty much the same tactics -- us pretentious liberal arts assholes with our buddy holly glasses and square toed shoes YEARNING to think different and be a wanted driver.

Re:Is it really an incentive?

[saintlupus]

i'm thinking of Orvis, Eddie Bauer and LL Bean edition SUVs

Or the various "designer" AMCs back in the 70s. Mmmm, Gucci designed Hornet upholstery. And the denim filled Levi's Gremlin.

--saint

Owns a lomo, writes in a moleskine

[Anonymous Coward]

It was inevitable, really. When two groups of people have so much in common, eventually they find each other. Volkswagen and Apple. Buy a New Beetle. Get a new iPod.

I wonder if all these 30somethings enjoy being such an easy demographic to market to.

Its a good idea...

[Anonymous Coward]

Granted, Most of the people on Slashdot are so concerned with there geek/nerd image to buy this car(I am among them).

Now... I think Apple is winning here... They get to expose even more people to there products. Remember... The people who buy these cars are your teeny bopper 16 year old girls... It is afterall a fashion statement.

Way to go Apple... What would of been nicer would of been a "matching" iPOD for the car. While we are at it... lets get an iPOD with every car we buy!

How interesting

[LinuxGeek]

I use a cassette adapter to use my Rio in my Jetta because of no usable AUX audio input. It can be less than fun putting in an aftermarket system because the stock stereo is part of the in-car network. Many dealers won't work on a car that has a different stereo even if the k-line (network link) has been severed because they have damaged expensive code scanners in the past. Seems that VW would make a standard DIN or RCA input to ease this problem.

My old 1990 Eclipse is the new home for my pioneer hu and homemade AUX input. It sounds much better than the cassette adapter interface for my mp3 player. Isn't the progress of technology marvelous?

A good thing...

[suso]

This is a good thing. Many companies are indirectly promoting mp3 music, etc.

Re:Linux support for iPods?

[computerme]

no but there are some linux hacks out there. but you won't get to use the apple music store which is the best way to buy music for mp3 players.

In other news...

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy a house, get the landscaping FREE.

Get a hotel room, and get the coffee FREE.

Buy a computer, and get a FREE floppy disk.

Buy Windows, and get wordpad FREE.

--
1-800-759-0700

Re:In other news...

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy Windows, and get wordpad FREE.

but Free as in Iraq.

VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[beavis88]

This would have been back around the '94 model year or so (on a friend's car, not mine). As I remember, the sound was not great, but certainly better than any of the tape adaptors available at the time. No idea why they ditched it...probably so they could sell you their $349 single-CD player, or $699 changer...

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[sgarrity]

I can confirm this. My old VW Fox didn't have one, but a friends mid-nineties Jetta does.

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[Whatchamacallit]

VW Bug's also used to power the windshield washer using your spare tire pressure so if you didn't fill the air in the spare tire you would be screwed when you actually experienced a flat tire!

VW Bug engines used to be so easy to remove that people would go grocery shopping, come back to their car and drive away then wonder why their engine suddenly sucked monkey balls. Take it to the mechanic only to find out somebody swapped their new engine with an old one! Kids were taking these engines and putting them in dune buggies or simply replacing their shot engines. A skilled person could remove an engine in under 20 minutes. Kinda like a BOFH swapping parts on the managers PC!

Fortunately, the new Bug's are not like the old ones...
But still JD Power and Associates rate the VW's as some of the worst cars to buy.

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[SN74S181]

That sounds like an UL. If I were going to steal the engine out of somebody's Volkswagen, I definitely wouldn't stick around long enough to install another one in it's place.

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[satterth]

Yes, the stock radio in the MK3 cars (3rd generation) had the 1/8" input. Golf, Jetta and the corrado had these from '93 to '98 in north america. A feature i rather liked. Too bad they took it away along with the DIN sized deck too. Such a pitty.

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[satterth]

Your old Fox would have been a MK2 car in northamerica. No 1/8" jacks on them. But the bonus is they were standard DIN sized so aftermarket stuff slipped in like a dream. Too bad about the motor though, alot of the aftermarket parts would just not work. Friends of mine always were thinking of gutting the motor and electronics, then replacing with a built 2.0. Now that would have been a sleeper for sure.

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[Ryan Amos]

You're thinking of the old bugs. Everyone knew they were shitty cars, but that's pretty much WHY people drove them. Also, because the engine was so easy to remove, repairs cost less. I'm not saying they're the best car ever, but if you were a college student in the 60s, it beats the hell out of mom and dad's old station wagon.

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[generic-man]

VW doesn't sell a single-CD player for the New Beetle in the US -- although they do in some other coutntries. When I got mine in 2000, my only option was a $700 dealer-installed CD changer.

I waited three years, but eventually settled on a nice Alpine CD deck that plays MP3s. Now I have 10 hours of music on a disc -- and the drop in quality isn't as evident when driving down the Pennsylvania Turnpike at 80 mph. :)

Re:VW *used* to provide a 1/8" input jack

[Otter]

My favorite feature from the old Bugs and Squarebacks -- the triangular panel in the front window that rotated outwards to act as an air scoop. Heaven on a hot day with no AC, and perfect for blasting hot air out of the car after leaving it parked in the sun.

I'd buy any new car that implemented that feature.

ITrip

[Anonymous Coward]

For all the people who do not want a cassette adaptor. Check out the ITrip. I need to order one of these. My brother stated that he has good luck with it. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/itrip/

Re:ITrip

[kweiske]

How does your brother have good luck with the Itrip when it's only available for pre-order?

Re:ITrip

[PotPieMan]

Maybe because he's using the original iTrip with his first or second generation iPod?

Re:iTrip

[doogles]

Anybody know when the iTrip FM Transmitter for the iPod is coming out?

They are in Apple Stores now. I was in Chicago this past week, and saw them with my own eyes.

Re:iTrip

[krray]

New iPod or old? The old version has been shipping (have mine, love it :).

Re:ITrip

[timmyf2371]

If you read the website carefully, you'll see that the ITrip adapter is already available for the original iPod whereas the adapter for the new-style iPod is on pre-order.

Re:ITrip

[teknokracy]

I've used an FM transmitter (Belkin) with the iPod, and they are one of the most useless devices for the most money. Not only does it have a range of about 4 feet, it tends to get a lot of interference from TVs, other radio stationg, cel phones... the 88.X band is really really littered with misceleaneous signals. Unfortunately that's the only range of signals one is allowed to transmit short range on. Oh well.

Re:ITrip

[VCAGuy]

Unfortunately that's the only range of signals one is allowed to transmit short range on.

Really? The iTrip (which I own) has settings for both FCC and European regulatory domains and allows selection of any band from 87.9MHz to 107.9Mhz in 0.2MHz steps (in the FCC domain--it allows 0.1MHz steps when set for European domains).

Re:iTrip

[allgood2]

Its already out and wonderful. I've been using mine for a few months now, and its wonderful...marvelous (yeah, yeah, and other showtunes). I've used it in friends cars as well, and it works fine. I would assume easier to use than an adapter kit, once you've selected a radio channel, and just overrides the current stream of music with your playlist (of course this works better on stations that you can't get a clear single from, otherwise its battle of the competing radio streams).

I mostly use iTrip with my home stereo system, because the external speakers attached to my computer are puny. My only compliant is the little prong that goes into your firewire port on the old iPods. I don't like my port covered, because you can still charge and stream, if you rotate the iTrip slightly. That said, blasting my iPod to my stereo for work, play, and even those relaxing evenings spent reading in my garden, is fantastic. The iTrip is the best $30+ dollars, I've spent in awhile.

Re:iTrip

[Jon Abbott]

Wait, don't buy that iTrip just yet... MacWhispers recently conducted a review of four different FM transmitters, and the iTrip was rated poorly. The other transmitters they tested don't look as cool, and they don't use the iPod as a power source, but they tend to have much greater range and easier configurability.

Re:iTrip

[NilesDonegan]

I know two people who have them, but they're for the older version of the iPod (the newer version came out a few weeks after the iTrip appeared - d'oh!). The FM transmitter is just the same as all the others I've tried - scratchy and fickle, even when right next to your stereo. But it's compact and turns off with your iPod, whereas other transmitters stay on, draining the batteries.

Re:ITrip

[teknokracy]

Well, the Belkin one has 88.1, 88.3 and 88.5 selectable only. I suppose it would be better if you could select any range, but I live in a city so pretty much every band is taken up, or within a certain number i.e 95.3 may be the station but it also covers 95.1 and 95.5, very faintly though

German engineer?

[KamuSan]

AFAIK the beetle is designed in the US and since this is totally US-specific I guess no German engineers were involved whatsoever. I mean, if they were, then they propably wouldn't have use the casette-adaptor anyway. (Especially since noone uses cassettes in Europe anymore. Boo hiss, old, ancient!)

Re:German engineer?

[ptr2void]

Especially since noone uses cassettes in Europe anymore.

Well I do. :-D

Re:German engineer?

[fehlschlag]

That may be true, but that is the assembly plant, not the design lab.

Re:Linux support for iPods?

[JRootabega]

No. But it really doesn't matter.

still waiting

[pangu]

still waiitng for the Beetle with an Imac style flat panel popping out the top. 100 inches or so to keep the proportions...

That's NOTHING ...

[SuperDuG]

If you buy a used car at Al's Super Sales Used Auto Mart, then he'll throw in a family member, but wait that's not all if you get there in the next two hours he'll even throw in a free person all you can eat buffet pass to the sizzler!

This isn't VW's big pull to align with apple (obviously the thing interacts through a tape deck). This is a gimick. They going to throw in a chop-o-matic too?

Integration

[morcheeba]

The holster is a bit hokey... would it kill apple/vw to design the ipod so that it can go inside a slot fairly deep such that only the lcd screen is showing? I'm thinking on top of the dash, kinda like a toaster. If necessary, the ipod should be able to rotate the image on its screen accordingly (for upside-down or sideways installations).

I wonder if the car can control the ipod - i.e. fast forward, rewind, etc. The older-style remote protocol is documented here so that you can build an interface to anything you want. It includes nice pictures & working source code!

Re:Integration

[boinger]

I dunno - a 'toaster' slot is just asking for a lot of skanky crap to fall down in there. Think of a real toaster. Now think of the nasty stuff you find in a car after a few years. Ew.

Now if it plugged in upside down (wouldn't work in my car, but up on the ceiling portion above/in front of the rearview in some cars would work), then it would make sense, I think.

Re:Integration

[thatguywhoiam]

The holster is a bit hokey... would it kill apple/vw to design the ipod so that it can go inside a slot fairly deep such that only the lcd screen is showing? I'm thinking on top of the dash, kinda like a toaster. If necessary, the ipod should be able to rotate the image on its screen accordingly (for upside-down or sideways installations).

Good lord man, why would you want that? From the video (which is a wicked commercial, btw) the iPod swivels and is fully exposed so you can, you know, use it. Plus it was on a fairly convenient angle. Much better than those things that clip to the vent or whatever.

Belkin makes the iPod cup holder thingy incidentally; you can email them with questions about it and they're fairly responsive.

Re:Integration

[morcheeba]

I want to control the iPod with the default radio buttons on the steering wheel. With this and the toaster-style mounting, there would be no need to have to reach to use the ipod's buttons. The swivel looks like an add-on that will get caught on things and get knocked about. I'm thinking of the slot being placed on top of the dash, or maybe under the radio. True, the LCD screen to the ipod isn't the greatest in terms of angle-of-view, so a swivel might be helpful... either good placement of the slot from the start, or adding a swivel to the toaster-slot could solve this.

It is a wicked commercial! - great photography & music, plus a neat "oh wow you can do that" factor.

8-Track

[SN74S181]

Yes, but does the cassette adapter work in one of those 8-track adapters? You know the ones; they plug into the 8-track slot on your dashboard and you can put a cassette in them.

Re:8-Track

[Jon Abbott]

I just got mild vertigo thinking of the rotational motion of all of the components in such a setup... :^) I think it would work, as long as you could keep the cables from getting tangled or stuck in the deck.

iTrip

[JojoLinkyBob]

Anybody know when the iTrip FM Transmitter for the iPod is coming out?

The website has been stating "shipping soon" for a very long time now. At any rate, this could be an easier connection than a tape cassette, except for the possible trade-off of sound quality.

They used to...

[morcheeba]

When CDs started becoming more popular, the tape-players had aux inputs meant for discman-type players. Then they switched to in-dash CD players and dropped the inputs... now they're being caught behind the MP3-player curve again and are trying to re-add the input. With a car lifespan so long, you'd think that car manufacturers should give up trying to predict what personal electronic trends will be 15 years in the future, and just add the jack to all radios.

A better way to connect your iPod

[myov]

If you don't have a CD Changer installed, you use this adapter. It will change the CD wiring to a standard RCA plug. It also provides a serial line, which with some hacking can be used to control your iPod from the head unit.

In 2003 beetles, the CD Changer is prewired to be installed between the seats (remove the insert). In the older models, it's wired to the trunk. There are also adapters that plug in behind the head unit, rather than using the cd cabling.

This way you don't need to use a FM transmitter or casette adapter, and you don't need to change the stock radio (and run into the K-wire problem)

There was one!

[thatguywhoiam]

I've seen exactly one make and model of car that had this exact feature: weirdly, the VW Golf had it. The standard factory cassette player for that car had a line-in minijack right on the corner of the faceplate.

I remember very specifically, for when I saw it, I went off on a giant geek tirade at the dealer, asking why this hasn't been as standard as the AC plug on every single car in the world for many years. (Conspiracy for 3rd party decks?)

Re:There was one!

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the Honda Element has a minijack on the stereo faceplate. If you have a stereo with CD changer controls built in, you can use something like this.

Re:There was one!

[Jenova_Six]

Uhh, last time I checked, there weren't many cars that offered a standard AC plug. You still have to buy a voltage inverter and plug it into the standard DC plug to get AC in your car.

Re:There was one!

[NonSequor]

I have a Honda Element and the jack isn't on the stereo itself but is right next to it above the glove compartment.

Re:There was one!

[binarybum]

Some 86-87 model toyotas had this as well. I think maybe the corola? It was a hatchback whatever it was.

I don't even think many non-factory stereos have this option anymore.

shame

Re:There was one!

[squiggleslash]

Hey don't be too hard on him. You don't know the circumstances. He might have been forced to choose between an Element or a Pontiac Aztec...

hey buy a Mac Bundle get 300 off

[the_2nd_coming]

hey, if you get a new Mac bunded with an iPod and an HP printer, yu get a 300 dollor rebate on your purchase...basicly, an free printer and iPod (you can just get an iPod or just a printer if you like for a 200/100 dollor rebate respectivy)

what allso kicks ass is the 5-15% reduction in prices.....finance an e-mac with the super drive and get it for 10 bucks a month!!!

THEY DO HAVE 1/8 Input Stereos!!!

[blahbooboo2]

I have a car stereo that accepts 1/8 input...they are out there.

Blaupaunkt made mine...

Just a crappy cassette adapter?

[phillymjs]

Damn, that sucks. Especially when the commercial kinda makes it look (to my unfamiliar-with-VW eye) like the iPod is a little better integrated with the stereo than that. Oh well.

Depending on what kind of stereo you've got, you may be able to get an auxiliary input cable adapter. I got one from XMFanstore for the OEM stereo in my car, which has an unused aux connector for a CD changer-- the adapter I bought just ends in female RCA jacks, so you can hook up pretty much any audio input to it. Maybe one of these days I'll be in the mood to take the center console apart and pull the stereo out to connect that cable. Until then, I'm using a crappy cassette adapter. :-(

Another product I'll be getting when it's available is this RF iPod remote control. I plan to run the cable to a storage compartment in the console, so the iPod will be out of sight/the way but I'll still be able to control it.

I agree with the "Why aren't they putting God damned input jacks on car stereos yet?" sentiment. What we really need are car stereos and MP3 players with Bluetooth, so they can connect that way. Of course, then you'd have short battery life without plugging the MP3 player into an auto power adapter-- but at least pretty much every car has someplace to plug one of those in.

~Philly

Re:Just a crappy cassette adapter?

[SN74S181]

We really, really, need some of the BSD trolls to come out with a 'Bluetooth is dying' crapflood.

Oh, wait. Bluetooth really is dying. That would contradict the whole notion of trolling on when something isn't dying....

Re:What's with the gay comments?

[op51n]

'Rice-mobile'?!? What, would that invove like say, the Nissan Skyline, or the Subaru Impreza? The Lancer Evo? Yea, they all suck ass... !??!?!

About the cassette adapter...

[owlicks58]

It's not to hard to rig up a custom set up yourself. For most stereos you can at least get an adapter to allow aux inputs. On mine it runs through the cd changer controls to the aux input adapter. Then that runs to my belkin auto charger which has a little amp in it. The auto charger is spliced into the cigarette lighter, but this is all under the dash so all you see coming out is the data cable from the belkin charger. And the vent clip on cell phone holder that they sell at radio shack is a perfect fit for the iPod. Here is a pic of the setup. My iPod Setup

no thanks

[heXXXen]

i'm just fine with my setup. my ipod plugs in to the AUX port on the faceplate of my aiwa deck in my toyota corolla.

cassette adapters are a joke.

Really really bad sound quality...

[teknokracy]

I've driven pretty much every late model VW that there is, and every single one that had an OEM stereo had incredibly terrible sound, this for a car that is basically bought and marketed towards younger people who DO play music. In a new Jetta for example, the sound was so bad I couldn't even belive that was possible. My 1993 Cherokee puts out better sound, and the two rear speakers don't even work, and to top that I'm using a tape adapter as well. So, I wouldn't even want to put an iPod in there at all... who says it has to live in your car? It would just be a waste since the sound systems stink so much.

Re:Really really bad sound quality...

[Anonymous Coward]

Ummm no. But there are a substantial amount of VW's out there with poor quality OEM stereos, the quality difference from car to car is really pretty astounding.

1) My 1997 VW Jetta "Jazz" came with a 10 speaker Bose system. Gorgeous sound.

2) 2002 VW Jetta 1.8T w/ Monsoon Stereo (8 speakers), this car had sucky sound, pretty dull. Car got slammed by a ricer 9 months after I bought it.

3) 2003 VW Jetta 1.8T w/ Monsoon Stereo... gorgeous sound, very tunable... almost prefer it to my old Jetta Jazz. Speaker positions could be a little better, but they're not bad where they are.

Re:Really really bad sound quality...

[timeOday]

Have you heard all the different systems available? It's not "late model" anymore, but my '98 Jetta GLX has a pretty decent factory sound system IMHO.

Re:Really really bad sound quality...

[teknokracy]

Well, since they were press fleet vehicles for journalists to test out they were the top of the line for their model. Perhaps it was just that one car? But I know that the camper van has terrible sound, even with a factory installed sony system.

Re:Really really bad sound quality...

[EvilNight]

I've got a 2002 model with the Monsoon and it's pretty good. The default settings from the factory were, of course, rather terrible. After some tuning on both the stereo and my Archos MP3 Player it makes very good sound. You get much better sound from the rear speakers. I was thinking I'd need to add a kicker to boost the bass but the monsoon surprised me, I think since it can already shake the mirrors (and my glasses) it's good enough as is.

The only real complaint I've got with the sound is that it is incredibly easy to hit the resonance frequency of the door panels with loud music, and when that happens you get the nastiest burst of noise. It's really bad in cold weather. I'm planning to pop open the panels at some point and insulate the speakers to give them more kick and put an end to the noise. Once that's done I doubt I'll bother upgrading the sound system until the speakers die.

I just have to say... for the price, you can't touch this car for comfort, performance, and safety. I'm beginning to think I should have bought the Turbo-S model. I have the 1.8 Turbo and up around 120MPH it would really, really benefit from that 6th gear. Gas mileage in these cars is sick... if you actually know how to drive a stick properly you can get 45mpg even in city traffic. It's like the poor man's Audi TT ;)

Fish, meet Bait..

[mumblestheclown]

Two companies known for slick marketing along the general lines of "geeky cool" get together through some sort of marketing agreement. Slashdot publishes it, and a bunch of MBAs make some money.

Oh, I know, maybe you thought they were giving away the ipods.

For a group that does a lot of whining about generic music a la britney spears every time the music debates come up, slashdot sure has a nice way of playing the marionette whenever some new pseudo-kitsch gadget or anime box set comes out..

Re:Fish, meet Bait..

[timeOday]

Are we looking at the same webpage? It seems most of the user comments are about the dissapointing lack of integration between the car and the player. I doubt that will come across in the commercials.

As for generic music, well you can load the iPod with whatever you like. Probably you were just alluding to some more abstract objection, but I don't see it. Apple's online music offering (integrated with the iPod) seems more accepted than most to slashdotters. If it were just up to the RIAA I don't think there would be any mp3 players at all.

Think of the buying experience

[Space Coyote]

You're at the VW dealership, and you climb inside the brand new Beetle. And you see this little white thing near the stereo. You ask the dealer what that's all about, he encourages you to play with it. You see that it's filed with literally thousands of songs that you can play in the car's stereo instantly. You ask. He says it's yours with the car. You go across the street to anotehr car dealer. Inside the car you find the usual CD player with some lame CD they stuck in there. Just one CD at a time. It's all about overwhelming the prospective buyer with the experience. And the idea of all the music you could ever need at your fingertips is definitely a compelling one.

Re:Think of the buying experience

[fafaforza]

> It's all about overwhelming the prospective buyer
> with the experience

Hey it works. I bought a new PowerBook just because I was infatuated by the Flury screensaver and the visualisation plugin in iTunes!

Re:Think of the buying experience

[Feral Bueller]

You're at the VW dealership, and you climb inside the brand new Beetle. And you see this little white thing near the stereo. You ask the dealer what that's all about, he encourages you to play with it. You see that it's filed with literally thousands of songs that you can play in the car's stereo instantly. You ask. He says it's yours with the car.

... and driving out of your VW dealership, you're so busy screwing around adding "I am the Warrior" (Patty Smythe/Scandal) to your "On-The-Go" playlist that you run a red light and plow into a bus full of retarded kids, killing 12.

So who gets sued -- VW or Apple?

Cassette adapter, marketing not engineering

[squashed]

This is a promotion conceived in the marketing department, not the engineering department.

Re:Linux support for iPods?

[Anonymous Coward]

There is no official support (of course) but the iPod works just fine on Linux. You need to a recent kernel with firewire support (2.4.21 works best for me) and some software to write the DB - gtkpod (gtkpod.sourceforge.net) is by far the best I have found (it is better than the windows software IMHO).

Getting the modules installed and mounting the ipod, especially the whole hotplug daemon thing, can be a little annoying, but it is pretty well documented.

I still think the PhatBox is the best thing going

[justMichael]

PhatBox

I know, it's not cheap and doesn't support vorbis files and the manager is Windows only.

But to me the ability to control it through my factory head unit makes that a non-issue.

It does support mp3, wma, flac and audible.

If I wasn't leasing my car I would have gotten one as soon as Audi officially supported and started installing them.

Not only aux in, but what about cell phones?

[gladbach]

I've also been asking for years why car companies dont create an interface (most likely in the stereo) that would allow you to connect your cellphone to a mic built into your sunvisor or rearview mirror, and your car speakers?

All it would take would be for manufacturers to decide on the jack type, and walla, no more need for fools getting in car wrecks because they are driving one handed and/or looking down at their phones, trying to dial a number.

add in a cellphone with voice dialing, and some features to control your stereo with voice commands and you have a sure winner, after a very trivial manufacturer cost...

Re:Not only aux in, but what about cell phones?

[jayratch]

I've also been asking for years why car companies dont create an interface (most likely in the stereo) that would allow you to connect your cellphone to a mic built into your sunvisor or rearview mirror, and your car speakers?
[snip] add in a cellphone with voice dialing, and some features to control your stereo with voice commands and you have a sure winner, after a very trivial manufacturer cost...

It's called Onstar. GM, and now Acura and VW. Costs more than a regular cell phone, though, if it was more commonplace and other manufacturers (besides BMW and Mercedes) started doing it I'm sure the prices would descend to normal.

re: aux input: on the flipside, that would hurt a number of other business ventures, ie, aftermarket for CD changers and the like.

Plus I've noticed, being in the business, that a number of features get left out for the simple reasons that people still buy the cars without them, and adding another little feature four years later gives them a reason to buy a new car. (and thus, profit!) In terms of things we already can imagine doing, there's precious little left to add to a car before, to the common consumer, the product is perfect and never needs upgrading.

Re:Not only aux in, but what about cell phones?

[gladbach]

onstar, imho, doesn't quite count. It has some cool features, and also has the ability to use it for personal calling as they call it, but its not quite the same as being able to jack your current cell phone into your car.

to make it even remotely usefull, youd have to have the ability to forward your cellphone to your onstar number. wouldnt it suck when you keep forgetting to unforward it, having everyone calling your car while you are no where near your car for very long periods of time....

sure, you can forget your cellphone, but whats easier to remember? a physical cell phone, or the fact that you didnt change a feature of that cellphone as you are walking down the street...

Re:Not only aux in, but what about cell phones?

[babbage]

to make it even remotely usefull, youd have to have the ability to forward your cellphone to your onstar number. wouldnt it suck when you keep forgetting to unforward it, having everyone calling your car while you are no where near your car for very long periods of time....

And here's where the Bluetooth phone could shine, as the simple act of bringing the phone into or out of the car could magically set up forwarding for you.

And for that matter, if the car had Bluetooth to work with your phone, and your hypothetical third-generation iPod had Bluetooth support as well, then the need for the AUX jack would be very much diminished for you.

Someday, maybe...

Re:Not only aux in, but what about cell phones?

[gvonk]

Jack type? Psssh... Who needs a jack when you've got the Bluetooth Car Kit?

This is somewhat like what you described, only a billion times better. Basically, you get in your car with your phone in your pocket or jacket or briefcase or wherever... And turn on your car. And that's it. Your phone is connected to the handsfree system and you can make calls using the voice dial or whatever you want.

Weird

[AnonymousCowheart]

Weird that they're pushing this, since the beetle is being discontinued

Re:Weird

[berniecase]

The original air-cooled Beetle (introduced back in the 1930s) is discontinued. The New Beetle (front-engine water-cooled) is still being produced worldwide.

Blaupunkt with aux

[OhCrap]

I bought a 92 Honda Accord from a friend, and she had installed a Blaupunkt CD stereo. The cool thing about this stereo is that it has an aux in cable that is connected to the stero and ends up in the glove box. I have a 2nd generation 10gig iPod and I connect it to the stero using this cable- and leave the iPod in the glove box playing away. There is a button on the stereo that lets you choose the source of the music, aux, cd, or stero. It's a nice set up. You might want to check out the Blaupunkts to see if they fit your needs.

An alternative

[pauljlucas]

Years ago, I had a portable CD player, a car-mount kit, and a cassette adapter. It was inconvenient and ugly with cables all over. Never again.

I think the iPod is cool, but it just doesn't work in a car. So I went with an in-trunk HDD player that has adapters for Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, and VW head units to make it appear to be either a Siruis radio or multi-disc CD changer. The only cable is hidden in your car just like an ordinary in-trunk disc changer.

When I want to sync music, I slide the unit out of the trunk and slide it into a USB bay connected to my Mac. The disk mounts on the desktop. It all works fairly well.

Since the unit is in the trunk, it's not sitting in a cup-holder in plain view as a tasty morsel to a passer-by theif.

German engineers

[AvantLegion]

It uses a casette adapter, which is really lame. Of course, I use a casette adapter with my iPod, but I am not a German engineer.

Which just goes to prove my theory: German engineers love cassette adapters.

And David Hasselhoff.

Re:German engineers

[Cackmobile]

Yeah whats up with that. I have german relatives who all STILL love David Hasselhoff. ITs quite scary. THey are normal in all other ways.

Awesome commercial

[Traa]

Wow!

I can't be the only slashdot poster to see past the technical aspects of hooking up an iPod in a car and see one very very beautifull add. Without looking it up my guess would be that the Volkswagen people put the add together, it's in their style.

With its style & music I put it on the same level as the recent technically cool Honda add.

Re:Awesome commercial

[capsteve]

man, one of these days i wish more slashdotters would learn how to spell and use grammar. sometimes reading the comments to a story posted on slashdot is like reading the script to abbott and costello's "who's on first" routine.

"add" would be the contraction of a word like "addition"! "Ad" is the correct contraction for "advertising"!

i'm not trying to personally attack traa, but i've seen too many syntax errors of this sort in posts not to respond. after all, aren't most of the slashdot members either sysadmins or programmers for whom spelling and grammar might mean the difference between something functioning or not?

english is a clumsy language with its jumble of rules, but so are programming languages! syntax and grammar are important in communication as well as .conf files!

sheesh!

Re:Awesome commercial

[Traa]

Dear Mr. Sheesh,

Why not go play outside instead of posting a non-informative reply to someone's simple remark on slashdot. Let's just say you covered your spelling-elitist self with the remark "i'm not trying to personally attack traa". But since you seem to want some form of explanation for my shortcomings, let me go over a few points:

1) English is my 2nd language, after Dutch (en mijn Nederlands is prima, eikel).
2) This is slashdot. For fun with spelling maybe you should try www.dictionary.com.
3) Not ever did any of my English teachers tell me it was ok to leave out capitals. Being the spelling nazi that you aspire to be, you should at least have been consistent. Puzzle: find the capital letter in your post.
4) Comparing programming languages to regular languages on slashdot shows a level of insight for which this margin is to small to explain the psychoanalysis.

At least try something humorous next time.

Sincerely,
Traa

Re:Awesome commercial

[capsteve]

traa, like i said, i'm not making a personal attack on you, i'm making a comment on that fact that there's a great number of syntactical and grammatical errors in posts and comments. your comment just happened to be the most convenient example, so please accept my apologies...

the comparision of programming languages to a regular language might not be an interesting topic (or side topic) of discussion on slashdot, however the only point i was suggesting is that sentences can convey a specific message by the way it's structured; similarly a snippet of code will function in a specific way because of the way it is structured. a misspelling in a "regular" language sentance can convey a completely different message, or cause the message to not be conveyed at all, the same goes for programming.

Re:Awesome commercial

[Traa]

It's tough fighting the right battles on Slashdot. Everyone and their uncle has an opinion here and, stunningly, most of those are not the same as yours (or mine). Though English is still not my first language, I have been putting in an effort to better it since I happened to live in California. I have actually picked up a few grammar lessons here on slashdot :-)
And yes, like most other posters I am frequently guilty of grammatical laziness. The thing is, I don't really care all to much. It is rare that I can't get the gist of what someone is trying to say in a post. Whether it is obfuscated through l34t speak or "it is language wrong is you know yes" everyone has the right to express themselves out here the way they see fit. Kinda the good thing about slashdot.

Checking grammar takes time and effort, thus it becomes a tradeoff with the importance the poster assigns to the ideas he or she is trying to convey.

Like, I put some time into the above sentence :-)
(hope you like it). Yet, my original post in this (lonely) thread was a quicky "who cool comercial!"

Do you really care I misspelled commercial?

Man, I'm so bored. I'm sorry for going on so long. I accept your apology and must say that I wasn't really looking for one though it's good to just say 'sorry man, lets just be friend' (or as we say in Holland "Why can't we all just get a Bong" ;-).

You yourself are entitled to an opinion and that is all it was.

Sincerely,
Traa

PS That was not a real saying in Holland :-)

Honda Element has an input jack in the glovebox

[KFury]

Some manufacturers are getting the right idea. Honda's Element has a power source (cig lighter thing) and a mini-jack input in the glove box. It also has a third power plug in the cargo area for a cooler.

Of course, the Element is targeted to the surfer wilderness crowd, but hopefully they'll start to see that other people have iPods, too.

Re:Honda Element has an input jack in the glovebox

[mrpuffypants]

Of course, the Element is targeted to the surfer wilderness crowd

Yeah! Gnarly! Let's go stab a bear with our boogie board! Wicked! NRA4EVA!

surfer wilderness seems to be an even more exclusive demo than VW owning Mac nuts (of which I'm a proud member)

Just confusing

[whereiswaldo]

Why do marketing people still insist in talking like this?

"It was inevitable, really. When two groups of people have so much in common, eventually they find each other. Volkswagen and Apple. Buy a New Beetle. Get a new iPod. And the kit that brings them together (plus a lot of other cool stuff like free music and a $100 Apple Store coupon). Learn more about this special deal."

I noticed that if you want to generate a feeling in the reader's mind, lots of short sentence fragments really prevent that from happening.

Re:If you pay MSRP....

[toddestan]

"3. Buy a Toyota Camry second-hand off a rental company."

Oh yeah, buy some random rental beater that has been abused the last 25,000 miles. That's real smart. You ever see how people drive those cars? Or how the company takes care of them?

I bought one Friday!

[Cybersonic]

They said it takes two weeks to ship it to you... I didnt even know they were running this promotion until AFTER I decided to buy the car - the salesman just called me up and said 'oh, you get an iPod too', which is cool, ive been wanting one to plug into my Powerbook...

They refused to ship it to a P.O. Box, which was inconvienent for me, but no big deal, we are just happy to have a nice new Yellow Bug :)

My Idea

[Ideomrch]

Way back when the new iMac was released I had the idea that Volkswagon and Apple should team up to produce a VW Beatle with the color scheme of the iMac. Although I can't claim credit for the free iPod idea because I don't even think the iPod existed at that time.

Re:Linux support for iPods?

[modecx]

no but there are some linux hacks out there. but you won't get to use the apple music store which is the best way to buy music for mp3 players.

Corrrection. It's an okay way to buy music for those with a Macintosh, and perhaps an iPod.

Re:Toureg

[satterth]

if i had the money. personally i prefer an old beetle say 1967 possibly 1966 with 12v conversion

You do realize that a restored beetle is much more affordable than a Toureg. I've seen some really nice frame off, nut and bolt, complete restorations go for around $10,000. You can get a Restored VW for each day of the week instead of a Toureg. Lets say an Oval window for Monday, A split for Tuesday, A Super for Wednesday, A convertable for Thurdsay and a Baja for Friday.

Re:What's with the gay comments?

[nutshell42]

German engineering rocks.

Guess what, it would rock even more if they'd had the sense to build the Turbo S Beetle with a simple audio-in =)

Why doesn't apple make...

[v1]

a car stereo that has a "docking bay" slot in it where you can just plug in your iPod? That would be ideal, just stuff it into the dash to play your tunes in the vehicle, while charging the iPod, then take the iPod with you when you go. No need to pull the stereo out of the dash to load new music onto it either. And having an important component removable should make it less prone to theft also, as the MP3 stereos seem to be very high risk right now.

SO dissapointing...

[gotr00t]

I would have expected something much more from a corperate partnership between Apple and Volkswagen, like some sort of dock in the car that you can directly plug the iPod into and leave the headphone port free.

Instead, its a lame combination of just a generic casette adapter, a generic cigarette lighter slot charger, and a bumper sticker, which they're ALWAYS out of. Instead of buying a beetle with this lame system,

I think that I can build my own. All I need is a spare iPod dock, that kit that you can use to connect to the RCA ports behind the radio, and the charger that plugs into the dock. Then, I simply attach the dock to a drink holder or something, and there is a MUCH better solution than the one that Apple/VW is offering. All I would have to do is plug the iPod into the dock, instead of messing with wires.

Re:What's with the gay comments?

[geggibus]

I think audio-out would be more useful, then you could plug in some earphones and only you would hear the noise from the car...

Re:Blaupunkt did something similar

[Glenstorm]

I have a Blaupunkt head unit that has an AUX option and utilizes the input terminals for the CD changer. So if you didn't have a CD changer you could buy a $20 adapter that would plug into the back of the unit and had an 1/8" jack available at the other end. I really liked this feature. I am not sure if they still do this though. . .

God damned input jacks on car stereos

[timothy]

Some do have such damned jacked ;)

I spent a long time shopping for a car stereo, because I wanted a few things lamentably rare:

1) simple, understandable, clean-cut controls
2) logic-control tape deck (luckily now the other kind is rare, but 5 years ago, it was the other way around). Even though I rarely listen to tapes ... just don't like the big clunky-button transports -- I'm great at wrecking tapes with them.
3) Like you, an input jack.

I ended up finding an old Blaupunkt (model is "Reno," aka CM147 -- I think it came out in 1987, when it was standard equipment on Porsche 928s, it seems ... google, the random) that claims to deliver iirc 45 watts X 4 channels.

Has an aux input built in, I use with a cable running out the (unused) ashtray, sometimes use my laptop as my music player.

timothy

MINI does this

[SuperKendall]

The radio comes ready for a $30 adaptor that lets you put a mini-jack anywhere in the car (dealer installs into glovebox), and the radio lets you select the AUX input.

If I hadn't dropped my old iPod on asphalt recently and killed it, I'd have one now.

My mixed review of iRock FM transmitter

[SuperKendall]

Sucks / Badly

You know how you drive through tunnels or near an airport and get all that static on the radio? Well, imagine that same experience every second you have your portable playing.

You mount, not upload.

[SuperKendall]

The way to use the iPod in a car system would be just to mount it as a firewire drive - then the player could just play whatever was on it. It would simply bypass all the iPod controls and treat it as a dumb device...

I think that would be the ultimate car stereo system, plus the system itself could be cheaper without a HD of it's own.

Re:You mount, not upload.

[jpkunst]

That may be difficult because the mp3 files on the iPod aren't visible when the iPod is mounted as an external drive (on a Mac, at least). You need to use the iPod OS + controls to get at your music.

JP

Re:You mount, not upload.

[the_2nd_coming]

mounting it as a drive would be fine. I took that statment (falaciously apparently) to be intended to upload the music to another device, not read the music.

Vehicular Dock

[Digital_Quartz]

I was just thinking about this the other day. This would be the "killer app" that would make me buy an iPod. I want an iPod dock built into my dash. Maybe a head unit consisting of a flip down display with a big 8-track-like recepticle for my iPod. Play tunes while I drive, using controls on my dash, just like a car stereo, then pop it out and carry it around while I'm at work.

Cassette adapter is interim solution!

[vought]

This thread at vwvortex indicates the the cassette adapter is only an interim solution, and that apparently Steve jobs is keen on the whole idea.

Belkin is building part of the 'connectivity kit'.

Knowing the general build quality of modern VWs and Audis, I can't imagine they'd suffer the cassette adapter on buyers. I'm sure an AUX input adapter thingy for the iPod is in the works.

Re:two overpriced underperforming technologies

[dasmegabyte]

If the world's safest compact, and the world's highest capacity sub 6 oz mp3 player, are underperforming technologies, I wonder what you consider the par to be.

You see, there are many different directions engineering goes in. Making faster engines or bigger SUVs is one direction. Making efficient engines and safer small cars is another. Making a high capacity hard drive is one. Making a regular capacity hard drive light enough to carry around is another.

But maybe you're right. Maybe there are some things we just shouldn't bother engineering. So, you know, all of these "feed the world" biotech kooks and "reduce the depletion of our natural resources" solar energy kooks should just give up.

Oh, and as for the "50% too high" comment: fuck you. You don't know what the margin is, know less about business than you do about engineering and Apple shouldn't drop the prices that are keeping them alive just to appease people who don't want an iPod anyway. My 30 gb iPod was the easiest $538.92 I ever spent (after selling four shitty mp3 players that were too big, bulky, poorly designer or low capacity, I found myself with over $600...enough to buy a couple CDs, too).

I thought they were collaborating...

[signingis]

on this here...

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/themichaelsmith/VWHi Res.mpg

blah blah quicktime plugins suck.. direct link

[sPaKr]

http://a772.g.akamai.net/5/772/51/59f90d714e2b19/1 a1a1aaa2198c627970773d80669d84574a8d80d3cb12453c02 589f25382e353c32f94c32c9c0b6f9e0e7de154b32896ff73d 8057bf2/pods_unite_m480.mov

Dammit, I *just* bought a Jetta

[tekrat]

How come I can't get an iPod? Ah, screw it. I'm having enough trouble just figuring out how to use the stereo. Do you think I can ask Apple to send me a victrola if I pull up to the dealership in a 1961 Beetle?

I like the Jetta, but, I have to admit that the older the Beetle, the cooler it is. Those new Beetles are cute, but the old ones just run forever.

I have both already. How many others?

[Sans_A_Cause]

This is might be an interesting poll: How many Beetle drivers out there own an iPod already? Are we lured by design but stay for the quality? Granted, both the Beetle and the iPod have their problems but overall I'm happy with both.

Easy to work around...

[SuperKendall]

Given that you'd have a custom device that would be mounting the iPod, adding a bit of code to see the MP3 files would be simple - there are a number of utilities that let you get at these files on a Mac as it is. They aren't inaccessible, just normally not visible. They are still in the filesystem though.

Re:I have both already. How many others?

[Ogger]

I have alfa 156 and ipod.. both are work of art(design). Alfa 156 won car of the Year award and numerous other awards.

Regarding ipod in the car connectivity ..
i bought JVC cd head unit which has AUX in on front panel and monsters jack cable with gold plated contacts (which is overpriced i think. you can get same qaulity with nickle plated cont.)
sound is great..especialy after I removed Sound Cap from Second generation EU model.

Get an aftermarket stereo

[autopr0n]

You should be able to find one with a line in on the front, or at least in back. Most stereos also have 'hidden' inputs for CD-changers and the like, you can get an adaptor for them for like $50 or so.

Don't shop at radioshack

[autopr0n]

I got a 12-foot optical cable from sears for $10.

Better than iPOD alternative.

[zerofoo]

Phatnoise 20GB removable MP3 player, that works with your factory changer controls. Seems to be based on the Iomega's peerless drive technology. Same thing as the Kenwood Music Keg, but works with factory changer controls.

Info here.

-ted

FM cutoff at 15KHz?

[Xyde]

Don't all FM transmissions have a lowpass at 15KHz?

Maybe I'm completely off base here, but I'm quite sure I heard that from someone knowledgeable (and considering the quality of most FM radio stations, it sure sounds like that to be the case). If so, this would degrade the quality of the signal quite considerably, and you might as well just fill up your iPod with 96kbps mp3's.

Can someone who knows clarify this? Thanks.

We don't need no stinking wires!

[gmania]

Bluetooth:
- enhanced audio distribution profile (https://www.bluetooth.org/docman2/ViewProperties. php?group_id=53&document_content_id=8978)
- add a microphone to your car stereo, presto: generic handsfree for your bluetooth cell phone (or voice recorder for the business types)
- have your 10K Watts boom-car on the curve and change the tunes without having to actually sit inside!
- hook it up to your car management system -> remote starters for the very, very nervous (just wait for the full drive by wire to hit the market -> Nikko, it my dust!)
- get noted on slashdot: permanently use your gprs/g3 phone/mp3-player in the car with a small j2me/palm/symbian/ce http-server and have the community at large control your tunes (and maybe even upload some new songs)!

--- it's a brave new world indeed

Re:All about "The Look"

[90XDoubleSide]

Wow, the definition of liberal certainly has become much more broad than I ever imagined! What the hell does this have to do with a portable hard disk/audio player: Main Entry: 1liberal Pronunciation: 'li-b(&-)r&l Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin liberalis suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to Old English lEodan to grow, Greek eleutheros free Date: 14th century 1 a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts b archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth 2 a : marked by generosity : OPENHANDED b : given or provided in a generous and openhanded way c : AMPLE, FULL 3 obsolete : lacking moral restraint : LICENTIOUS 4 : not literal or strict : LOOSE 5 : BROAD-MINDED; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms 6 a : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives You could say that people who are liberal (6) tend to be interested in the arts and hence will tend to value aesthetics more, but that's quite a bit of a stretch for a word that is already horribly over- and misused.

Why not design a CD-Adapter?

[G4from128k]

A disk-like CD adapter does not seem impossible. The needed design features would include:
1. A rotating and indexing optical armature that finds and tracks the CD player's laser.
2. An optical system that emits a beam of IR back into the CD player's optics
3. An DAC that converts analog sound into CD pulse-codes
4. a spindle-mounted electrical generator to power the thing
5. a spring-loaded grapple that prevents the disk adapter from spinning inside the drive (while the generator taps power from the rotating spindle) 6. a trailing lead that goes to the audio source.

It would take a clever bit of engineering to make it thin enough. And it would only work in simple single-disk players. But is it so impossible?

For extra credit, it could even be all-digital. A streaming converter would take various digital audio formats as input and output standard Red Book CD codes for injection into the player's optics.

Re:Why not design a CD-Adapter?

[10Brett-T]

Oh, please tell me you're being facetious... Why not just get a decent stereo with auxiliary inputs?

Re:Why not design a CD-Adapter?

[G4from128k]

Now where is the fun in replacing all the old equipment? It just seemed to me that if there is a market for cassette tape player adapters, then there should be a market for CD player adapters. I've even got the name for the beastie -- the CDapter(TM). (It is a separate and non-trivial issue as to how to make a CDapter that is only $29.95 at the local Radio Shack).

Of course, a simpler solution is to go wireless and use a low power FM transmitter for your in-car listening pleasure. For extra credit one could even illegally hack a personal, limited-range version of a satellite radio transmitter out of the electronics in a 802.11b unit.

Radio stations threatened

[spike it]

With the wave of silly law suits going on presently, I can picture the headlines in just a few weeks - "Radio Stations Nationwide Sue VW and Apple For Stealing Listeners". You know that ClearChannel won't be happy about this.

Honda Element

[dachshund]

The Honda Element has an AUX IN jack. What's so strange is that this is actually being advertised as a major "feature" of the car.

Think about how strange that sales pitch must sound. Anti-lock brakes, moonroof, airbags, of yeah, and a 25 cent piece of hardware on the stereo that lets you use your MP3 player.

Re:No, its not the safest

[foyle]

The beetle is the car favored by teenage girls, but no one else.

So that's why all those teenage girls kept following me around until I sold my '99 Beetle....

[OT] Read the whole thing

[petard]

The Subaru Outback was the #1 most lesbian car :-)

--petard

Re:No, its not the safest

[piggy]

The New Beetle is based on the same A3 chassis as the Golf and the Jetta, and all three cars have the same 1.8T as the Audi 1.8T. The main difference is the lack of quattro/4motion. (Plus the most recent Audi use a slightly different engine, and have more luxry features.)

My 2001 NB has 150 horsepower and plenty of torque; the current Turbo S has 180. For a car of its weight, there is plenty of engine -- plus the drivetrain is efficient enough that there is comparatively little power lost, versus the typical Altima, Accord, or Civic.

As to your comment that the NB is favored by teenage girls, but no one else, the purchase demographics is split evenly male/female. It's a safe vehicle that's comfortable, fun to drive, and has a surprising amount of storage space, so why not?

Do your research -- or at least take a test drive -- before you spout off.

Oh well, trolls will be trolls, I guess.

But I got a $1500 rebate from Buick

[kolombangara]

I wonder if the new beetle is as dissapointing as the new iPod. I have a new 30 gig iPod and an old outdated classic 20 gig (It's 3 months old but w/no more development from Apple available).

Sure, the ancient old classic lacks the dripping commercialism and activity tracking which aims at the hearts of the modern naive globalist consumer, with the new PayTunes4.

But the old classic model blows away the new models, and has 50% less wires and ports and docking stations.

I'll take an antique (1969) Bug (which I have) and a 2003 outdated classic iPod any day. Besides, didn't conumer reports just put VW in the top 10 of new vehicles that FALL APART the quickest?? Hell, Ford gives $1000 rebates, I can buy 2(TWO) iPods with that and have enough for 1 $20 CD!

Re:All about "The Look"

[syrinx]

Um, I like VW and Apple, and no way am I "left" or "liberal".

I think you should put down the crackpipe.

Re:All about "The Look"

[xagon7]

Glad I'm not the only one. I just wish they wern't so expensive.

Sheesh

How about Bluetooth?

[dfung]

I haven't seen FW or USB mentioned in any in-car electronics yet, but the upcoming new BMW 5-series has the second generation iDrive system which supposedly includes a Bluetooth radio.

You know the first generation iDrive from the (odd looking) current BMW 745i. It has literally hundreds of functions integrated under the control of a big aluminum knob that's actually a haptic controller. It acts as a joystick, "clicks" like a mouse, and servos in the knob allow it to "feel" like it has stops, detents, and variable drag. Sounds like a great idea, but if you actually sit and play with the demonstrator at a BMW dealership, you quickly realize that they did a horrible job of integrating all that stuff together. It literally feels like about 20 teams worked on the different functions and implemented everything their own way. Most memorable bad experience - you navigate between the various functions (climate control, radio, navigation) by using the knob like a big joystick. Once you're on the ventilation page, you need to manipulate things in 2-D on the in-car display, but now, you're not supposed to rock the joystick - you access the functions by turning the knob to scroll the highlight through the buttons. Maybe it makes more sense when you're in the car, but I doubt it.

Some of this stuff is supposed to be fixed in the new 5-series iDrive which has more hard buttons and uses the knob more intelligently. One of the cool functions is supposed to be a Bluetooth connection to the system. This means that you can use the car's voice-recognition system to dial your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. It would be interesting if you could do things like review your contacts or calendar from your PDA or phone on the onboard display.

In practice, it'll be interesting to see if this will work at all, or whether BMW will only support some particular handset (likely, I fear). And what happens when 3 guys get in the car?

I've got the OnStar handsfree phone in my new SUV and it actually works really well. But I don't want another cell # to deal with, so I haven't used it since my free trial minutes were used up.

In a side note, in a modern car there are many computers and sensors, and they talk via a ethernet-like protocol on a single wire. Different manufacturers use different protocols, but I believe that the 802 group actually defines the core protocol standard.

Re:I still think the PhatBox is the best thing goi

[jsjacob]

While the PhatBox doesn't support Ogg Vorbis and Linux (and Mac OS X) officially, there are tools available for all three! Take a look at http://phatbox.sixpak.org/phatbox/.

Re:What's with the gay comments?

[modecx]

That would be perfect for those annoying occasions that the blairing horn of a speeding passenger train dares to interfere with your listening pleasure. What nerve.

Re:I still think the PhatBox is the best thing goi

[joe_bruin]

this ipod thing seems a little silly, given that they are selling phatboxes as dealer installed options on vw's and audis. (and yes, it runs linux and plays ogg vorbis)

unofficial ogg for the ipod is found here

Rust-proofing

[AllenChristopher]

Everyone is telling us that there are third-party models that have line-ins, but that nobody's seen a stock-model with one. This has been an issue for a good fifteen years or more, right? If in fifteen years they haven't put this in, I'm betting they have a motivation. Say, trying to intimidate buyers into purchasing a the CD player package for the car, instead of saying "you can plug in the Discman you already own anytime." A whole lot of people have never considered replacing their car stereos with anything, ever, so that up-front question is a big one.

Clarification

[stere0]

The mp3 files are just in an invisible folder. Open a terminal and type "ls -a" in your iPod's root directory (/Volumes/Youripod) to see them.

An embedded linux system could in theory mount the iPod automatically when it is connected and play the files.

Re:German engineering my ass.

[Cackmobile]

Sorry but they have the best beer in the world(as weel as the czechs and belgians). ANd there cars are way better than anything else. HAve you every driven a BMW/Mercedes/Audi. I mean a proper german built one. German equipment is always the best. I do agree with you on Jagermeister - that stuff is horrid!

casettes are useless today

[forgoil]

I'd either get a carstereo with CD (and a CD-burner at home, I won't put CDs in a very warm car that I have to rebuy for $20!) or one with MD.

If they had wanted to be actually inovative, I'd say put in a stereo with firewire or USB 2...

Another slash dot tradition

[dasmegabyte]

Anonymous cowards saying shit that isn't insightful, interesting, informative or funny.

If your words were worth posting, you'd get a fucking login.

Oh no!

[POds]

You have spoiled my plans once again slashdot... damn you...

All right troops... Disassemble!!!

(re:nick for the clueless)

Use a SoundFeeder instead of a cassette adapter

[heyday]

I use an FM transmitter for mine instead of a cassette adapter.

Got it at www.auctionpals.com

heyday

Phatbox

[TREE]

The PhatBox from PhatNoise (www.phatnoise.com) is better than the empeg, in my opinion. Invisible install, up to 60 gig, I think. Easy syncing on the PC side.

And it's all voice output. Input is with the cd changer controls. It's less than half as expensive as that empeg. (Still not cheap)

Audi dealers now sell it. (for Audis only... cd changer interfaces are unfortunately proprietary)

Re:What's with the gay comments?

[op51n]

Hey, don't need to tell me. Skyline is in my opinion *the* sweetest drive ever, let alone the best looking. But hell, to insure one for me would cost upward of £5000.

Re:I still think the PhatBox is the best thing goi

[joe_bruin]

unofficial ogg for the ipod is found here

oops, what a typo. that should be:
unofficial ogg for the phatbox is found here