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iPod Your BMW Officially Launched
chasingporsches writes "Apple today announced the iPod Your BMW campaign on their front page. According to the iPod Your BMW page, 'Connect with music like never before behind the wheel of your BMW 3 Series, and X3 and X5 SAV, Z4 Roadster or MINI. With the installation of an integrated adapter developed by Apple and BMW, you can now control your iPod or iPod mini through the existing audio system and multi-function steering wheel. Which means no loss of power. No loss of sound quality. No loss of control.' There is also a QuickTime TV ad available for streaming. Apparently it only works with 2002 or later BMWs and Minis, and the iPod connects to a cable in the glove compartment."
Rejoice!
Why not make one for my vintage VW Beetle, you insensitive clod!
So, when's the iPod, 1994 Honda Civic campaign coming?
The perfect sig is a lot like silence, only louder
Look out for the BMW's with white wing mirrors ;)
liqbase
the most expensive iPod accessory ever!
I can count to 1023 on my hands. Ask me about #132.
Become the 600th advertiser to mention iPod to get onto the front page of Slashdot.org!
The iPod doesn't even have a fancy cradle or slot to slide into. They just want you to lay it in your glove box. I suppose that BMW owners might be different than me but I don't have any room in my glove box after all the paperwork for the car, the manual, and the road maps (GPS is great, I use it all the time, but it doesn't solve ALL problems), I don't have room for that.
As a MINI owner, I have been aware this has been possible for quite awhile. It was just done via a third party company who built a custom interface by hacking up the alpine i-bus CD changer interface.
:(
... oh well.
My fear now is that this company is getting ripped off of all their work by this venture with Apple and BMW.
I opted for Sirius over buying an iPod for hopes of having a greater selection in diffrent generes, but
Justin
why do they have the ipod flopping around in the glovebox?
Really, is it so hard to make an in-dash stereo have a slot-loading ipod?
Just slide your ipod into your stereo like an 8-track tape.
Plus, that way you don't need to buy a BMW to use it.
Nothing more then rich, liberal, elite, yuppy, eurotrash, scumbags. Which is exactly why my 2002 325 is getting one as soon as my dealer has them in stock!
This story is probably most likely to incite BMW owners to get an iPod to go with their car, but in my case it's actually inspired me to get a BMW to go with my iPod. :) I was close to getting one anyway, this just finalizes things for me...
dmiessler.com -- grep understanding knowledge
i really had no reason to drive my BMW until i read this... thanks apple!
My boss, with this announcement, is suddenly *really* interested in purchasing a BMW. He'd never talked about BMW before this... it's exactly the type of thing that luxury car owners use to decide which car to buy. BMW knows their market.
Peace
sounds just like it
read about it here
it will allow the same thing this article talks about on alpine receivers. i can't wait for it!
i saw the baby, and the baby looked at me
as I hit the horn and spin the wheel maddly in a clockwise direction to cycle through my playlist.
Come on, you have to plug in a cable and throw it in the glove compartment? What a hack! I could modify my car to do that, and put an LCD screen on the dash to show me what I'm playing. Hell, you can probably buy that already. Before I watched the video, I though the BMW would have some sort of dock that either I sat my iPod in, or even cooler, a slot, like a tape deck, that I shoved my ipod in. Now THAT would be cool. This is not what I call "Seamless integration" I think in the future car stereo's are going to come with a media bay, just like printers do now. I slap in my SD/xD/MMC/Memory Stick or whatever and the stero reads the ID3's and playlists. Off I go. And laptops will come with built in FM transmitters to broadcast their audio to my home entertainment center or car stereo... I would love to sit in my living room, play a FPS and have it all come out the stereo. No Wires.
Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
BMW kinda got it half right. the iDrive has a knob, but rather than spinning it to scroll down menus you press it in certain directions--something much more suited to a joystick or just plain ol' buttons. that and the menu system is apparently horribly non-intuitive.
looking at this, though, it just seems like a hack of the radio, with the iPod's connection being in the glove compartment. ??? so now you have to lean over the passenger's seat (and maybe the passenger) to plug in the iPod if you took it out of the car. and god forbid you have anything actually IN the glove compartment that might get it the way. i think it would have been much better with some type of dock in the center armrest console.
here is a way better solution plus a better vehicle
**ducks**
this sig intentionally left blank
I miss the old Apple days (before they became a fashion statement)
Yeah, the Apple ][ was one heck of a computer.
This is neat, but certainly not a huge deal. Hopefully, if succesful, the major car companies (Toyota, GM, Ford, Daimler, VW) will take notice and do something similar. This seems like a great, lo-tech way to get your MP3s into your car, without requiring a dedicated in-dash MP3 player. I could see this option becoming especially popular in rental cars (which probably limits it to the Mini for now). I'm sure they'll start running "get a mini with your mini" promotions pretty soon.
Sadly, I know 2 people with BMWs who just miss the cut; one has a 2001 3-series, and the other has a 2003 M3.
More to the point, this will allow the driver to control the iPod form the steering-wheel controls (is the steering wheel the scroll wheel--eeks!), with a dock cable running into the glove compartment. I imagine you could install a holder for the iPod elsewhere in the car too.
It's better than leaving it out in full view of car thieves.
A friggin' "slide in" dock connector in my car console. So I can just insert the iPod and go. I don't want cables, and I'm certainly tired of the FM iTrip transmitter that fades out whenever you get near a strong radio station.
It's ironic that a "retro-tech" tape-cassette car stereo would afford me better sound than my CD player which has no external line inputs. (It has internal ones at the back but they want about as much money as my iPod for an adapter!)
Okay, ultimately what I want is a universal and OPEN dock connector so we can all have car stereos that will handle all of our Minidisc, MP3 or XM or whatever portable sound system players we have in the future. The connectors should handle hardware connections as well as provide a standardized software interface (uPNP maybe?) to display and select the track/album information inside.
(And it should handle cellphones too!)
(I think I'm going to switch to decaf for the rest of the afternoon now...)
I love apple. I'm a zealot, this is a cool thing for your BMW but read the fine print.
Only available for model year 2002, 2003 and 2004 BMW3 Series; Z4 Roadster; X3 and X5 SAV; and MINI models. Not available on vehicles with navigation system, CD changer, DSP cassette player or satellite radio. Installation performed by authorized BMW and BMW SAV centers only. Third-generation iPod (software 2.2 or later) or iPod mini (software 1.1 or later)
Yes... How many BMW owners don't opt for the CD Changer?
--------========+++Dont Feed The Lab Techs+++========--------
Ever used an iPod? Then you know why it's the better product. Even my non-Apple friends have come to see how paying for quality can actually count. This from the PC-world that gives you bargain basement beige boxes. Apple is showing the world consumer electronics (and computers and such) can be pleasant to use experiences, not commodities.
Ever driven a BMW? Then you know why it's a great product that's worth the money.
1995 M3 -- best car I've ever driven in my life. Sad I had to sell it after 3 years, 40,000 miles, zero problems; happy about the good resale value.
I can't say every person who buys an Apple product is 100% pleased with it, nor can I say every BMW purchase is a happy one. But both companies are shining examples of how, with a little bit of extra attention to detail and engineering, a superior product can usually be produced. And yes, it will cost you a little bit more.
About the only thing dumber than assuming that more expensive == better, is assuming that more expensive == worse. Sure, there are plenty who buy iPods and Bimmers as status symbols, but don't discount those of us who have actually have taste. Do you listen to crappy music nobody's ever heard of, and then the day they get airplay claim they've "sold out" and then refuse to listen to them? Same principle, pal.
Oh, and this would not have worked in my 95 M3, nor would it work with my 1st gen 5gb iPod (still chugging away on original battery after almost 3 years!)
But I'll be buying a new iPod this year to have bigger capacity, and will be buying another (if not new-new) BMW in a year or so.
Worst thing about this new system, to me, is that you have to set up special BMW playlists, and then only access by track number. How hard would it have been to actually show track names, christ. Aftermarket companies have figured out how to integrate Valentine 1 alerts into the 5-series computer, which is a much bigger technical feat than hacking the cd changer into assigning track numbers to iPod playlists.. I think the Alpine system coming out soon will be better.
(By the way, if you wanted the status symbol thing to hold true, it should have been Mercedes of maybe Lexus. Sure Mercedes used to make decent cars, but not any longer -- Mercedes is the ultimate status symbol, not a driver's car. Tell me, how big is the Mercedes club's track or club racing program? Yeah, nowhere near as large as BMW, which is probably second biggest behind Porsche in the nation).
yeah leave your ipod in a cradle on your dashboard while you run into the WaWa... and maybe a wallet with $400 sticking out of it. at least in the glovebox you can secure it, and it's out of sight. it's marginally more secure, but someone not knowing it is in there is the best protection short of taking it with you every time you get out of the car.
People here will cut their computer cases to pieces, slit ribon cables, attempt avoid burning up their over-clocked processor by putting WATERcooling in the case, but bitch and moan when a cable in their car is in a place they don't want it... Just move it to where you want it.
;)
I just don't understand sometimes...
>but you're just supposed to toss it in the glove box?
Well, if all the controls are integrated into the existing steering wheel controls, you really don't need the iPod in view; so best keep it in the glovebox for those 0.8+ g corners.
-- www.globaltics.net
Political discussion for a new world
Actually, this is a good thing. Whatever form factor the next gen iPod takes your car will still be "compatible" as long as they use the same connector on the new iPod.
Also, if they did this right, even if there is a new connector involved it'll just take a cable upgrade from BMW to make it work.
TW
God I loathe rich people marketing campaigns...
My favourite was a billboard campaign for The Economist magazine I saw in Seven Sisters, a dirt-poor part of Hackney, a dirt-poor London borough: "If you read The Economist, get your chauffeur to honk the horn." Needless to say, my salary was sub-iPod at the time...
This is where the serious fun begins.
iPod...nope
BMW...nope
Guess this means nothing to me
If God had had a computer it would have taken him 7 months to create the earth...if he even bothered to do it at all.
two things I can't afford, in one neat package!
I'd be happy with a flipping CD player.
BMW today announced that in keeping with the spirit of their Apple iPod partnership, the "i" in BMW's model names will now be placed before the number.
Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
if I listened to the droning of the proles. Instead, I'm going out to shoot a peasant or a pheasant. Whichever I find on my estate first.
This won't work in my Z8 roadster? Pish-posh. Guess I'll just have to deal with whatever Jeeves puts on whilst riding in the Maybach.
Hey look at that plain $45,000 x5, not a target.
WAIT JUST A MINUTE! It has a $250 ipod in it! Let's steal this shit guys!
-Reid
For an example of real neat integration of an iPod in a car look at what smart did with the i-move
;-)
Although I must admit that I'd still prefer a BMW over Smart anytime.
Call me crazy, but . . . an iPod goes with you when you leave the car. If it's going to sit plugged into the dash all day, you might as well get a conventional sound system.
Or is 3.6 ounces too much carry around on a belt clip?
If, like me, you have a Sony with a multi-changer control you can have both an iPod and a CD changer hooked up.
I highly recommend it
'Internet! Is that thing still around?' - Homer Simpson
... after taking another look at my slightly sagging SCO shares, I realize I'm a little short this month, so I have to CHOOSE between the iPod or a BMW. It's that kind of decision that makes people's heads explode.
Oh, well, after I blow my SCO money I still have my Enron, Worldcom, Martha Stewart Enterprises and Bre-X investments to fall back on. Tonight I'd better check to see how they're doing, maybe I *CAN* afford both after all!
P.S. I saved a BUNDLE by choosing my own investments and not paying an "expert" to do it for me.
I'm not normally an irrational zealous dickhead, but I figure "When in Rome..."
Is the iPod also easily spotted through the glove box door? After all, that's where the adapter is. ;-)
---- The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. -Thomas Jefferson
Yes, you can control your iPod from the car's radio or steering wheel, but the integration leaves a lot to be desired. It works by emulating a 5-disc CD Changer. Hence you can have "five unique BMW playlists".
You will not be able to see the song name or artist on the radio's display. Nor will you be able to access any of the other iPod functions or features, such as browsing by name/artist/genre etc. You will only be able to FF and RW one of five playlists.
Apple and BMW should go back to the drawing board.
Also, if they did this right, even if there is a new connector involved it'll just take a cable upgrade from BMW to make it work.
I can see it now:
Brand new IPOD3super+ - $599
New BMW interface Cable - $849
Having more money than you know what to do with - pricele$$
This translation brought to you by babelfish++.
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
All this effort my ass - I was really ready to be impressed with this but so far as I can see the adaptor just makes the iPod pretend to be a five disc changer.
Thats right, you get your five 'BMW playlists' and thats it - you cannot play anything else; just those five lists. Why not just burn those lists to CD and be done with it...
Doesn't sound impressive to me at all. Maybe I just had my hopes too high with it being 'integrated' - like maybe there would have been a dupe of the iPod display in the dash on the satellite navigation or something, but no, it just pretends to be a CD changer. Sod that.
(not flaming Apple, I love my Powerbook, I love my iPod , I love iTMS, I want to want a BMW and integrate my iPod with it, but this is shite...)
...to BMW 2002 or greater
Yet last year, Consumer Reports proclaimed the 5-series to be the "highest scoring car they had ever tested."
Don't get too excited about Nissan, if you kept up with CR as religiously as we would think, you would know that the Sentra now has a 'poor' reliability mark.
When Nissan can't even make a reliable econo-box, it's a sad statement that Renault has influenced them instead of the other way around.
"so there's no way of knowing that there's an iPod in the car at all"
But I paid good $$$ for my sleek and sexy ipod so people could see how trendy I am. Ditto for the Beemer. If people can't even see it, what's the point?
Can I get a sleek and sexy sticker to advertise my trendyness?
Start making car stereos have a damn 3.5mm stereo jack somewhere on the front of the unit. There are so many different mp3 devices nowadays, and the last thing I want is more custom shit that locks me into brands or punishes me for not using the same thing as everyone else. Give me a standard way to plug my mp3 player into my stereo without having to fight with every FM radio station in a 30 mile radius or take my dash halfway apart and buy a $70 adapter so I can attatch a pig-tail to the back of my stereo.
(And no, I'm not hating on cool iPod stuff. I have an iPod. But I still don't want a slot-loading iPod incase my next mp3 player is not an iPod or incase Apple changes the size/shape of the iPod yet again (they will - WWDC is coming soon). )