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Alpine Announces Release Date of iPod Interface
Terrasque writes "Alpine finally announced the release of the iPod interface for its Ai-NET head units." Previously mentioned a few weeks ago, it charges your iPod, and does control and display of iPod tracks on the head unit.
Hold on, it's not like the BMW glovebox interface. They appear to expect the iPod to be mounted near your dashboard -- say with a bracket that clips onto your A/C vents.
I agree with you about the "cassette" receptacle, though. It would be much neater. Perhaps they went with this design because it is less dependent on iPod form factors...future iPods may be smaller, wider, whatever, and the system will presumably continue to work with them.
Another advantage to hiding the iPod away is to make it harder see and therefore less likely to get stolen. Having a normal looking head unit also supports this. As you might have guessed I've had easy to remove items, an iPod and a laptop, stolen from my car - even when they were *very* hard to see. I am much more likely to buy an interface that lets me mount the iPod somewhere that is totally hidden.
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If you use the Apple/BMW solution, you lose the CD changer, and you get access to only five playlists. The Alpine solution means you can still use a CD changer, and you can use your existing playlists (all of them).
But is it worthwhile? Both solutions mean you replace the iPod's UI with the IMO far worse UI in the headunit. I'd cradle the iPod within easy reach and just use a line-level audio link to the headunit instead.
I did simalr research about a year or so ago. I wanted to build an mp3 player for my V70 (uses Alpine OEM) AND run it from the head unit via the cd changer controls and LCD. I did find one from Volkol, but all you get is the rca inputs, no signaling, so you need an external LCD and control (like the Crystal Fontz 633). This market is just at its infancy, if Alpine beat the other stereo vendors to market opening up their CD changer protocol (or just make it something simple top of RS232) just think of all the after market products. And all the Alpine stereos that would go into dashboards to support the new devices.
I don't think any of you people who recommend using the iPod interface in the car over using an Alpine head unit interface have ever actually tried using an iPod in the car while driving.
It's almost impossible.
Same goes for using the iPod while running, bicycling, or any other activity in which one cannot really take their attention away from the activity. The iPod screen (and especially the iPod mini screen) is small, and hard to read when the user is anything but stationary. Don't believe me? Then why did Apple make a remote to adjust volume and skip tracks to use in lieu of the iPod interface for active people.
The controls on any in dash stereo are much larger and more easily manipulated while driving than the touch sensitive wheel on the iPod...remember, stereo controls are *designed) to be used while driving...the iPod interface is not. Stereo controls remain in relatively the same location while driving...which is not true with an iPod. Finally, the display on the Alpine unit is backlit and large...designed to be read and interpreted from driving distance in direct sunlight and at night, etc., etc.
Most objections to this device should be that it (somewhat) expensive...but really, Alpine (who makes CD changers that they would like to sell) is producing an adapter for 3rd party device integration, and they have to charge something to cover their R&D and/or loss of CD changer sales.
In case you can't tell, I've been waiting for this since the announcement at the beginning of the year, and I'll happily throw my iPod mini in the glove box/console or wherever else I happen to mount the docking cable...
Greg