iPods in 73M cars

Apple's iPod influence is growing in a variety of sectors, including the automotive industry. expects that there will be 73 million cars worldwide that will offer iPod integration by 2011--28 million of which will be the US alone. A new report finds that proliferation of automotive interfaces for portable music players is creating a new competitive landscape driven by music listening and device preferences. The report also found that Aux inputs for music and Bluetooth support will also proliferate, but to a lesser extent.

"The rapid ramp up of available solutions from automotive OEMs is a stark contrast to the normal five-year product development cycle in the automotive industry," says Phil Magney, founder and principal analyst for Telematics Research Group (TRG). "The variety of solutions reflects the swiftly changing landscape of the mobile audio market where branded audio solutions, surround sound and mobile device integration are driving market growth."

According to TRG data, 39 models from major auto brands currently sell vehicles into the U.S. market with iPod adapters or auxiliary-input jacks. Automotive auxiliary inputs will expand to about 60 million cars in the U.S. and 150 million globally by 2011. Meanwhile, other technologies, such as Bluetooth A2DP, will emerge to support audio device integration in the years to come. TRG predicts Bluetooth A2DP audio interfaces will be installed in 8.5 million cars in the U.S. and 25 million worldwide by 2011.

by MacNN Staff