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Apple, BMW announce iPod-compatible cars
updated 02:00 pm EDT, Wed September 1, 2004
iPod-compatible cars
BMW and Apple have announced that will let drivers flick between songs without taking their hands from their steering wheels, according to CNET News.com: "The cars will connect to the iPod, with drivers able to charge up their music players or listen to songs on their iPod through the car stereo, with the iPods designed to sit in the BMW's glove box. For the BMW X3, X5, 3 Series and Z4, the steering wheel will come with an iPod control built in, based on the familiar interface from car CD players. Other BMW models will be able to recharge an iPod and connect it to the car's stereo, but won't come equipped with the steering wheel control."
A little dated...
09/01, 02:08pm reply
Wasn't this announced over a month ago?
hayesk
Professional Poster
Joined: Sep 1999
Yeah...
09/01, 02:44pm reply
...my thoughts exactly. Are the car models new or something?
Hemingray
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2001
Psychic
09/01, 02:58pm reply
I had a brief flash of how it must feel to be psychic.
PookJP
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2001
Mostly...
09/01, 04:12pm reply
I think this announcement is new cars that will have the iPod interface built-in. The thing they announced before was an adapter that could be installed on a BWM you already owned. As I read it, the iPod interface has gone from an option to standard equipment.
Its not really newsworthy to anyone except BMW, and maybe Apple.
brianosaurus
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2001
iPod BMW costs
09/01, 05:21pm reply
beware the costs on the installation. I assumed it would be more than advertised but I paid to install the iPod controller into my BMW. I ended up paying not 150 but 185 for the parts and 1.5 hours for labor, total, about 400 dollars. Ouch.
hrlmobile
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2003
wow
09/01, 06:05pm reply
who is your dealer?!! BMW labor for my M3 runs $80/hr.
$200+ for labor to install that sounds super high. Plus, I thought it was a flat 1 hour rate install.
In any case, do you like it? I would do it but i already have the CD Changer.
ThinkingDog
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2004
re: wow
09/01, 09:01pm reply
The Toyota dealer I used to go to charged $90/hr. The next year I had the same maintenance done on my car and was puzzeled as to why it cost twice as much. They had upped their rate to $180/hr. I don't go there anymore.
The car selling model of the futere will be: Free cars, with a contract that says you will bring it into the dealer for every scheduled maintenance.
koolkid1976
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2003
Steering wheel control?
09/02, 03:02am reply
Steering wheel control? So you have to turn the steering wheel to scroll the song list? Sounds dangerous....
Or does it mean that the iPod scroll wheel doubles as a steering wheel? Sounds even more dangerous. I will stick to AM radio in my Dodge.
Meövv
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2001
BMW intgration sucks
12/08, 09:57pm reply
I have a new BMW and decided to change the factory stereo for an alpine, because the sound plain sucks for the ultimate driving machine, my honda sounded 10 times better.... Anyway the Alpine integration lets you control and see the tracks on your stereo, while retaining steering wheel control + a remote control, Apple BMW kit sucks because you have to create only 6 playlists and use them, anything else is ignored on the ipod, not to mention that you can not see the track names on the display screen, Alpine rocks!
bashar
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2000