Apple: Hotter Wheels for the iPod?
Less than three months ago, Apple announced that they have teamed up with three car manufacturing giants (Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Mazda). The teamwork plans to integrate 3.5 millimeter jacks for the iPod, as a built-in auto part add-on in their new line of models to be released this year and next. This system, called Trip Tunes Advanced, will provide drivers with outstanding sound quality that will allow drivers to charge the iPod while conveniently storing it in the glove compartment. Seamless iPod integration will also allow drivers to use their car’s multifunction controls to select their music; using artist, album and song shuffle, as well as the ability to skip between tracks and play lists.
Experts project that by next year, 70 percent of all cars in the US will feature this iPod integration. That is just the tip of the iceberg, for Mazda, one of the three that will be including this feature in their global line up for next year.
I think it’s about time that the big guys in the automotive business take note of the iPod and it’s presence in the American culture. Not only is this upgrade on cars timely, it is downright incredibly overdue given the presence of wireless technology like Bluetooth. I am looking forward to wireless integration in the future not only of music, but of all the iPod features as well like video, pod casts, gaming and television. It is a notable feature that the iPod charges while it is being used, but I still do not understand how manufacturers have missed providing a dock on the dashboard for the iPod instead of keeping it in the glove compartment. That way, the purchase of a separate car mount would not be necessary.
As of now, what the big guys came up with is to have built-in input jacks that connect the iPod internally to the car’s stereo system. I am looking forward to when the iPod will be fully integrated into cars not as an add-on device but as the car’s main entertainment hub. This will involve more than what is now currently being devised by the car companies. I am thinking of custom made auto parts and accessories that do more than attach new devices here and there. Car parts that integrate the iPod into the car, not only in function, but in design would be a good place to start. With smart cars being made right and left it is not far fetched for download and syncing to also be possible while driving. Taking another big leap into the possibilities, maybe future cars can have not only Apple’s iPod but Mac to help run it. That would be less scary for us than having to depend on Windows with our lives. 
Apple and the car companies should also consider other features like satellite navigation and radio. Though it might take a while before it actually replaces the old radio, it is a threat that satellite radios must take seriously. The iPod will not only be more versatile but will also give the user a lot of options for his individual preferences. That means entertainment without the continuous barrage of ads.
Five years ago, researchers predicted that by 2005 people would be using up to 18 million MP3 gadgets. The iPod was but a concept then and it may not have been considered a percentage of that. Any prediction they may have made during that time did not even come close to home. By later that year, Apple had sold almost 32 million of their iPods alone. No one can predict what lies ahead and where the iPod will go. One thing is for sure though; it will continually shape the way we live and presumably, the way we drive…
