WSJ: "Mating iPod And BMW Is A Brilliant Concept, But First Try Is Crude"

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html' target='_blank'>http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I've been testing the system in a $54,000 BMW 330Ci convertible, lent to me for a few days by BMW. I have tried several different iPods in the car, including a brand-new, fourth-generation model. My conclusion: The BMW iPod adapter works, but in a pretty crude way that will likely leave the iPod cult hungering for more. It's a decent first step, but that's all."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bwmpod.jpg" /><br /><br />We've been hearing a lot of hype surrounding Apple's partnerships with auto makers in offering built-in iPod support to luxury cars. I was beginning to wonder how this solution stacks up. I'm not impressed.<br /><br />By the way, as a product reviewer I am totally jealous of Mossberg. I get excited when a company sends me an audio player to review. But Walt is getting 50,000 cars to test out! 8O Lucky bugger.

[Felix Torres]

By the way, as a product reviewer I am totally jealous of Mossberg. I get excited when a company sends me an audio player to review. But Walt is getting 50,000 cars to test out! 8O Lucky bugger.

That's a lot of cars.
I wonder where he parks them... :twisted:

[klinux]

To test each one of the 50,000 cars Mossberg was sent before next year's new models come out, Mossberg has to spend &lt;10 minutes in each car, 24 hours a day, 365 a days a year. The area around his house/office must be like a parking lot. Poor guy. You don't want to be like him. :wink:

[dean_shan]

I was beginning to wonder how this solution stacks up. I'm not impressed.

Yeah the pod just bounces around in the glove box. They need to make a mounting braket in there or somthing.

[Felix Torres]

The Honda/Acura MP3 player has the same problem; it treats each disk as a monster CD changer instead of using the songs ID3 tags. It expects you to keep track of which track is which and cycle through the tracks like you would on a regular audio cd, one by one.

Obviously a non-starter; I opted for an auxiliary line-in adapter.

What's odd is that the after-market has for years built proper digital car audio systems for a lot less than the car folks charge but when it comes to digital audio they're clueless, even in cars with "advanced" tech; Honda has bluetooth in the TL but no workable digital audio.
Even $50 flash-based players know how to read and manage ID3 tags; you'd expect a $500 dealer option to actually be of *some* value...

This is not exactly brain-surgery here, guys!

I suspect we're seeing another example of "white-line" deal-making...

[Mojo Jojo]

Without proper dash display of song titles, ability to change to any playlist (versus their 5), the $145 dollar cost doesn't seem to get you much.

You could opt for the $29 dollar AUX cable from BMW and trade the non-charging aspect and place the iPod within reach in a cup holder or belkin tundock and select playlists and options at will from the iPod itself.

I went this root and if I ever wanted too I could switch out to ANY type of player with an Audio jack out. Two cents.

[Gary Sheynkman]

you can get your BMW-ipod tester when you work for the journal as well