Are you one of those really advanced techno-geek revheads that would love to be able to intergrate your iPod into the dash of your car? Well you’re not alone, it seems that there are many people around the world who would love to be able to do that and dispense with the current non-tech plug-in-cigarette lighter solution.
Ford, GM and Mazda are all working with Apple on ways to integrate the iPod into their vehicles’ audio systems. Initially Ford is looking at simply plugging the iPod into the face plate of the radio but further down the track there will be an interface in the glove box that will allow the iPod to be operated from the audio controls on the dash.
GM will be starting with a similar system to Ford and once again it will require the iPod to be placed in the glove box.
Mazda is not saying much at all except to say that it will offering an iPod interface on all its vehicles worldwide.At the moment Ford and GM are only looking at offering the interface on US vehicles from the 2007 model onwards.
Somehow shoving the iPod in the glove box seems like a rather clumsy way of doing things to me – surely there’s a more elegant and geeky alternative they could have used.
Who am I kidding, I don’t even own an iPod or any other sort of MP3 player and even the TivX controls leave me confused 🙂