Apple iPod integration the hottest new car option for 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006 - 04:00 PM EST"Less than two years after introducing its first partnership with an automaker, Apple has made iPod integration the hottest new car option for 2006," Owen Thomas reports for Business 2.0. "With Sunday's announcement that Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles will feature iPod connectors, 16 auto brands now offer accessories that let you plug your iPod into your car's audio system. Apple estimates that 40 percent of cars sold in the U.S. this year will offer iPod integration."
"How does Steve Jobs manage to have such influence over the proud auto chieftains of Detroit, Stuttgart, and Tokyo? First of all, there's the runaway success of the iPod, with 42 million sold to date and 14 million sold in just the past three months. Sheer numbers have made the iPod a must-have auto accessory, and the iPod tax a small price to pay," Thomas reports. "Telematics Research Group forecasts that by 2011, 28 million autos in the U.S. and 73 million autos worldwide will have iPod integration, up from just under a million last year. 'iPod integration is still a cool feature,' says Brian Moody, Road Test editor at Edmunds.com. 'It's not yet expected.' In three to five years, he says, it might become standard."
Full article here.
For a list of vehicle makers offering some form of iPod integration, visit Apple's "iPod your car" web page here:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipodyourcar/
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Related articles:
Chrysler and Apple announce iPod integration in over 3 million Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge vehicles - January 08, 2006
Apple teams with Acura, Audi, Honda, Volkswagen to deliver iPod vehicle integration - September 07, 2005
Alfa Romeo 147 and Apple iPod integration presentation now online - March 05, 2005
Apple & Mercedes-Benz unveil iPod Integration Kit - January 11, 2005
Apple and leading car companies team up on iPod integration in 2005 - January 11, 2005
Apple & BMW unveil 'BMW iPod Adapter,' first seamless integration of iPod and car audio system - June 21, 2004
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I got a new SCION tC (2006) and it has this - the best $23k iPod accessory yet!
Seriously, it was one of the reasons that tipped the scale to the SCION - other cars were cool, and some had AUX Mini-Jacks, but not full integration like the SCION.
It rocks, and Apple rocks!
Scott
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