“Apple Computer Inc. and automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke AG are developing a device that will let users listen to songs from their iPod music players through the radios of BMWs and Minis. The adaptors will be available in vehicles sold in the U.S., Eckhard Wannieck, a BMW spokesman at the carmaker’s Munich headquarters, said in an interview. He wouldn’t elaborate,” Dan Stets and Peter J. Brennan report for Bloomberg News.
“A deal with BMW is likely to be the first of several pairings between Apple and carmakers as the computer maker, once mainly known for its Macintosh PCs, tries to sell more iPods. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, in Europe this week to open iTunes online music stores, said he is in talks with automakers he wouldn’t name,” Stets and Brennan report.
“‘It’s just the tip of the iceberg,’ said Jim Grossman, a portfolio manager at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which manages $64 billion. ‘The market opportunity for people who would like to play iPods in their cars is huge.’ BMW will release details on models and prices in coming weeks, Wannieck said. The devices will allow users to control their iPod players in the same way they would control the radio… Jobs on Monday said the company will introduce a music product for cars later this year,” Stets and Brennan report.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Thanks, Apple. We’ve only been asking for almost a year. 
Related MacDailyNews article:
Apple request: we need the Apple ‘iBox’ and ‘iPodCar’ products now – August 07, 2003
Apple’s new iTunes Car Stereo should debut this fall for holiday sales season – August 07, 2003
Anybody that has been to Europe, Japan & even Australia for Christsakes knows what I’m talking about. The Australian Ford Falcon (I think thats what I hired) is sooooo much better than most Ford products in the States. Shame America Shame.
Hey NO.US, you never know where some of that stuff is assembled. My VW Beetle, which we just got rid of, had parts breaking on it constantly. I’ll never buy from VW again. I found out that their plant was in Sinaloa Mexico. The Falcon you hired in Oz might have been built elsewhere, or even in the US. Some are assembled in multiple places, so it’s hard to tell.
As a small boy in the fifties in England, one of the many jingles going the rounds was:
“Don’t buy a car, buy a Ford.
Two buckled wheels on a board.
A biscuit tin with an engine in.
Don’t buy a car, buy a Ford.”
I doubt if you would hear anything so derogatory in school playgrounds about Apple or BMW.
No the Falcon I hired is made in Australia (I asked) same as their “Chevy” the Holden. Big V8’s rear wheel drive. Loved that car really hooked into the corners nice & flat & the steering was wonderful. Their not oversprung & underdamped like here in the States & there finish is excellent.
I was born in Ohio live in Europe (past 10 years).
I do like the Cadillac STS great car I drove while back here last month. Not saying there are not great cars made in the States but most are complete rubbish as in fit, finish & general drivability as compared to rest of modern world.
I do like nice products, the reason I like Apple.
All I’m saying is that people should be able to buy great cars no matter what their price range is that are made in America. It does upset me coming back here & seeing some of the cars being off-loaded to the buying public. They deserve better for their money. “Made in America” used to stand for something good.
It seems the best solution would be an in-board deck that combines phone, radio/CD, and Bluetooth. If you have a Bluetooth phone, it would instantly work with the deck — incoming calls would pause music and come through the car’s speakers. If you have a Bluetooth iPod, you could instantly stream and operate music through the deck.
Rather than creating all these different adapters, they should focus on a technology like Bluetooth, which is consistent, and can be added to all kinds of different platforms — phones, PDAs, MP3 players, etc. It also allows for more flexibility and you can add different products over time.
From the beginning, I wanted a deck that let me simply insert my whole iPod into, but now that we have different size iPods (and other MP3 players), that’s no longer desirable. There’s also the possibility of in-dash computers and monitors, and if next gen iPods have the rumored user sync storage for on the go computing, it would be really cool if your car’s in-dash monitor recognized your home folder on your iPod via Bluetooth. You’d have your whole home or office computer in your car!
Yes … it is generally true … having lived in USA,Europe and Oz, it appears that many US cars are not very well put together and are especially badly tuned regarding suspension settings when it comes to real driving i.e. roads that have bends in them. A bit sad really as I am sure a bit of quality control would help. By the same token, Ford Australia is turning out relatively crappy cars compared to GM Holden Australia … almost lightyears apart in technology … matching engine capacities is not enough.
Sort of like comparing a Dell DJ with an iPod (more on topic?) with respect to hard disk capacity.
I hope “One guy from Finland” wasn’t serious about his “Town and Country”! I do worry about him … he’s rather talkative for a Finn! 😎
Thorpedo:
Didn’t drive the Holden will next time I’m down there. As for the Fords built in Australia they are still light years ahead of what most of Ford US offers.
As for One Guyfrom Finland thought he would have better sense.
Great to see BMW & Apple thinking together. Maybe Apple could overall BMW’s iDrive system which is total crap.
> Maybe Apple could [overhaul] BMW’s iDrive system which is total crap
Why stop there? The UI of Nokia, SONY, Office, and others so totally suck. Partner with Apple and reap the benefits, aye?
[And take our money.]
[And demolish competitors.]
[And get some cool.]
[etc.]
>”Made in America” used to stand for something good.
The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry (by Brock Yates — Empire Books, Random House, 1983)
Holden Vs. Ford Oz — prime case of the importance of design. Holden nailed it with the Euro look.
Foolish Americans drive gus-sucking SUVs and go into wars to fight over oil to keep them on the road.
“iPod not included”
Go to http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_1613/article.html and take a look