Apple and BMW Group today announced the BMW iPod Adapter, the first seamless integration between iPod and a car audio system. The new system developed by Apple and BMW enables drivers to seamlessly use their iPod in BMW’s 3 Series, Z4 Roadster, X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and MINI Cooper by simply plugging their iPod into a cable located in the car’s glove compartment. With the iPod safely located in the glove compartment and powered by the car’s battery, drivers can now enjoy high fidelity sound through their car’s stereo system and control their iPod using the standard buttons on their BMW or MINI steering wheel.
“One of the next frontiers for a seamless digital music experience is the car,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO in the press release. “We all spend a lot of time driving, and now this elegant solution lets iPod users enjoy their entire music collection in their BMW or MINI.”
“With Apple, we’re bringing the ultimate digital music experience to our customers,” said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO, BMW of North America in the press release. “The BMW iPod Adapter provides our drivers with virtually endless miles of music without their hands ever leaving the steering wheel.”
The seamless integration of iPod makes it effortless for drivers to control their music through their existing audio system and the multifunction steering wheel. The BMW iPod Adapter enables drivers to easily access their entire music library, shuffle songs, skip between tracks and adjust volume — all of this with no loss of sound quality or driving control. Drivers can also create up to five unique “BMW playlists” to listen to while on the road enabling them to enjoy their favorite songs at the touch of a button. The BMW iPod Adapter integrates Apple’s iPod and iPod mini through a direct connection in the glovebox, providing outstanding sound quality and constant power to the iPod.
The rollout is being supported with a dedicated website, [url=http://www.ipodyourbmw.com]http://www.ipodyourbmw.com[/url] (not online as of this article posting), for customers to learn more about this groundbreaking marriage of music and car, as well as a marketing campaign that includes print, outdoor, online and television advertising.
The BMW iPod Adapter is available for the MSRP of $149 (US) plus installation cost, and will be officially available for customers to purchase at BMW centers as of July 12, 2004 for 2002, 2003 and 2004 BMW models: X3, X5, Z4 and 3 Series. The MINI Cooper iPod Adapters will be available later this summer. Consumers should check with their BMW or MINI centers for specific application restrictions or log onto [url=http://www.ipodyourbmw.com]http://www.ipodyourbmw.com[/url] Installation is performed by authorized BMW and MINI centers only. iPod and iPod mini are available in the U.S. through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod mini is available for a suggested retail price of $249 (US); $299 (US) for the 15GB iPod, $399 (US) for the 20GB iPod and $499 (US) for the 40GB iPod.