Apple today announced it is teaming up with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to deliver the first seamless integration between iPod and in-flight entertainment systems. These six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the their seat back displays.
“There is no better traveling companion than an iPod, and now travelers can power their iPods during flight and even watch their iPod movies and TV shows on their seat back displays,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing, in the press release. “We’re excited to work with Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United to offer iPod users an even better in-flight experience.”
In-flight iPod connectivity will be available to Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United passengers beginning in mid 2007. Additionally, Apple is working with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring even more leading airlines in-flight iPod connectivity in the future.
The iPod ecosystem continues to flourish with more than 3,000 accessories made specifically for iPod that range from fashionable cases to speaker systems, and more than 70 percent of 2007-model US automobiles currently offer iPod connectivity.
iPod and iTunes are leading the digital music revolution, providing the best way to listen to music on the go, at home, in the car and now on an airplane. With nearly 70 million iPods sold, the iPod is the world’s most popular digital music and portable video player and the iTunes Store is the number one online music store with over 1.5 billion songs purchased and downloaded worldwide. The iTunes Store features over 3.5 million songs, 65,000 podcasts, 20,000 audiobooks, 5,000 music videos, 250 television shows and over 100 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films.
Someone in Redmond squirted on reading this news.
It would appear that Apple has pretty much signed up most of one of the major airline alliances (Skyteam – Air France, Continental, Delta and KLM), whilst making a small entry into Star Alliance (United) and a single non-aligned carrier (Emirates).
Apple’s ambitions probably mean that they’ll hunt down the remaining major members of SkyTeam (Alitalia and NorthWest) before finishing off Star Alliance (Air Canada, Singapore, Lufthansa and SAA being the major targets as well as US Air for internal US flights).
I would imagine that oneworld (the alliance for BA, AA, Iberia, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and FinnAir) will get fitted in in the meantime, as will Virgin Atlantic.
The key to all of this are the various fleet refresh timetables for the airlines: several carriers are now reviewing their commitment to Airbus’ A380 given that the airplane is going to be hysterically late, so start looking at carriers who are taking Boeing aircraft (like the new 777-200LR) or non-A380 Airbus customers (there are something like 300 unfulfilled A330/A340 orders in production).
For the airlines (especially the low-cost carriers), this is a brilliant development: over time, they can abdicate from providing high-cost entertainment programming from Hollywood and various syndication operators which means more money on the bottom line.
Macaday,
Although about 94% of all computers are still MS, I agree that Apple could win.
It’s beginning to look more and more like there could be a ‘dam burst’ effect; the hole in the dam gets bigger and bigger and suddenly it collapses.
I sincerely hope this happens.
This is wonderful. The American airlines will sign a deal, dish out millions to Apple, then next week declare bankrupcy so all the tax payers can cover them.
I can’t wait.
Zunes aren’t allowed to be turned on on planes because of the built in radio. Anything that recieves or transmits must be shut off on planes nowadays.
Do they even have Zune integration on the Microsoft corporate jets?
I just heard on the CNN podcast that the Zube cannot act as a hard drive when attached to a PC. It also can’t read MS’s own Windows Media Centre movies. The ‘best’ reports are saying this will only be a 1.0 release but be improved in later models – well then who is going to buy the first version if the fixes come in later models? CNN said it was not aimed at Geeks, but first time users, but given the installation problems this may be problematic. Maybe Geeks will expect the device to do much more.
I wonder what else is ‘missing’ that we just assumed would be in!
Likelihood is that Zune use on aircraft will be banned unless the WiFi feature can be turned off. They don’t like radio transmitters on the plane…
Qka – I heard Microsoft tried to install Zune software on one of their corporate jets. But it crashed.
They could include the ability to squirt from a Zune, but the flight would be over before it was done downloading.
What about JetBlue?
If the connectors are iPod compatible only, I’ll bet my last dollar that someone will start a class action lawsuit over this. And probably before the first plane is on a runway.
MDN word: seven. Lucky number seven. Anyone want to take my bet?
Gavron,
I agree with you agreeing with me and like the dam burst effect. What a squirt that would be!
Even Microsoft seems intent on convincing people of the shoddiness of its products these days.
“Look, the Emperor has no clothes!”
“Look, Microsoft has no quality products!”
“Look, Apple makes fantastic hardware and software!”
Statements of fact, each one! Just a matter of time.
aapl up to 84.75 today; others are thinking the same too..
Apple keeps expanding the iPod ecosystem, but they have not covered everything. The iPod ecosystem may include the iBuzz and the OhMyBod, but that does not cover some of the demographic customer base that would favor the Zune. I expect Microsoft to introduce the zTaser for the BSDM crowd. Microsoft’s user base is loaded with those folks.
that’S cool. I fly emirates at least once every 6 weeks. Gotta love those bodicon-ish stewardasses. Qatar Airways sucks compared. AFAIK both lines offer in seat TV through all classes.
What the hell is up with those shills at Engadget. They love, then hate the Zune. But then they say:
“After selling your car, television, computer, house and children, you thought you were finally safe from this nasty epidemic of “iPod integration” — think again. Now the nasty little buggers are going to start showing up in airplanes”
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/14/apple-teams-up-with-airlines-for-ipod-integration/
Jerks
From the Reuters wire story – “…international first and business class customers on United Airlines.”
OK. I know the word “ecosystem” is rather appropriate but every time I read or hear it, the thought of Bill Gates spewing his “Windows ecosystem” line comes up and makes me ill. Gosh, we need another word. Any help is appreciated.
How about symbiants, or something to do with symbiosis. I mean, after all Apple makes the stuff that really plays nicely with the other toys in the sandbox. (Except the Zune, but it’s like the retarded kid you feel a little remorse for picking on, but you do it anyway.)
Ragu & B-Sabre you’re not far off!
As B-Sabre states assuming that the airplane is not running Windows for flight-critical systems – which is true they are not.
Windows is used at check-in. How many times (more for MDN readers that make regular international flights) has your journey been delayed because of ‘computer failure’ at the check-in desk?
Now you know why, Windows just crashed again and the ground staff cannot book you in for your flight.
What is dumb is that either the airline or the airport don’t realise that the failure is Windows and instead opt for something else, heck they’re rich enough, at least in the West, to be able to have a specific checking in software programme running on another tailor-made flavour of Linux.
It would be nice to have Mac OSX, but Apple would object to their logo being seen by the wider public on the screens above each airline desk, even where the airline promises not to show OSXs lovely desktop and full screen the airlines logo instead.
As for Virgin Atlantic, well they are working on adding laptop power supply to every seat regardless of class, and since Apple are teaming up with Panasonic Avionics it is only a matter of time before Virgin and other airlines follow suit and have iPod connectivity.
MW: ‘planning’ as in Apple are planning so many things that by the end of January folks will be saying ‘Zune’ what ‘Zune’, never heard of it!
Airlines will quickly dump their own free in flight movies and move to a “watch what you brung”. Hey, if you don’t have a loaded iPod, we’ll rent you one loaded with the latest (Disney or whoever else climbs aboard) movies,music, and TV shows. iPod sales will go through the roof! Apple will turn around and charge a fee to the late comer movie studios who finally get it. No Universal Music will be installed until CEO is replaced. Flying will be cool again as Apple flys the skies.
With users deciding on their own visual content, will their be any restriction on viewing porn etc?