“Toyota Motor Marketing Europe has appointed Madhouse Associates to develop a European marketing campaign to support the launch of its new iPod Integration Kit in summer 2007,” How-Do reports.
“Madhouse will be producing advertising, brochures, direct mail and the point of sale. Media buying for the launch will be handled on a country by country basis,” How-Do reports. “The creative strapline is ‘Coming soon to a glove box near you.'”
“Toyota’s iPod Integration Kit allows the customer to plug an iPod into the car glove box and then use either the steering wheel or usual audio system controls,” How-Do reports.
Full article here.
[Attribution: iPodNN.]
This should seem obvious! All manufacturers should just install/license Microsoft Sync and they’ll be allset! It provides what this system does and more… I hope it doens’t produce any blue screens of death, however.
Seriously, though, MS Sync is a great program to use for manufacturers. Everyone should hop on board and have a unified interface for controls instead of manufacturers having different systems on all cars.
i will just use the built in audio in jack that is standard
So, new iPod’s now come with a car?
In other news, Datsun just announced their new integration kid for Microsoft Zune’s.
I can hear the commercial:
“Accessorize your iPod — with a Toyota”
About time indeed, especially since Toyota is now the largest car manufacturer in the world. Sorry GM!
Congrats. Toyota won. Now what?
Welcome to the wonderful world of legacy costs, maintaining market share, and environmentalist wacktivism. After all, the #1 seller must be the #1 polluter…
As for integration, at least it’s for the iPod, and nothing Windows Mobile or Media.
“In other news, Datsun just announced their new integration kid for Microsoft Zune!”
I assume he meant kit.
now that’s funny! Someone who actually remembers when Nissan was Datsun! 240Z waas a nice piece of kid..errr.. kit!
for the record, long time readers of this site will know that i do in fact have a sense of humour. Don’t see any sign of sarcasm in TT original post. especially this line “As usual, Toyota hasn’t thought this through….” which is a blatant negative comment, no sarcasm in evidence whatsoever
We don’t really think we’re Mac nuts who piss PC users off and then we see Import vs Domestic Car nuts among us and call them idiots.
Hey, macaholic
Maybe I think that everyone recognizes how Toyota thinks most things through, like Apple, and that is where the sarcasm comes from.
Maybe …. means not serious.
Also, when I was 16, my aunt cut me loose in Dallas with a 240Z to drive around allday. That was a hell of a lot of fun.
u are lucky, i got to sit in a 240Z when i was 14. that was it.
–macaholic
Yes, “kid” was a typo, I deserved that.
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BTW – I assumed you meant “was”
I am glad to see that Toyota is making a kit available for the iPod.
As a MINI owner, with raised eyebrows, I can stick my nose in the air and ask, “Really? only now?
As we all know the first integration kit for iPods was in the MINI and BMW model line ups. That’s right.. the first kit…
Of course I thought that MINI/BMW had made very forward thinking, great choices…
Then BMW went on to use some Microsoft stuff for the 7 and 8 series iDrive system. Now some big expensive Bimmers need to close all their windows, re-open all teh Windows again and restart all the time unless they have some service pack installed .
@Macaholic – its irony you are looking for in TT’s post, not sarcasm. You just missed it…
I think TT was kidding, ye of little humor…
HUMOR IS NOT ALLOWED HERE.
Hehe, get it? (I made a joke).
…or not…
Then BMW went on to use some Microsoft stuff for the 7 and 8 series iDrive system. Now some big expensive Bimmers need to close all their windows, re-open all teh Windows again and restart all the time unless they have some service pack installed .
No, you just have to navigate a confusing menu system to do the most basic tasks.
And do it while piloting two tons of kinetic energy down public roads.
iDrive definitely has MS’s DNA in it…
Oh, the irony of sarcasm being confused with facetiousness.
Belittling, isn’t it? Enough mocking!
ha ha….
macaholic is stoopid. and he cant spell or use grammer either.
… to integrate or not to integrate iPods ….. would this be like affirmative action ..if this is going to get complicated then why don’t we just go ahead and get Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson an iPod and get it over with …but seriously
Well anyway, I hope the new “kit” for the Toyotas is something better than what’s available for Hondas et.al. The factory kit for Honda cars goes beyond bad, they’re just plain stupid. There are some 3rd party “solutions” that are a little better, but in all cases us Honda owners are left with iPods dangling from the end of a cable (yes there are some 3rd party mounts that can be purchased), and an interface that is pretty much brain dead to useless. Why don’t the car manufacturers design their radios so that they really interface with an iPod with useful displays, (displaying everything that’s on the iPod in a non-cryptic format) and in-dash bays for which various adapters can be purchased or ordered with the car, and that include the docking connectors in them.
Anyway, best of luck Toyota owners.
“iDrive definitely has MS’s DNA in it…”
And lots of your DNA splattered all over the windshield, the hood and parts of the road.