iCar?

[carsly]

What do I really want to see? I'd love to see Apple make a functional touch-screen double-din car stereo. Heck, the demand is there and growing. Ipod integration kits are becoming de rigeur so what's the missing link? Think about having cover flow on your car stereo display or the ability to use apps in your car via your iphone's data link. Or a one-click purchase of songs you hear on the radio that automatically downloads them via iTunes. If you want to know what the next, "One more thing..." is, you need look no further than the lousy radio in your car. El Jobso won't let Microsoft and their Sync platform run hog wild in automobiledom for too long. You've heard it here first - now spread the word.

[HawaiiMacAddict]

Aloha carsly,

I recently purchased a new vehicle and that consideration, of iPhone integration, was one of my primary concerns. What I determined is that BMW is probably the closest to the "iCar" you envision. I looked at the X5, which displays iPod/iPhone content on the Nav screen and uses the vehicle's stereo to play iPhone content while also charging it. I couldn't handle the price, so I purchased a Lexus RX350 - I'm currently using a Belkin car kit with clear scan to play iPhone content, and while it's not as good as using the Belkin TuneBase FM with an iPod (there is a bit of static as it's not as sensitive as I would like), it is very nice. Of course, if Lexus were to provide an aux input, I would've had to purchase only a car charger.

Imagine a car with built-in USB ports for charging peripherals, or better yet, built-in displays, on the backs of the front seats, for back-seat passengers. Apple could engineer some way to access a laptop's hard drive while closed (and not causing too much heat build up) and we could use a special USB cable to connect the laptop to one of the car's USB ports. The front passenger could also have the same sort of access. Of course, the car should also include some sort of holding area for the laptop in question. Lastly, the car would HAVE to support both iPods and iPhones with both bluetooth and stereo integration, displaying the latter on a large screen on the center console.

Maybe I'm just off my rocker, but that would be nice. Assuming the price would NOT be sky-high, I would have to consider it.

HawaiiMacAddict

[Tunnelrunner]

That'd be cool so I wouldn't have to use the Belkin Tunecast adaptor for my iphone 3g anymore.

BTW, if anyone is wondering, the Tunecast is terrible (at least here in Chicago)...you literally become a human antenna, which doesn't exactly make for safe driving.

But right now, it's the only option out there if you want to play your 3G in your car (as far as I know...)

[mikecc]

BMW already has the iDrive nav system. Although it bears the "i" in the name, it's just nothing intuitive compared to iphone/ipod control. BMW is going to integrate Internet into the iDrive system in the near future, and sadly it's going to run on EDGE, no 3G.

[stacychen]

can you give more details about the Apple's car stereo

[Tekgeeek]

Just make sure they're iPhone 3G compatible!

[TheIphoneDude]

Originally Posted by Tekgeeek

Just make sure they're iPhone 3G compatible!

Yeah! this would be a cool app actually.

[jhamilton3]

This would be very sweet but I don't see it happening for a few years.