Nissan, Mazda and Daihatsu to offer iPod integration

In addition to the iTunes Music Store Japan, Apple today also announced that Nissan, Mazda and Daihatsu in Japan have joined BMW, MINI, smart and Alfa Romeo in Japan to deliver iPod integration with their car stereos for 2006 model lines.

"Seamless integration of iPods in cars allows music lovers to enjoy high-quality sound through their carâ€™s stereo system, easily access their entire music library and take their music with them everywhere they go," the company said in a statement.

â€œWeâ€™re delighted to have such a wide variety of car companies in Japan offering iPod integration,â€ said Greg Joswiak, Appleâ€™s vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. â€œiPod is the number one digital music player in Japan and more music lovers than ever can now enjoy a seamless iPod music experience in their car.â€

In addition, an array of after-market solutions are available from Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood and Pioneer for cars that currently do not offer iPod integration.

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6 Comments

melgross

said about 18 years ago

Rock and roll baby. Rock and roll. The top down and the music streaming through your hair

w_parietti22

said about 18 years ago

I'll be happier when there seamless intergration in all of GMs cars.

squirrel_monkey

said about 18 years ago

I'm confused.

Will we humble gaijin be able to take advantage of this integration in 2006?

I know this seems stupid, but I think this is a competitive advantage. While I generally dismiss "domestic" cars in my purchase decisions, I'll continue to write them off until iPod integration is available to them.

Ride that quasi-monopoly wave, Apple! Ride it good!

nagromme

said about 18 years ago

Anyone know of a more complete list? (That list seems to be Japan-specific.)

For instance,in the US, all Scions for 2006 have the option (I think) to control an iPod right from the steering wheel.

jasenj1

said about 18 years ago

Interesting. At what point does the iPod interface become some sort of "standard" and other player makers start duplicating it, or petitioning governments to allow them to duplicate it? I haven't seen how these interfaces work, but I'm guessing there's some sort of Apple proprietary connector, and an Apple proprietary protocol the car and iPod use to communicate. Will/should Apple license that connector and protocol to other player makers?

Thoughts?

- Jasen.