It seems that almost every major car manufacturer has announced some form of “in-dash” integration with Apple’s iPod…
Though clearly a cool feature, it simply isn’t that radical or game changing. It really sells the entire iPod+Car thing short. The real hot spot for in-car entertainment isn’t on the dash board – it’s in the back seat.
Ask any parent with young children…
Today, that slot is ruled by in-car DVD players. They typically have the flip down screens above the center console, and wireless headphones for the kids to listen with. They also have some big disadvantages. You need to keep the physical media (DVD’s) in the car, limiting selection and inviting damage. You also need a relatively large footprint in an accessible location to install the player.
Why not replace that player with a video enable iPod?…
That’s what I ended up doing in our family car. I removed the DVD player and wired up a docking station to the AV inputs. When my 10 year old son gets in the car, he only needs to dock the iPod. The flip down video screen lets him watch videos with his friends just like before, and he can thumb through programs easily using the clickwheel. Since he carries whatever content he wants around with him, there is no need for storing any media in the car. Even better, a lot of the content he likes is free – he has discovered video podcasts, and also syncs up with Tivo. The short form program format common with most podcasts is ideal for quick trips. (His current favorite is a video game hints show called ‘Cheat!’). The Tivo synced shows, mostly cartoons or anime, work great on longer trips. After having this setup, it would be hard to go back to just a DVD player.
If Apple worked with auto manufacturers to actually retool the back seat entertainment around the iPod instead of just focusing on in-dash integrations for music, they could really do something awesome here. They might even be able to figure out a way to integrate their ipod games into the mix. Imagine a system with music, video, and gaming all together under one elegant interface.
That approach could redefine this market…
