BMW and Apple are joining forces to integrate the iPhone’s iOS 4 “iPod Out” feature into the “Ultimate Driving Machine.” The German car maker has announced that it will support the new iOS 4 feature, which allows you to output the iPod music player interface to an external display – like a BMW or Mini in-dash display. Remember when we mentioned all those years ago that BMW was working with Apple to create a more intuitive user interface for the clunky iDrive navigation system? Right, well, it looks like we’re finally going to see the ultimate driving machine married to the ultimate music player.
Apple and BMW already have a relationship that goes back for as long as we can remember (which, in the mobile world, is at most a few years). BMW offers customer a factory-installed option to connect your iPhone or iPod to the car and play all your stored music through the car’s audio system. But, for all those years, customers have had to deal with BMW’s poorly designed in-dash user interface to control their iPhone or iPod. That’s where the “iPod Out” feature comes into play.
iPod Out does more than just allow you to play your stored music library through a bimmer’s entertainment system. The iPod Out feature basically pushes the iPod music player UI to the car’s in-dash display, allowing the driver to control their music through an interface that is more intuitive than anything BMW could design themselves. That means you’ll have access to all your playlists, podcasts, and even Genius mixes right at your fingertips – all controlled through the steering wheel- and console-mounted controls.
What you get is a hybrid in-dash display that merges BMW’s navigation system with Apple’s music player. The screenshot above shows you how this would work. Expect to see this feature hitting BMW and Mini vehicles in the near future.
The video below demonstrates BMW’s newfound iOS 4 iPod Out support:
[Via: Cnet]