Mating iPod and BMW Is a Brilliant Concept, But First Try Is Crude
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG
Hightlights from the article:
I've been testing the system in a $54,000 BMW 330Ci convertible, lent to me for a few days by BMW. I have tried several different iPods in the car, including a brand-new, fourth-generation model. My conclusion: The BMW iPod adapter works, but in a pretty crude way that will likely leave the iPod cult hungering for more. It's a decent first step, but that's all.
But the BMW adapter is still a disappointment because of the limitations it imposes on the normal use of the iPod. When you play a song, you lose all of the visual information the iPod displays about the song's title, artist and album. All you see on the car's audio display are arbitrary track numbers. And the only playlists the system can handle are special ones you have to set up and name "BMW1" through "BMW5."
For all its limitations, the BMW adapter is a welcome development. But it's frustrating that the car industry can't do better.
Full article here