Apple integrates iPod with Honda, Acura, Audi, & VW in US
Apple has teamed up with Acura, Audi, Honda and Volkswagen to deliver iPod integration with their car stereos for 2006 models. There are now 15 car manufacturers around the world, including BMW, offering iPod integration, and Apples expects that over 5 million cars will ship with iPod support in the US in 2006.
Some analysts reportedly expect that the iPod will challenge digital car radio networks for a slice of the growing market for in-car entertainment technology, but one of the US’ two digital radio networks, XM Satellite, about half of whose 4.4m subscribers are ca-based customers, said, "These are two very different offerings … XM is unique because we have hundreds of programmers delivering millions of songs plus live news, live sports and talk directly to subscribers".
XM is available in cars from GM, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan and VW/Audi. Rival US satellite digitial radio network Sirius declined to comment yesterday on Apple’s announcement.