11 Jan 2005 | Cameron Moll said...

I'm still waiting for the iPod/toaster-style car stereo to debut -- the one where you just insert the bottom of your iPod in it, much like an 8-track(?). That'll really knock my socks off, though Griffin's new piece is rather nice.

11 Jan 2005 | DaleV said...

Agreed with all . . this is a very smart innovation, using what was previously considered dead-tech. Click-to-buy!

11 Jan 2005 | Peter Cooper said...

What astounds me is that people who can afford iPods still have cassette radios in their car ;-) I still haven't found a nice cheap solution to interface with my CD stereo, although I guess I can bite the bullet and get one of those interfaces you install at the back of the unit :)

11 Jan 2005 | Benjy said...

What astounds me is that people who can afford iPods still have cassette radios in their car ;-)

I thought it a pointless feature when I bought my Jetta in 2001 (CD changer in the trunk), but man I'm glad I have it now for my iPod. I tried one of those Belkin FM modulators when I got my iPod, but it sucked so I returned it and dug out my old casette addapter I used to use with my Discman.

11 Jan 2005 | dmr said...

A good CD deck can be had for under $150 with a rear (or front) aux input; I got a Clarion with aux inputs (and a rotary knob!)

11 Jan 2005 | motionross said...

This is a must for anyone who has steering wheel controls as well. I can't count the number of times I've hit FFW on the wheel to hear no music and the whir of the tape deck.

Mine is pre-ordered.

11 Jan 2005 | andrew said...

i used to have a nice clarion, but unfortunately it got stolen, with the faceplate off, even! the major pro of putting my stock stereo back in is that i'm no longer worried about it... :)

11 Jan 2005 | Darrel said...

What astounds me...

...is that there are still so many car stereos that don't have a line-in right on the front.

11 Jan 2005 | Adam C said...

There's something to be said for a nicely designed stereo. Almost all aftermarket radios suffer from the bling factor. An iPod with a tape adapter is much nicer looking.

11 Jan 2005 | One of several Steves said...

A zillion? I doubt it. I haven't seen a new car in the last five years that even has a cassette deck (well, I guess a few cheap GMs that I got as rentals a few years ago, but now even those come with CD players).

Now what would sell a ton is if someone could figure out how to do a CD player adapter (yes, I realize that's much more difficult since you're talking something that can be read by lazer, instead of simply creating a magnetic output like with the cassette adapter). The radio adapters sound like crap, because FM simply doesn't have the fidelity that even a cassette has.

Of course, if car makers would just start putting aux jacks in the front of their stereos, or even better, somewhere in the center console so you can set the player down without having a cord running halfway up the dash, that would be ideal. Because while there are a lot of aftermarket stereos doing that, the interior design of so many cars is such now that you can't swap out the radio without seriously disrupting the look and function of the center stack.

11 Jan 2005 | kelby said...

bluetooth?

11 Jan 2005 | JF said...

I haven't seen a new car in the last five years that even has a cassette deck

My 2004 Audi has one. All A4s and S4s do.

11 Jan 2005 | ek said...

kelby, I think a bluetooth-based solution would be nice, though it would be tough as the spec is still evolving so quickly (for example, you'd have to use Bluetooth 2.0 if you want to stream CD-quality audio, but that spec was released just this past November) and automakers have such long lead times for production.

Also, streaming via bluetooth out of an iPod or iPod-like device would be a big-time battery killer.

Then there may also be issues of interference with the bluetooth-based hands-free calling systems that are slowly becoming more common in cars today, though I don't know enough about this to really say.

I'm with Darrel and One of several Steves on this: why are built-in RCAs still so rare? The Honda Element has had it since it was released, but even in its case, it's all the way over on the passenger side, in the equivalent of the glove box. Just put some RCAs or even a miniplug in the center console already!

Actually, I think the very best thing of all would be a modular plug that would fit within the center console. The backside of the plug would interface with the car's audio system and the frontside would feature an audio interface. The stock interface could be a pair of RCAs or even just a miniplug and the manufacturer or aftermarket parts makers could supply other interfaces, such as firewire, usb, etc., which would provide the added benefit of being able to control the attached device via the head unit or the controls on your steering wheel.

This would provide an inexpensive, flexible solution that would never become obsolete. Someone do it, please! I won't even ask for royalties. ;-)

11 Jan 2005 | ek said...

Just saw this in Macintouch.com's notes from Steve Jobs' MacWorld keynote address re: the iPod:

• working with BMW on next-generation adapter
• Mercedes, Nissan, Volvo, Scion will roll out adapters in '05
• in Europe: Alfa Romeo and Ferrari

Though I think that something more "generic" would still be better.

11 Jan 2005 | Benjy said...

Yet another reason I wish Alfa would return to the U.S. makrket...

11 Jan 2005 | beto said...

Man, I am so getting this. Thank goodness I still keep my old cassette player in my car. (FM transmitters have teh suck). Since I only have an iPod case that covers the device entirely, is sort of frustrating not being able to skip dud tunes while doing 70 on the highway (that is, unless you have a really, really good insurance covering you). Then again, I'd prefer a RCA-based solution but why car stereo manufacturers avoid this like the plague is beyond me.

11 Jan 2005 | One of several Steves said...

I like your idea of a modular plug in the console, ek. Something that has a few different input types to handle different sorts of devices, that all channel into an aux input in the head unit.

But, at the very least, just provide a mini input. It's nice that various carmakers are supporting the iPod, but it's easy to go universal. Every MP3 player has a mini output, for headphones. And those are obviously stereo, so a simple mini-to-mini cable will get input into the stereo nicely for any number of portable audio devices.

12 Jan 2005 | ek said...

Speaking of cool products from Griffin, at long last, a real remote control for the iPod and/or a Mac running iTunes!

It works as a wireless presentation clicker as well, with support for both Keynote and Powerpoint (I think the buttons on the remote may be programmable on a per application basis, so it may be possible to use it with HTML-based prezos as well).

Very, very cool.

12 Jan 2005 | Auke said...

Actually the concept is " old", Sony and others had such a solution for the Discman. ( For example)

And last but not least what have been around, to make the link shorter: Quite some variations on the principle of a mp3 digisette". So i agree; what about mp3 to car cd player...

12 Jan 2005 | Michael Spina said...

Freaking genius. And it's only about $5 more than just a regular cassette adaptor.

Does anyone get good quality out of those cassette adaptors? I have the black Sony, and can't get good sound from my laptop. It's all muddy and quiet. Please tell me it's just mine, I really want one of those Griffins.

12 Jan 2005 | One of several Steves said...

The cassette adapters have never given great sound, at least in my experience, although messing with the head-position settings does help a bit. And it is better than the FM transmitter approach, which makes all my music sound like it's being played inside a large swimming pool.

Again, the best solution would be a direct connection via a mini or RCA plug. If I ever do buy an after-market car stereo, that'll be an absolute requirement for me.

I see one flaw with the Griffin remote, ek - what if you want to use that while you've also got your FM transmitter (or any other attachment) hooked up. Unless those things piggyback on each other or can be daisy-chained in some way and I don't know about it, you're stuck having to make a choice between, say, playing your iPod over the car stereo or using the remote.

14 Jan 2005 | yo said...

PC Mag article about some other solutions:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1749985,00.asp

> Quite a few companies debuted new ways to
> attach your iPod to your car stereo at CES.
> Thankfully, none of them featured a cassette
> adapter or an FM transponder. They all had
> one thing in common: they're designed only
> for the latest generations of iPods with the
> Dock Connector. Many of them take advantage
> of the ports used to connect CD changers to
> a head unit. ... If you're thinking about
> buying one of these ... make sure it features
> some ability to use playlists and search by
> artist, album or song title ....