Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Apple Archive

How to Listen to Your iPod on Your Car Stereo Even if You Don't Own a BMW

- 2004.06.23

If you've ever wanted to integrate your iPod with your car stereo, you may soon have that option - if you have a BMW. Apple and BMW have apparently been working together to develop a kit that attaches to the audio system in BMW's. This kit allows you to place your iPod in a special holder in the glove box and then control the iPod from the controls on the stereo or on the steering wheel.

The drawback to this is that you don't get the iPod's interface on the stereo, so you don't know how much further a song has to go, and you don't get the track information, either. While I'm sure the iPod is quite safe in it's place in the glove box, this seems to be a less than elegant solution, especially given that a BMW is considered a luxury car and Apple products are usually thought of in the same category when it comes to computers and technology.

Which BMW's can use this new kit? Probably not yours. The older models, like my 1987 325, are definitely out. And so are most of the newer models! It appears that only the 2002 model year and newer 3 series, X3, and Z4 can have this $235 kit installed. (It is BMW, no one said it was going to be reasonably priced.)

If you just spent $70,000+ on one of the new 6 series coupes, you might just be out of luck. If that's you, or you have an older BMW (or any other car for that matter), what can you do if you want to connect your iPod to your stereo?

There are a number of options. One option that I like is the cassette adapter, which works great for other units as well (a CD Discman, for example). This simply goes into your cassette player, starts playing - and the music playing on your iPod comes out of the car's stereo speakers. Often on these, the wire going to the device comes out of the left side of the adapter, so if your cassette player loads tapes in such a way that the left side isn't on the outside, you might want to try something like a portable FM transmitter. This would mean something like the iTrip, which sends a signal to your FM radio and actually broadcasts the music playing on your iPod directly to your radio.

This is excellent if you've got a car that doesn't have a cassette player or an auxiliary input on the back of the head unit. If you do have an input for another device, you may just be able to plug your iPod directly into the stereo head unit.

For instance, the Blaupunkt Miami CD127 stereo in my BMW has such an input. All I had to do was connect the iPod and select the sound source on the front of the stereo. As for finding a safe place for the iPod once it's connected, look around for a shelf or small storage bin somewhere in the center console. My BMW has a shelf right below the stereo and heat and vent controls that fit the iPod perfectly.

When it comes to controlling the iPod - getting to the next song or previous one - I find it just as easy as reaching over to adjust the volume on the radio. And if you're really worried, just wait until you're at a stop before switching songs.

While it sounds really nice to have an official solution for using your iPod in the car, in this case it's really not much better than the unofficial solutions - and it's certainly a lot more expensive. If you've got the right car and the cash, go ahead, but if not, there are several alternatives that will accomplish the same thing: to allow you to listen to the music on your iPod through your car's audio system.

Recent Apple Archive articles

iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
More in the Apple Archive index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 17" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Apr. 2006 - The top-end MacBook Pro includes a 1680 x 1050, 2.16 GHz Core Duo CPU, and supports Apple 30" Cinema Display.
Group of the Day: G4 List is for those using Power Mac G4s or G4 upgrades.
November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best G4 iMac Deals, 11.24. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $150; 800 MHz Combo, $229; 1 GHz, $289; 17" 1.25 GHz, $200; 20" 1.25 GHz, $509.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.24. Used from $899; refurb from $1,099; new 1.6 GHz/120 HD, $1,150 after rebate; 1.8/64 SSD, $1,150 a/r; 1.86/128 SSD, $1,350 a/r; 2.13/128 SSD, $1,694 a/r.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 11.24. Used 233 MHz WallStreet, $75; 266 MHz, $160; 400 MHz Lombard, $199; 400 MHz Pismo, $289; 500 MHz, $350.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Apple Archive articles copyright ©2000-07 by Adam Robert Guha. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.