If I am listening to something in my car, it is virtually always music or podcasts on my iPhone. My current automobile solution works pretty well, but I would love to see better iPhone-car integration. Apparently, Apple feels the same way because one of the features of iOS 4 is a technology called iPod out. This is an interface for controlling the iPod app on the iPhone that is generated by the iPhone itself. You connect your iPhone to your car and you see a menu on your car’s display that looks much like a traditional iPhone interface, including album art. TUAW discussed this feature this past April.
One of the nice things about iPod out is that it is controlled by the iPhone itself. Thus, if Apple updates the iOS to support some new iPod feature, that new feature can show up your car’s display without you needing to update the car’s navigation system. Plus, the interface has the advantage of being familiar to anyone who knows how to use an iPhone.
In July of this year, BMW announced that it would support iPod out on some of its cars. According to a report from Kyle Thibuat of CrunchGear, BMW recently showed off the feature at the Paris Motor Show. I hope that we see more car manufacturers taking advantage of this very soon.
Here is a video that BMW posted this past July in which it talks about the technology: