Apple could rule multimedia solutions for cars

We are now in an era where there is an Apple solution for most of our multimedia needs if not all. When it comes to portable music, there is just one true leader – the iPod. Similarly, one area where Apple could really get into and rule with might is multimedia solutions for cars.

Most cars these days have audio interfaces with iPod connectivity and control – but they’re not perfect and seamless. There is always a non-Apple feeling when operating an iPod using these devices.

Microsoft has a head start with the ‘SYNC’ which they introduced last year, but no one I know uses a ‘Zune’. It’s not about the SYNC’s compatibility problems. They work fine with iPods as well, but they’re not functionally appealing. There is no real innovation in SYNC.

Well, it’s not mass market solutions that I am talking about, but an exclusive solution for premium cars. Something that is premium in every way – something that makes you want to install it in your car. Something as innovative as the iPhone in a close-to-saturated field like car audio.

Car manufacturers are now teaming up with big brands like Bang & Olufsen and Burmester to provide high quality audio in their cars. I’ve listened to these systems and they sound great, but they could all do with a good interface. Something visually appealing that complements the sound. All Apple needs to do is what they always do. Study the situation and create a market leader.

The Internet is on its way into the dashboard, and pretty soon, we would all have cars with Internet connectivity. What better way to access your iTunes account and download a few songs if you run out of music on a cross country drive? And what better way to do it than to do it with a good Apple powered multimedia interface?

Here in the UAE especially, I have observed real obsession when it comes to car audio. People pay ridiculously high amounts of money on a sound system upgrade for their wheels. Like with the iPhone, I think companies like Apple do well in saturated market conditions. They wait for a saturated condition where mediocrity begins to dominate, and then they take the world by storm with a remarkable product.

I am really tired of looking at aftermarket head units like the ones from Sony, Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, etc. Not that they’re not sonically competent; it’s just that they lack the soul, and I think it’s about time that Apple stepped in!

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