Test drive of Apple iPod interface

JSpira · 04-12-2006, 10:13 PM

I spent over an hour today testing the system, which is still in prototype form. Given that, it works really really well.

For starters, it will work with all MOST E90s, i.e. those with CCC and those with M-ASK.

I used the adapter in a 6er and a 7er (the 3er was not yet on the show floor because they were using that particular space for the press conf). I believe that I was using two slightly different revs of the product and due to differences in the 7er's iDrive (old style interface) v. the 6er's new interface (same as 3er), the displays varied a bit. My photos are from the 7er as the 6er had the top down and it was hard to get good screen shots without glare.

The interface allows you to choose between Album, Genre, Artist, Playlist, and Random. Random will pick 500 tunes and then randomize. Each time you pick random, it will select a different 500.

You can see pretty much everything you would see on your iPod screen when scrolling (no album art at this time).

The 7er had the title scrolling while playing while the 6er did not. We chalked this up to different revs of the product.

The quality was better than the aux-in (which isn´t bad but it´s not a digital connection).

The connector is in the glove box. At the moment, there is no harness for the iPod. They need to work on that so it doesn´t bounce around.

This will be coded specifically as an iPod adapter in the car and will probably require that your car have the latest sw (at least PROGMAN 21) when they are finished. The requirement for coding by the way will keep non BMW adapters out of the picture unless the car already has a CD changer on the MOST bus, in which case it´s possible that you could swap them out (you need to code the BMW iPod adapter as an iPod adapter, not CD changer btw).

All in all, it rocks. I hope to have one by Memorial Day, at which time I will provide more info.

This should be at the dealerships by mid July.

Photos are (first two) iPod in 7er, then Tom Purves at the press conf., then the Z4 M coupé making its North America debut.

325 Baller · 04-12-2006, 10:18 PM

looks great, im so excited for july!

KL2DC · 04-12-2006, 10:19 PM

Looks great...any indication of pricing and availability at this point?

Jibber · 04-12-2006, 10:20 PM

Thanks Jonathan! Much appreciated.

I'm still curious on the price. I'll have to get a newer gen iPod between now and July.

bsjd00 · 04-12-2006, 10:28 PM

Jonathan, thanks for the update. I'm happy to see what looks like a setup that does not require digital to analog conversion to get the signal to the BMW radio. I'm assuming that means quality identical to CD, provided that the source is encoded the same on both the iPod and CD.

Dension could have had this market a year ago if they had moved to get their product out. Now, any time they've spent developing the e90 interface was wasted. And I don't feel sorry for them.

JSpira · 04-12-2006, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL2DC

Looks great...any indication of pricing and availability at this point?

No word on pricing. July availability.

Jean330xi · 04-12-2006, 10:52 PM

Excellent report! Thanks for sharing. Gives me something to look forward to in the summer!

poldim · 04-12-2006, 11:01 PM

Is the "Phone Connected?" part just refering to the bluetooth phone?

How fast is the interface?

JSpira · 04-12-2006, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poldim

Is the "Phone Connected?" part just refering to the bluetooth phone?

How fast is the interface?

Phone Connected - yes, Bluetooth.

Regarding interface speed, I don't have all the specs yet (I expect to have more details and specs next week) and I'll advise then. I think that the iPod interface dock is a fixed speed - not sure what it is however.

JSpira · 04-12-2006, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsjd00

Jonathan, thanks for the update. I'm happy to see what looks like a setup that does not require digital to analog conversion to get the signal to the BMW radio. I'm assuming that means quality identical to CD, provided that the source is encoded the same on both the iPod and CD.

Dension could have had this market a year ago if they had moved to get their product out. Now, any time they've spent developing the e90 interface was wasted. And I don't feel sorry for them.

The sound was quite good - although the Auto Show was a noisy place to do a test, esp. in a drop top 6er. It is digital end to end btw.

TECENG · 04-12-2006, 11:47 PM

OMG, I don't know what gave me the woody...the ipod interface or the Z4 M!

YYimports · 04-12-2006, 11:49 PM

Nice to see the IPOD integration finally available for E90's. Wonder if this will be a DIY type of project (aside from any software upgrade which obviously requires dealer).

JSpira · 04-12-2006, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lost8found

Nice to see the IPOD integration finally available for E90's. Wonder if this will be a DIY type of project (aside from any software upgrade which obviously requires dealer).

No, it's not DIY - at least for the faint of heart. The unit is installed behind the glovebox. And the car will need coding and probably a sw upgrade (the question of who pays for the sw upgrade will be interesting - since the sw upgrade is required to add a new function and not to provide something that is missing or fix something that is broken, well... you get the picture).

330eye · 04-13-2006, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

No, it's not DIY - at least for the faint of heart. The unit is installed behind the glovebox. And the car will need coding and probably a sw upgrade (the question of who pays for the sw upgrade will be interesting - since the sw upgrade is required to add a new function and not to provide something that is missing or fix something that is broken, well... you get the picture).

I would expect the SW cost to be bundled with the installation charge like when installing a BMW alarm.

JSpira · 04-13-2006, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 330eye

I would expect the SW cost to be bundled with the installation charge like when installing a BMW alarm.

I thought of that (bundling), but since newer cars will come with sw that supports it, that would unfairly penalize the newer cars.

The alarm doesn't require a software upgrade btw. so it's not completely applicable.

prototyp · 04-13-2006, 12:41 AM

Any conjecture on differences for iDrive-equipped cars and those without (3er)? I'd imagine jog/shuttle and selection control will be a bit of a challenge. Might the non-iD stereo head unit display the same information, reformatted however necessary for the smaller screen?

poldim · 04-13-2006, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

Phone Connected - yes, Bluetooth.

Regarding interface speed, I don't have all the specs yet (I expect to have more details and specs next week) and I'll advise then. I think that the iPod interface dock is a fixed speed - not sure what it is however.

You said you played with it for an hour. How can you not know?

hkj · 04-13-2006, 12:57 AM

Thanks for the detailed report Jonathan.

I presume we will see more coverage from you on the upcoming Roundel?

So far this looks very good indeed. I'm glad they took the time to do it right rather than trying to emulate a 6-Disc CD changer like the previous generation of the adapters. Any chance this will support foreign characters? (all my songs are Chinese and the chacaters display without problems on the iPod)

I'm definitely getting this when it becomes available.

-hkj

cosmosblau · 04-13-2006, 01:05 AM

Will a unit be available for non-iDrive e90's?

poldim · 04-13-2006, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmosblau

Will a unit be available for non-iDrive e90's?

I think that this makes it seem like it wont. I think those two are what run iDrive...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

For starters, it will work with all MOST E90s, i.e. those with CCC and those with M-ASK.

cabrioitalia · 04-13-2006, 03:52 AM

Video features are disabled?
Images, video contents in the iPod.
From the dock connector of iPod (since the 4th gen, also Nano) we have composite video signal...
Podcasting on the iDrive screen should be fantastic.....

eloso5 · 04-13-2006, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSpira

For starters, it will work with all MOST E90s, i.e. those with CCC and those with M-ASK.

What is CCC and M-ASK. Thank you.

04-12-2006, 10:13 PM	#1
JSpira Freude am Fahren 336 Rep 5,254 Posts Drives: Fünfer, Dreier, + Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New York, München, Wien iTrader: (1)	Test drive of Apple iPod interface - my report I spent over an hour today testing the system, which is still in prototype form. Given that, it works really really well. For starters, it will work with all MOST E90s, i.e. those with CCC and those with M-ASK. I used the adapter in a 6er and a 7er (the 3er was not yet on the show floor because they were using that particular space for the press conf). I believe that I was using two slightly different revs of the product and due to differences in the 7er's iDrive (old style interface) v. the 6er's new interface (same as 3er), the displays varied a bit. My photos are from the 7er as the 6er had the top down and it was hard to get good screen shots without glare. The interface allows you to choose between Album, Genre, Artist, Playlist, and Random. Random will pick 500 tunes and then randomize. Each time you pick random, it will select a different 500. You can see pretty much everything you would see on your iPod screen when scrolling (no album art at this time). The 7er had the title scrolling while playing while the 6er did not. We chalked this up to different revs of the product. The quality was better than the aux-in (which isn´t bad but it´s not a digital connection). The connector is in the glove box. At the moment, there is no harness for the iPod. They need to work on that so it doesn´t bounce around. This will be coded specifically as an iPod adapter in the car and will probably require that your car have the latest sw (at least PROGMAN 21) when they are finished. The requirement for coding by the way will keep non BMW adapters out of the picture unless the car already has a CD changer on the MOST bus, in which case it´s possible that you could swap them out (you need to code the BMW iPod adapter as an iPod adapter, not CD changer btw). All in all, it rocks. I hope to have one by Memorial Day, at which time I will provide more info. This should be at the dealerships by mid July. Photos are (first two) iPod in 7er, then Tom Purves at the press conf., then the Z4 M coupé making its North America debut. Attached Images __________________ Freude am Fahren. Jonathan E90 2006 330xi E90 2006 325i E39 2003 530i Sport* E46 2000 328Ci* E36 1996 328iS* E36 1992 325i* E30 1991 318is E21 1982 320iS* E21 1979 320 (6-Zyl)* *retired Nominated: Most Contributing Member
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04-12-2006, 10:18 PM	#2
325 Baller Colonel 264 Rep 2,576 Posts Drives: X3 28i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Boca Raton, Florida iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	looks great, im so excited for july! __________________ ----------------------------------------------------
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04-12-2006, 10:19 PM	#3
KL2DC Moderator 318 Rep 17,767 Posts Drives: F36 428i,E90 328i, E85 Z4 3.0i Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: DC Metro iTrader: (23) Garage List 2015 F36 428i [0.00] 2011 E90 328i [0.00] 2006 E85 Z4 3.0i [0.00]	Looks great...any indication of pricing and availability at this point? __________________ Official DC Metro Registry - Current, New & Prospective Area Members Roll Call!
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04-12-2006, 10:20 PM	#4
Jibber Private First Class 7 Rep 134 Posts Drives: 325xiT Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Thanks Jonathan! Much appreciated. I'm still curious on the price. I'll have to get a newer gen iPod between now and July. __________________ "The suspect in this vehicle has been toying with the officers this way. And with the amount of power he has in that BMW he is just leaving them behind right now." E91 Monaco Blue - Black with Poplar - Steptronic - Premium
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04-12-2006, 10:28 PM	#5
bsjd00 Lieutenant 38 Rep 407 Posts Drives: e90 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: U.S. iTrader: (0)	Jonathan, thanks for the update. I'm happy to see what looks like a setup that does not require digital to analog conversion to get the signal to the BMW radio. I'm assuming that means quality identical to CD, provided that the source is encoded the same on both the iPod and CD. Dension could have had this market a year ago if they had moved to get their product out. Now, any time they've spent developing the e90 interface was wasted. And I don't feel sorry for them.
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04-12-2006, 10:52 PM	#7
Jean330xi Private First Class 1 Rep 137 Posts Drives: 330xi Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Westchester iTrader: (0)	Excellent report! Thanks for sharing. Gives me something to look forward to in the summer!
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04-12-2006, 11:01 PM	#8
poldim Vroom Vrrooooom 300 Rep 3,146 Posts Drives: 330i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 330i Sedan [0.00] 2003 GSX-R 600 [0.00]	Is the "Phone Connected?" part just refering to the bluetooth phone? How fast is the interface? __________________ -Dmitriy 06' BMW 330i & 03' Suzuki GSX-R600 SG \| Beige Dakota \| Poplar \|\| iDrive w/MP3 \| PP \| SP \| CWP \| PDC \| Comfort \| Shades \|\| 40% Tint \| Black Line Tail Lights \| Hardwired V1
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04-12-2006, 11:47 PM	#11
TECENG Second Lieutenant 6 Rep 260 Posts Drives: 330i SG/Terra Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Northern CA iTrader: (0)	OMG, I don't know what gave me the woody...the ipod interface or the Z4 M! __________________ Now I don't mind the commute 330i Sparkling Graphite \| Terra \| Walnut \| Steptronic \| Sport \| Premium \| Navigation \| Comfort Access \| Cold Weather Pkg
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04-12-2006, 11:49 PM	#12
YYimports First Lieutenant 54 Rep 306 Posts Drives: TitanSilver E90 Join Date: May 2006 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	Nice to see the IPOD integration finally available for E90's. Wonder if this will be a DIY type of project (aside from any software upgrade which obviously requires dealer).
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04-13-2006, 12:41 AM	#16
prototyp Lieutenant 228 Rep 455 Posts Drives: '19 X3 M40i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (3) Garage List 2019 BMW X3 M40i [0.00] 2021 BMW X5 40i MSport [0.00]	Any conjecture on differences for iDrive-equipped cars and those without (3er)? I'd imagine jog/shuttle and selection control will be a bit of a challenge. Might the non-iD stereo head unit display the same information, reformatted however necessary for the smaller screen? __________________ 2019 X3M40i DGM/black vernasca, 2T4, 2VF, ZPX, ZPP, ZDA, DWS06+, etc, etc. Since July'19. 2021 X540i MSport CBM/black merino, 337, ZMP, ZPP, ZPK, etc. Since Dec'20. 2006 330i SGM/black, ZSP, ZPP, 217, HuberOps, M Splits, K Lines, AS 3 on EC-7. Sep'08-July'19.
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04-13-2006, 12:57 AM	#18
hkj Major 60 Rep 1,205 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Thanks for the detailed report Jonathan. I presume we will see more coverage from you on the upcoming Roundel? So far this looks very good indeed. I'm glad they took the time to do it right rather than trying to emulate a 6-Disc CD changer like the previous generation of the adapters. Any chance this will support foreign characters? (all my songs are Chinese and the chacaters display without problems on the iPod) I'm definitely getting this when it becomes available. -hkj
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04-13-2006, 01:05 AM	#19
cosmosblau cunning, baffling, powerful 19 Rep 369 Posts Drives: '08 BMW 535i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Pacific Palisades, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	Will a unit be available for non-iDrive e90's? __________________ 2013 328i • Alpine White • Black Leather • Sport Line • Premium Pkg • SprintBooster •
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04-13-2006, 03:52 AM	#21
cabrioitalia Enlisted Member 0 Rep 31 Posts Drives: 330cic Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: italy iTrader: (0)	Video features are disabled? Images, video contents in the iPod. From the dock connector of iPod (since the 4th gen, also Nano) we have composite video signal... Podcasting on the iDrive screen should be fantastic.....
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