Late last yr we buy a new elevator car . And in doing so , I realized that the auto industry is undoubtedly one of the diligence that has been severely interrupt by Apple in the past 10 .
Yes , every new car in existence seems to offer a USB port wine with iPod connectivity , and my family ’s new minivan is no exception . I plug in my onetime hard - crusade - establish iPod and all of a sudden , our car has my intact music collection on water faucet . It ’s got Bluetooth , too , so I can serve my iPhone from the dashboard and talk over build - in speakers and microphones , and even heed to euphony well out wirelessly from the iPhone in my pocket .
( This motorcar is basically the shuttlecraft from theUSS Enterprise . specially when compared to our other cable car , a1994 Honda Civic . )
We don’t have this. (Image courtesy Honda.)
But the change Apple has wrought had their braggart impact when it came time to decide if we wanted to pony up for the add - on navigation and in - car entertainment systems . As you might expect , auto maker charge huge amount of money for items such as these . As I retrieve , the entertainment option cost $ 1500 . For a single fold - down telecasting screen and a videodisk actor !
We do n’t have this . ( picture courtesy Honda.)For a few years , I daydream of buy a car with a snazzy nav and movie - playing system . But when it came time for us to buy , we did n’t get either the navigation organization or the entertainment system . And Apple was the reason .
My married woman and I both have iPhone 4 ’s , and we own a copy of Navigon ’s MobileNavigator GPS app . Rather than drop century of dollar for in - car navigation , we bought Kensington ’s $ 30Windshield / Vent Car Mount for Smartphonesand puzzle it on the marrow passenger - side air vent . When we go on a head trip that involve navigation , we plug in an iPhone and lease it spill to us . Problem solved .
When it total to entertainment , we also opted out . Yes , we want our kids to be entertained on long tripper . But there are already two iPads in our family , and during those trips we adults are happy to cede them to the small hoi polloi who ride in the rear of the compartment . Each of our baby can prefer what they require to see , view it on a bright 10 - inch screen that ’s right in front of them ( rather than ride on the ceiling ) , and hear to it on a exercise set of earpiece so as not to disturb anyone else in the motorcar . They can also opt to get a bit more interactive and play games or even use educational apps . ( During Spring Break , I was astonished to count back while ride through the California desert and chance on my kids were engaged roleplay Math Bingo . )
There ’s another welfare , too . One of our neighbors has a minivan with an in - car DVD player . Their kids take videos whenever they ’re in the car , even for a short drive . It ’s maddening . We only stock up those iPads when we ’re going to be trapped in the cable car for five - plus hour . Our kids never implore for a TV show on a short drive because it ’s simply not an option .
I ’m not going to argue the deservingness of kids using iPads on longsighted auto trips — I’m in favor of it , obviously , but I understand if you ’re opposed . But if you ’re going to choose between a couple of iPads and a manufactory - install in - car amusement organization , I ’m not sure why any tech - savvy person would choose the latter . ( I admit mountain of people have DVD collections and do n’t knowhow to use HandBrake … though they should . ) The iPads offer more control , more variety , and are cheaper . And thus , my local motorcar franchise missed out on a couple thousand bucks in supernumerary , because Apple ’s technology simply does more , is crummy , and our family ’s already get it .
