50% of 2007 Model Cars Sport iPod Integration
iPod
integration is “the most sought after feature” by new car shoppers. Ssome
50% of 2007 automobile models sold in the U.S. will sport iPod
integration, compared to last year's only 12% of vehicles for sale
supporting true iPod integration, accoring to Telematics Research Group (TRG).
More car audio trends that TRG uncovered include:
-
Nearly 60% of ‘07 models feature some form of auxiliary input to allow iPods and other devices to connect to the car’s stereo.
-
MP3 and WMA compressed audio file support will be available on 75% of ’07 vehicles, up from 61% of ’06 models.
- 80% of ‘07 models will feature some form of “branded audio” — that is, optional or standard stereo equipment manufactured by a premium brand, such as Harman/Kardon, Bose and Boston Acoustics.
TRG predicts that USB connectivity in automotive entertainment systems “will gain considerable support” in their next generation, along with hard disk drives. Last year, no cars sold in the US featured a built-in hard disk, but in 2007, six models have hard drives. Hard drives in vehicles are being used for navigation and music servers.
