iPhone too heavy? Volkswagen brings out motorised ride-on dock Apple and Volkswagen have joined forces to produce a new version of the iconic Beetle enhanced with all sort of Cupertino-inspired bells and whistles. Teams from both firms worked together on the iBeetle, which looks pretty much like the car which used to be produced without a lower case 'i' inserted in front of its name. It …
Who in their right mind needs a dedicated Apple dock in their car?
I thought that was what Bluetooth was for.
It will probably be cheaper to go out and buy a phone cradle than add the dock to your list of options.
At £300 as an extra option would you buy it?
Then change to an android phone a few month later?
The world has gone mad, mad mad mad mad.
Something else I just thought of is re-saleability. If you don't have an iPhone, how many of the car's features will you not be able to use?
If this car was to be sold on to another owner, would they have to sell an iPhone with it? Or in several years time would a new owner have to have two phones? An old iPhone to get the car stuff to work, and a new phone to take with them?
Assuming the life span of the average car is about 20 - 30 years before it is no longer roadworthy/scrapped, will people want to have a car that needs a 20 - 30 year old phone to work?
The iPod 30-pin connector dates back to the third generation iPod of 2003, which would mean Apple changed its connector after NINE years. And they also ship a tiny adapter which would, if Apple's behavior repeats itself, allow iBeetle users to adapt when Apple changes its connector in 2021.
ESPECIALLY since it's an inescapable part of the i-culture that users must swap phones every time an incremental improvement is shat out, or run the risk of not being hip. So what do users do the first time an i-phone comes out that won't fit in their i-car? Replace the car? Wow, if VW can get away with that, they'd be set for life.
Is it just me, or has the fad for producing products like this *specifically* designed around the iPhone (or at least prominently featuring iPhone-only docks) died down recently, with the increase in popularity of Android devices?
Good thing, too. They always truck me as.... just naff, basically. Something about building them to work only with the single device-du-jour, probably to be rendered obsolete when Apple released a new version just made it obvious that they were cheesy boys' toys one couldn't take seriously.
Even if the device worked using other supplied interfaces or connectors, the empty, unused dock in a position of prominence screamed "If I'm not dated now, I'll be dated in 18 months time!"
Seems ironic that VW released the ultimate obsolete-before-its-time Apple device at this point in time. 2010 called, they want their tacky iPod docks back.
Nothing against devices that work with the iPhone, I just don't want them to be *specifically* designed round that- nor any other phone or OS that's going to be obsolete by the time the phone's contract comes to an end.
Given Apple's penchant for offloading blame for defects (and the resulting $bn's of cost) on it's suppliers, VW better watch out.
Not to worry - it's a VW, so the driver will at least be familiar with the recall process and has probably memorised the trip to the dealers already - probably for the oil consumption.
Woohoo! I can see the automated Facebook statuses now!
Apple Fanboi ... has spent 45 minutes in a jam at the same set of traffic lights and unlocked "Who phased these b******ds?" achievement. Sent from my iBeetle.
Apple Fanboi ... has just parked across two disabled parking bays and won the "Handicap by crippling stupidity and selfishness" achievement. Sent from my iBeetle.
Apple Fanboi .. has just died in a fiery ball of flame by not paying attention to the ro@d and unloc+ed the "Game Over" ac4ievement. Se^t fr&$ m@ !i} ..... .. .
Does it have cameras pointing outward to automatically take pictures of the best hipsters it spots on the streets, and Instagram them using your favourite filter?
Can it tweet your order to your favourite barista while it drives itself to the closest and trendiest Starbucks?
Will it self combust if driven out of Shoreditch?
"In a nod to the iPhone’s color scheme, the new iBeetle can be ordered in “Candy White”, “Oryx White Mother of Pearl Effect”, “Black Monochrome”, “Deep Black Pearl Effect”, “Platinum Grey”, or “Reflex Silver”."
So yeah, black or white.
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