The iPad could become ultimate in-car entertainment system

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Aftermarket industry pioneers are already finding ways to make the iPad a vehicle’s primary info-tainment source

Melissa Guillergan
Sun

The Apple iPad, today’s newest must-have gadget, has inevitably found its way from user’s hands and desks, and into cars.

: Apple iPad is the new source of music, videos, applications and more -and one owners will want in their vehicles. Photograph by: Robert Galbraith, Reuters, Special to the Sun

Although this revolutionary tablet computer has been

class=”SpellE”>avalable for less than two weeks in the United States, it has already established a strong position in the car accessory market. The iPad — due here next month — could become the ultimate mobile in-car entertainment system. It may even replace in-car stereos and multimedia head-units.

One of the aftermarket industry’s pioneers in the iPad’s integration in vehicles comes south of the border in Santa Clarita, Calif., from SoundMan Car Audio. This auto shop has already tested the iPad as the primary source for a vehicle’s entertainment system. When the team at SoundMan Car Audio received an iPad, they immediately started working on installing it into a Toyota Tacoma pickup’s stereo system.

“We chose to use the iPad as the only source for (the Toyota Tacoma’s) entertainment system,” said a Sound-Man Car Audio staff member of iPad installation plan. “The dock connector will plug in to a cable that runs to an Onkyo ND-S1, which will send the digital signal from the iPad directly into an Audison Bit One. The Bit One will then act as the D/A converter, and will also process the audio signal. The Bit One also has a great controller for adjusting the volume and audio settings. The amplifier we chose is the McIntosh MCC406M.”

Manufacturers are also taking note of how important the iPad is to drivers and car enthusiasts. Cadillac and design-loving website Cool Hunting announced that its new iPad application, available in Apple’s App Store since April 3, will feature exclusive content designed for the iPad inspired by the all-new 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe.

“The Cadillac CTS Coupe serves as

Cadillac enabled new opportunities for our readers to engage with our content while pushing the innovative ways we work with brands.”

Expect many auto-inspired iPad applications coming from other manufacturers, as the iPad is defining itself as a great medium to promote

new models and products in the auto industry.

There’s no denying that iPod connectivity

ity is a must-have feature in head-units and car stereos in today’s market, and very soon we can expect iPad connectivity to become the next in-car entertainment necessity. Voice-activated and hands-free application functions for the iPad must be installed in cars order to drive safely and to obey driving laws.

It is safe to assume this advanced technological function is just around the corner, as voice-activated functions are continually being integrated into communication devices, from iPhones to BlackBerrys, for use while driving.

The great thing about new, highly anticipated electronic products such as the iPad is that many auto shops like SoundMan Car Audio are eager to integrate it into cars. There’s no doubt you’ll soon see the next new electronic gadget introduced to tech-savvy and entertainment-hungry consumers installed in head-unit and factory-installed GPS systems spaces in vehicle dashboards.

Melissa Guillergan works for the Laura Ballance Media Group and loves looking for those Missing Parts that manufacturers fail to install in your ride.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Technology Related Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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