Why is In Car Audio so far behind?
Discussion
I've been running around in my partners car recently. It's a just a mid spec Seat Ibiza. 2001 model so not exactly new but got me thinking.
It's fitted with a cassette player. Could you even still buy cassettes in 2001? Pretty sure you couldnt. I remember buying CDs back in Primary School. Probs talking around 1992 that I bought my first CD.
Now I know cassette players have probably been banished from new cars (have they?) but factory fit in car tech still seems years behind. Most new cars I've been in still only sport a CD player, and even they are old hat. It should all be about Bluetooth, USB ports, Ipod docks and at the least, Aux-Ins. I know on most models, you can spec up to these but a lot are only just recent additions to options, where as I have had a bluetooth head unit since 2008, and even then it wasnt new tech.
I know all this can be sorted by buying aftermarket but seriously, If I was spending 20-30k on a new golf, I would expect to be able to browse the internet whilst I drive using mind control, not have to insert s
tty plastic disks to play 60mins worth of music...
It's fitted with a cassette player. Could you even still buy cassettes in 2001? Pretty sure you couldnt. I remember buying CDs back in Primary School. Probs talking around 1992 that I bought my first CD.
Now I know cassette players have probably been banished from new cars (have they?) but factory fit in car tech still seems years behind. Most new cars I've been in still only sport a CD player, and even they are old hat. It should all be about Bluetooth, USB ports, Ipod docks and at the least, Aux-Ins. I know on most models, you can spec up to these but a lot are only just recent additions to options, where as I have had a bluetooth head unit since 2008, and even then it wasnt new tech.
I know all this can be sorted by buying aftermarket but seriously, If I was spending 20-30k on a new golf, I would expect to be able to browse the internet whilst I drive using mind control, not have to insert s
tty plastic disks to play 60mins worth of music...HowMuchLonger said:
The first Ipod was not available until after your car was built, so it is no suprise that it does not support them.
But Cassettes had been sent to the history books 5-7 years earlier with the mainstream introduction of CDs, so why on earth would a manufacturer think its acceptable to provide a car with the only option of music being a format that isn't available any more?Of course, the person who originally purchased the car in 2001 was a fool for thinking cassette was acceptable.
Deluded said:
But Cassettes had been sent to the history books 5-7 years earlier with the mainstream introduction of CDs, so why on earth would a manufacturer think its acceptable to provide a car with the only option of music being a format that isn't available any more?
Of course, the person who originally purchased the car in 2001 was a fool for thinking cassette was acceptable.
My 2002 Seat Leon Cupra had the tape head unit and a 6 disk auto changer in the glove box. On the lower spec models the auto changer was probably an optional extra.Of course, the person who originally purchased the car in 2001 was a fool for thinking cassette was acceptable.
Due to the relatively long lifecycle of car development; meaning that the stereo in an "end of line" model may be some 10 years old, if that model of car ran for 7 years and the car was in development for 3 years prior to launch.
Aftermarket headunits can be bang up to date, since they are on a shorter development cycle and are on sale for a much shorter life too, so the products evolve faster.
Aftermarket headunits can be bang up to date, since they are on a shorter development cycle and are on sale for a much shorter life too, so the products evolve faster.
Found this out with the X Type I bought, looked at the dash, rubbed my eyes, looked again and asked the guy what 'that' was! There's a CD changer in the boot, he says
Now there's a Parrot bluetooth hands free in it that has a dock connector and mini jack on it as well. Next job when I get back will be to upgrade the speakers.
Now there's a Parrot bluetooth hands free in it that has a dock connector and mini jack on it as well. Next job when I get back will be to upgrade the speakers.
B Huey said:
Plenty of people still did home taping up until a few years ago. The CD-R is a relatively new thing, if your car only had a CD player that would mean you could only pay albums that you had actually bought.
CD-R/RW aren't new at all. The PC I purchased in 2005 has a CD/DVD RW combi drive and even then it wasnt new tech. The PC I had before this had the same. and the PC before that had a CD-RW drive so we're talking very old tech really.Wiki says they were introduced in 1997.
Kozy said:
B Huey said:
Plenty of people still did home taping up until a few years ago. The CD-R is a relatively new thing, if your car only had a CD player that would mean you could only pay albums that you had actually bought.
I think you mean CD-RW. Either way, hello 2003.I always used to buy albums on vinyl and tape them onto cassette for in-car listening.
Keeping it basic offers plenty of scope for expensive options I suppose.
The first BMW Mini still had a cassette player as standard until the end of it's life in 2006 I believe.
The lack of DAB is shocking too. It's been around for years but very few manufacturers offer it as an option, let alone as standard.
The first BMW Mini still had a cassette player as standard until the end of it's life in 2006 I believe.
The lack of DAB is shocking too. It's been around for years but very few manufacturers offer it as an option, let alone as standard.
5pen said:
Keeping it basic offers plenty of scope for expensive options I suppose.
The first BMW Mini still had a cassette player as standard until the end of it's life in 2006 I believe.
The lack of DAB is shocking too. It's been around for years but very few manufacturers offer it as an option, let alone as standard.
Thats because its rubbish.The first BMW Mini still had a cassette player as standard until the end of it's life in 2006 I believe.
The lack of DAB is shocking too. It's been around for years but very few manufacturers offer it as an option, let alone as standard.
Works great at home in the kitchen but DAB is useless on the move. FM is far superior for radio on the move.
Deluded said:
But Cassettes had been sent to the history books 5-7 years earlier with the mainstream introduction of CDs, so why on earth would a manufacturer think its acceptable to provide a car with the only option of music being a format that isn't available any more?
Of course, the person who originally purchased the car in 2001 was a fool for thinking cassette was acceptable.
I think you need to revisit your history books - cd and tape co-existed for getting on for 20 years. And it's, erm, deluded to think that tape was dead in the mid 90's (your 2001 car less 5 years). Early CD players were sOf course, the person who originally purchased the car in 2001 was a fool for thinking cassette was acceptable.
t in cars because they were far too susceptible to vibration. Tape wasn't.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff