Concept: Integrated iPod Car Audio

iPod Car integration is cool and all... but I have an idea that takes it to a whole new level, one I beleive makes more sense and would be far more enjoyable to the rich folks that can afford most of the iPod-available cars anyway.

I'm publishing this idea because I don't think anyone else but Apple could patent an iPod-specific device, which is what I'm proposing and presenting here. If someone else likes this idea and patents it as something similar (i.e. an iPod-like device), so be it. The publication date of this blog entry will show when it was presented by moi. Yes, I may lose out on millions... but I've got a ton of other ideas I think Apple and other companies would love to hear.


On with it then...

One shouldn't need to bring their iPod every time they take a road trip or drive to work. An integrated-iPod car stereo with wireless access would be much smarter (and better). The car stereo-iPod should have:

• external wi-fi Internet access* via residential/public access points for iTunes Music Store access (with built-in one-click purchasing, of course)

• incoming wi-fi access to car-iPod node from wireless computers via Bonjour or any standard wifi router/access point
  

The car iPod acts just like any other Mac computer with wireless access. For example, when the car is at home in the driveway, a user can drop music files on the car-iPod node from another networked Mac computer (okay sure, PCs too) inside the house.


Wireless security
Incoming transfers are set with an option on the car stereo interface and enabled only to authenticated users for the next 30 minutes - 5 hours for example, after which the wi-fi transmitter turns off (so wireless radio is not always transmitting). Another cool option would be to have a pencil-push style button (or another design which prevents accidental toggling) on the back of the car's keyless remote transmitter to turn on the car's wi-fi radio from inside the house. Access to the car's iPod node is authenticated by encrypted login access over the wireless connection. Permissions can be set on the car stereo-iPod to to allow access only from certain MAC addresses.

Your driving down the highway and get that song in your head that you really like, the one that you don't have on CD or on your iPod; imagine the freedom of being able to listen to that song then and there in all its multi-speaker system glory -- with angel's trumpets and devil's trombones as Alex so eloquently put it. That sure beats the hell out of singing the song to your bored wife.

Benefits

• no need to bring iPod with every time you go for a drive

• ability to purchase music while in car via car stereo-iPod interface
  

• iPod can't be stolen; unless it's done the "old fashion" way (the whole car)

• security: incoming wifi access turned on only by car-stereo interface or button on car remote
  

• separate 'admin' login via https to change car-iPod default settings, allow a new MAC address to connect, etc.

* San Francisco offers city-wide wireless access to the Internet... and it's only a matter of time until other cities follow suit.