Stormbird

One of the well trumpeted additions to the list of new options on the LCI is the Audio Aux / USB option for those of us who use an Ipod or such MP3 device.
Delighted at the prospect of being able to use my Ipod this way with On-Screen vision of menus, steering wheel control etc I opted OUT of the multi CD player and INTO the USB system.
Bummer :thumbsdown:
For now (I say this because --- well an update may be around the corner for a car that's just 24 hours old ) the system does not work with;
Ipod 4th Generation
Ipod 5th Generation
OK, now that I'm past the publicity B-Sh.T the actual in your face manual that comes with the car says "USB not functional with MP3 players with a hard drive". Great, that's the 4th Generation Ipod out of the way. So 300+ USD's down the drain.
Let's try my wife's and then my son's 5th generation "Flash" 5th Generation Ipods. Nothing about these in the manual. They don't work either, so perfect............NOT.
Last try. My 12 year olds Ipod shuffle - WOWeee it works - no track names, no nothing but there is music.......of a kind......."Can you feel the love tonight...traaa laaa laa la la" I don't want Disney right now - I want a misrepresentaion of merchandise lawyer.
Beware anyone who goes for this option on the new LCI. It's more hype than hip.

subterFUSE

All models called "iPod" are hard drive based.

"iPod Nano" and "iPod Shuffle" are not hard drive, but flash.



So what you are saying is that the USB iPod interface is actually a USB iPod Nano or Shuffle interface.


If what you say is true, then that's freakin' gay as all hell. :thumbsdown: What good is having a measley 8 gigs or less of music?

In fact, if what you say is true.... then BMW would be guilty of false advertising, and we would all have grounds for a class-action lawsuit against them. They can't call it an "iPod interface" if it does not work with iPods. They would have to call it an "iPod Nano" or "iPod Shuffle" interface. An "iPod" is a very specific thing. It is a hard-drive based, digital music (and now video) player. It is not a generic term for MP3 player, although this is how most people use the word.

deeman

HI

Have you tried the BMW cabel for the connection?

Stormbird

That is exactly what I'm saying, and yes I do think that BMW advertising has misled customers like myself who only after purchasing the vehicle and being presented with the manual are thereby informed of this little detail. It is misrepresentation and it is against the law.

Stormbird

Which BMW cable ?
The manual actually says that NO Hardrive based players will link with the USB port in the LCI !!!
That means that we have to revert to an 8Gb Nano (at the best) or some other flash pen based player from Creative for example.
This looks really shabby especially when Volvo offer their JUKEBOX option which can handle 4000 songs in MP3 format.
WTG Bmw

ipp

Don't take me wrong, but it can't be right. I've read somewere that you have to use a special cable provided by BMW. One wild guess it might be complications with HSF+ filesystems (Mac) or you are running Windows?

Stormbird

The manual says that No Hard drive based Ipods will link via the USB.
A cable did come in the car but it is a USB to USB cable which does not link to the Ipod as this has the proprietal docking pins on the lower side and no other plugin point.
As for HSF+ filesystems. I don't know what you mean. I use my Ipods on both Mac and PC with no problems between the two.

ipp

HSF+ is a filesystem Mac OS X uses, Windows can't read it. NTFS is the filesystem Windows is using OS X can read it. I was thinking the car wasn't able to read HSF+, but as I stated; it's a wild guess.

As for the cable, there is a special iPod cable provided by BMW, not just the USB -> USB.

Stormbird

Thanks ipp.
Any idea what the part number is for the cable ?
My dealer is open tomorrow so I'd burn round there and order one

ipp

I do not have the number, I remember a US member in another thread got one for free from his dealer, but they are getting all for free.. j/k