2010 Prius has plenty of tech, but won't talk to your iPod until the fall
2010 Toyota Prius - click above for a high-res gallery
Priuschat conducted a discussion with Toyota Prius Product Manager Doug Coleman this week and got a bit more information about the audio options the hybrid will have available at launch. The big news: no iPod (or USB) integration until September. This is odd, because the 2010 Prius has a ridiculous amount of high-tech gadgetry; solar panels, automatic parking, lane keep assist, etc. Why leave out a connector to play music from digital audio players?
Coleman told Priuschat that USB integration will only be availalbe with the Navigation package that can be added to the upper level Prius trim levels: III, IV and V. The good news is that early Prius buyers can get the USB functionality added at the dealership (for a fee, of course). The bad news: the $1,800 nav package will cost more when USB is added. Thanks to Danny C. for the tip!
Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius
[Source: PriusChat]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mike 7:22PM (4/24/2009)
wow!
That's insane and inane that a car wrapped in that much conceptual "future is now" mentality does not have that on even the most basic model.
What do they include, an 8-track player?
Car stereos in general are so insanely behind the technology curve that I begin to feel nauseous if I think about it too long.
Here's a hint. The sun is setting on the day of the optical drive. What I really would like is an sd-card slot. In fact four or five of those slots would be nice, thanks.
USB connectors front and back would also be handy.
Or just go totally mad with the world of tomorrow and put a hard drive or ssd drive right inside the thing for me.
- mike
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stevejust 12:37AM (4/25/2009)
this is the strangest news I've read all day.
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Rich 6:57AM (4/25/2009)
What would they charge to install an 8 track player?
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mdf 8:37AM (4/25/2009)
$1800 for navigation is just plain stupid. $600 can buy an extremely extravagent unit from Garmin, TomTom, or even a number of GPS ready UMPC's. Arguably, these are even better, if not safer: the displays are all large, and installed in heads-up locations, instead of the navel-gazing positions on the dashboards.
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G 12:31PM (4/25/2009)
Car stereos have always been overpriced from the dealer/manufacturer.
Panasonic or Pioneer (cannot remember) just announced an in dash Blu-ray player.
I do not and will not ever own an iPod. Ever. A MP3 player from another company is fine, but the level of hype forcing the iPod into ubiquity is absurd. Proprietary connections and music formats are a waste of money and time. If you really want to fret, worry about OGG vs MP3. Very few portable music players support OGG, but it makes more sense and costs less.
There are aftermarket stereos with hard drives, USB ports, memory card slots, etc. They are slowly becoming more popular. My new 2009 car stereo has a MP3 player built into the CD player and an audio input jack (for a MP3 player/Bluetooth/GPS). More than a step up from the aftermarket added CD player in the old car.
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captainpease 12:59PM (4/25/2009)
iPod hype?! That's so 2005. If you were just willing to "sell out" you would quickly learn to appreciate the effort that went into creating the world's best media platform. I understand the proprietary nature of the iTunes beast, yet to me and the majority of the world, it's worth every penny. Don't pass us off as ignorant sellouts. We've done our research and we choose Apple.
Andrew 7:41AM (4/27/2009)
You obviously don't know anything about Apple's music format (AAC/MPEG4). In fact it's not Apple's format at all!
It's an industry standard called ISO/IEC 13818-7:2003. And it widely available on everything from Zune to Nintendo DSi. The DRM Apple *used* is obviously not compatible.
I bought Creative MP3 players because I didn't want to go "mainstream", later when I tired of the crappy software and faulty hardware I decided to try an iPod.
I have never looked back, very happy with all of the iPods I've bought since (Classic, iPhone, Shuffle).
Now, I just want my car to support my iPod or else.
Amazexing 8:03PM (4/27/2009)
"File Type: Unknown
Description: Windows does not recognize this file type. "
http://www.nch.com.au/acm/formats.html
"aac - the Advanced Audio Coding format is based on the MPEG4 audio standard owned by Dolby. A copy-protected version of this format has been developed by Apple for use in music downloaded from their iTunes Music Store."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding
"AAC's best known use is as the default audio format of Apple's iPhone, iPod, iTunes, and the format used for all iTunes Store audio."
and
"Customers could download music in a proprietary Digital Rights Management (DRM)-restricted form of AAC (see FairPlay) via the iTunes Store..."
Any other use of AAC is pretty obscure. Calling it standardized is nonsense. Yeah, I cherry-picked those quotes, but it is true as far as I'm concerned.
The connector:
http://gizmodo.com/5168500/the-worst-proprietary-gadget-offenses
sensitive_man 3:28PM (4/25/2009)
People will just got to a 3rd party like mp3yourcar.com or similar and buy an aftermarket unit for short money.
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Dave 4:29PM (4/25/2009)
Aftermarket bliss... $1800 for a navi? I have bought one for my Honda and another form the wife's Jag. Both SUCK... but at least the Honda unit is somewhat useable. A passenger cannot even program the Jag unit while the car is moving!!!
Skip the iPod connection... a Mac Mini costs $599 (base unit) which is definitely the basis for a superb car system. When will someone (are you listening Apple) realize that buyers want a sold, after market car computer.
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usbseawolf2000 12:45AM (4/26/2009)
The $1,800 Navigation package also comes with music streaming via Bluetooth wireless technology and integrated backup camera.
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-announces-prices-for-2010-89249.aspx
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usbseawolf2000 1:00AM (4/26/2009)
iPhone OS 3.0 to support Bluetooth music streaming in 2010 Prius
http://priuschat.com/news/iphone-os-30-support-bluetooth-music-streaming-2010-prius
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summazooma 8:34AM (4/27/2009)
FYI: Hyundai's NAVI in the Sonata is $1200, so the prices are definitely coming down
BTW: For me, as someone working in the industry, I'd say I'm still bullish on integrated NAVI systems because of the true potential of integration. How about if you can use the NAVI system as the interface for information & communications? Can you imagine a system that understands real-world conditions of where you are (i.e. weather, traffic, etc.) as well as those of the vehicle you're in (i.e. brake life, tire pressures, passenger/cargo/fuel load, etc.) and projects information that you might need? How about if you can select settings that have the car understand conditions and adjust seamlessly so as to protect the occupants (more aggressive ESC in adverse conditions, say, on a winding mountain road in a snow storm at night)? Just the tip of the iceberg, frankly...
Costs would be minimal because all of the sensors I've described above are either already in the vehicle or baked into many current NAVI or Satellite Radio systems in cars. You provide all of that already and the value of the suite increases significantly once you have them collaborate to provide services & functions that you otherwise would be hard-pressed to have in a mobile platform.
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Jsams4131 11:16AM (4/27/2009)
amazing. I would have just thought off the top of my head that somehow 1) most prius drivers would probably already have a ipod and 2)the scion line up comes with a free ipod connector..wow...just wow
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majortom1981 12:15PM (4/27/2009)
Why go crazy over a missing usb port? I am pretty sure it has an aux port.
So you will just have to controll the music through the mp3 player itself. There is more to adding a usb port to a stereo then just adding the port itself. You need the software and drivers for it also.
So why all the fuss? just connect it via the aux port.
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eh 5:51PM (4/28/2009)
Screw the Prius then. It is an absolute requirement for my next car to have the ability to support plugging in an aux device like an iPod. A 2010 car only having CD support is beyond pathetic and downright embarrassing.
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EquusBrokus 9:00PM (5/08/2009)
Pay attention, eh. Every 2010 Prius has an AUX audio input that any MP3/iPOD can play through using a cheap cable. The issue under discussion is controlling an iPOD from the car's stereo instead of having to use the iPOD's controls; that's the pricey option.
Haile 7:02AM (4/29/2009)
I've always wondered why it took so long for automakers to incorporate aux inputs in their sound systems. All it takes is a 3.5mm socket and two wires...
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Shock Me 4:45PM (5/15/2009)
The 30 pin connector to USB connection would provide power also. Why not just use bluetooth and plug into the lighter? Or did they outlaw smoking in Japan when I went to bed last night?
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Robert Berger 3:15PM (7/04/2009)
The 2010 Prius does have an Aux jack. Its even en a place convienient to stash your device along with a 12v outlet (in the center console). But one really does want to have a USB jack with proper software to manage the iPod from the steering wheel controls. That is what won't be available till September.
And yes it is absurd that these "Navigation" systems are pricey AND totally proprietary and closed. I want my Navigation system to be able to be connected to the Internet and to be able to use Google Maps, get traffic info from the Internet or whatever.
The Toyota / Lexus Navigation systems do suck in many ways.
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