This pretty much sums up a lot of users’ frustration with product/web usability. You gotta wonder: why aren’t these guys talking to each other or to us?
(Thanks imagechan.com for the digg post)
When I came across this cartoon I couldn’t help thinking of the iPod adapter in my 2008 VW Passat. After years of consumer requests, car companies are finally providing an AUX adapter so drivers can easily plug in their portable MP3 players. If you are an iPod fanatic like me you might actually consider getting a new car just so you can get rid of that old cassette or FM adapter that used to be required to play your device.
You would expect VW to be on the cutting edge of providing satisfying user experiences to their customers, especially coming from a car company with the word “people” in their name (and an ad tagline like “Drivers Wanted”). VW is so cool it has decided to offer a solution that is meant to only work with the iPod (the VW logo even shows up on your iPod when you plug it in). Here is how the adapter works (or doesn’t):
–Your ipod is inserted into a small pillbox-sized compartment within your glove box. No wires are needed in the most current setup since it plugs directly into the “male” end of the iPod adapter.
Broken: you can’t control the iPod from the iPod itself when it is connected. Even someone on the passenger side must remove the ipod in order to see the screen and once removed it turns off.
–After plugging it in you can only choose from five playlists that you create ahead of time (numbered 1 thru 5) or play your entire iPod song list (number 6) .
Broken: You cannot listen to albums, artists or random songs. You can’t reach playlists beyond the first 5, which are set up in alpha order (sorry ZZ Top fans).
–To “shuffle” songs, you have to start the iPod in shuffle mode and let it play one or two songs.
Broken: If you don’t move the audio selector to “CD 6″ quick enough to get it to start playing, the adapter turns off “shuffle” and you get an alpha sort of your music starting with “A.” I like to hear ABBA once in a while but, please, not everytime I get in my car.
–While your music is playing, the read out in the dash says “Track 01″
Broken: there is no info shown re: song or artist
What’s amazing is that VW has completely thrown out the intuitive features and interface that Apple has painstakenly set up that makes the iPod experience so pleasurable. They’ve put “clumsy mitten-hands” on the iPod interface without any thought about user preferences or desires.
I can only conclude that these choices were made by engineers that were looking to add car audio features not currently offered by competitors but were not considering what people like about the iPod itself. They would have been better off creating less car audio functionality and letting the driver decide how best to use their own iPod (i.e., just put an AUX jack in the middle console next to the driver that gives us easy access). Instead, we end up with a very sad robot indeed.
The lesson here is that if you can’t match or improve on an existing well known interface, half-measures are worse than no measures at all.
April 20, 2008 at 1:47 am
That pretty much sums it up. I am not, or was not much of an ipod guy. But when I picked up my ‘08 GTI I was genuinely excited about the idea of having any and all of my CD’s in my car at any time. I spent hours loading cd’s onto my new ipod only to find out that I was unable to play them at will in my car. Frustrated would be an understatement. VW got this car so right, how did they manage to get the ipod interface so wrong? Nice to know I’m not alone on this.
May 19, 2008 at 5:22 am
David, so well said! I picked up my new leased VW Passat today. I was so excited to be able to play my iPod without the cassette adapter, and the Passat has a much better sound system than my ‘04 Passat. The iPod adapter sucks. I looked to see if I could use the center console Aux plug, but it looks like it’s been removed and covered with a plug? Just wondered what you’ve decided to do - are you using the adapter? Or did you maybe find a better solutioin with a cable? I’m wondering if I should take apart the plug in the center console just to see what’s there…..
Sue
May 19, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Sue,
I’m not sure if the Aux will be functional in the console. Right now, I’m just making the current adapter work. I have an older ipod that I use just for the car that I can leave in all the time. That way it will always stay on shuffle. But it’s obviously limited.
-DK
May 30, 2008 at 3:49 am
David,
I have a 2006 Jetta which has the wire in the glove box, but otherwise is very similiar. I too was very disappointed with the whole setup. I will say, however, that at least in my car, if I hold down the CD button (or MIX on some VWs), which turns shuffle for regular cds, it will put my ipod on shuffle. I don’t know if this will work for you, but it’s one thing the adapter was capable of for the 2006 model’s anyway
July 29, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Same excitement, major disappointment. In fact, the iPod thing was the reason I bought my first brand new VW (Golf) in the first place. Do you know that in Spain (were I live) they even have a special model named iGolf?
I was so convinced of getting a great experience I did not even test it (they did not have a model with the ipod linkup in the showroom). First month I wanted to bring back the car every time I drove the car. I’m in my second month now and last week I visited my first showroom again; and it was not a VW dealer. I’m sooo disappointed.
August 6, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Well said that man.
I purchased a new Golf GTi in 2007 with iPod integration which is a really neat hidden doc in the central console. But the integration is rubbish, no ID3 data passed. Honda and BMW can do it, I even think the new Vauxhall models have superior digital player integration, why not VW?
My dealership (Colbornes, Guildford) even advised me that track data would be pulled through into the dashboard display when I ordered the car — this was a complete lie! I have asked several times since about a firmware or hardware upgrade but my requests are met with a lack of comprehension and zero information.
My only explanation of this giant oversight is that I think the same integration is used whether an iPod or the alternative generic USB connection is installed (alternative players iRiver et al have substantial market share in mainland Europe I believe). This keeps the pricepoint down (thought the £100/$200 factory install price tag was very reasonable) but the compromise is untenable.
Has anyone seen the ‘concept’ VW iPod integration codenamed ‘Gypsy’? See it here: http://news.cnet.com/1606-2_3-6052333.html — now, if they had put 1% of the effort they put into this concept R&D into the consumer product I’m sure we’d all be a lot happier!
August 6, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Gavin,
Thanks for the video link. What you are pointing out is one of key problems with automakers: the lead time between “concept car” functionality and reality is way too long or non-existent. Concept cars are created for PR value. It’s up to managers with true vision to move innovations into the mainstream. It took automobile manufacturers 5 years after MP3 players became widely available to put a simple AUX input on the front of their factory car audio components.
BMW is the exception to the rule: they made real efforts to get wtih Apple’s interface years ago and their investment has paid off with first-to-market bragging rights and much higher customer satisfaction in the audio dept.
-DK
August 13, 2008 at 7:21 pm
well said. The interface is nothing short of a disgrace. Functionally it is actually as bad as they could have made it, and they have the cheek to charge £129 for it. Worse still, im finding that on the option 6 alleged shuffle mode, the shuffle is not the ipod shuffle but some crap attempt at a shuffle, how else do i end up having to listen to the same songs frustatingly often when i have nearly 5000 songs on the ipod. I love my new golf, and i love the functionality of an ipod, but i feel really let down by vw with this. I will probably change cars in around 2 years, and if vw dont upgrade this poor facility in their new cars then my next purchase will be with a competitor that has.
August 20, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I just got an ‘08 Jetta here in California and had the same response. I mean really. It has Folder and Catagory buttons on the stereo, so I just assumed I was good to go. But no, these are for MP3 cds. Really? MP3 cds? I remember when those were relevant… 10 years ago! Come on VW. I have to imagine a software/firmware update could fix this. I love my new car, but this is a major disappointment.
October 1, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I bought a 2005.5 Jetta recently and had them install that damn wire for $300 - big mistake, piece of ****
October 19, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Just found this blog posting and wish I had seen it before bothering to obtain an iPod to go with my 2007 GTi. I love the car but the head unit is somewhat retarded. I got rid of Sirius a couple of months ago and got a used iPod Nano from a buddy. The result total crap. The trick of playing in shuffle mode if the iPod is set to shuffle only when plugging in is pretty much the shame as not shuffling at all.
I had hoped after reading online how it worked that I could just build 5 genre based playlists and be good to go. Not being able to shuffle those 5 playlists makes the Nano useless in the car. I am ever more jealous my wife’s simple aux audio-in in her GLi. At least if I could see the iPod, I could make it do what I wanted.
October 19, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Warren
No worries. Just …
1) Set your ipod to shuffle song mode (playing your entire song list)
2) Start playing the first song - you can even press >> to make sure that the next song is on shuffle mode
3) Plug the ipod into the VW adapter
4) Choose CD selector #6 (you have to do this quickly or you’ll lose it)
It should stay on shuffle song mode after the first song as long as you don’t remove the ipod. It won’t shuffle between playlists (even Apple won’t let you do that) but at least you can shuffle your entire ipod.
October 29, 2008 at 11:01 pm
well I’m glad I’mm not the only one.
Just got my 09 Sportvagon last sunday and couldn’t wait to see how this ipod thing will work.
It’s now wednesday, and the dealer still can’t tell me why the damn thing won’t work. He says it won’t work with the nano(3rd gen). Is that true?
I’m starting to hate my jetta.
November 6, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Finally I decided to search the web about this problem- and I am pleased AND disappointed to see it is not just me with those worries. I live in Norway -and nearly 1 year ago I bought a new VW GT- and ordered it specially with an iPod input - which I thought sounded like a good Idea. At that time I did not own an iPod - but was planning to, since I’m a music lover. Believe my frustration - I experienced all the earlier comments in this link, and I think it is wrong from the VW dealer to sell this accsessorie- it is simply a bluff-I think I might call it swindle since they take extra money for it.
Nevertheless- I hoped someone had found a way to hack their way into the software, because I believe it has to be a software issue - since many brands makes it work. Bad deal VW / Apple ?
November 21, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Same story here as well. Happy to have a brand new Golf Variant but every time I enter a car I feel frustrated due to crappy iPod adapter. In Finland model year ‘09 has AUX-IN as a standard but despite of that I wanted to have iPod adapter to ensure seamless and more safe option to manage my music library while driving. How wrong I was. Now I have a very expensive power adapter/aux-in cable and no real integration in place. Somebody in Germany should be really ashamed…
November 30, 2008 at 4:48 am
Same here guys! Just leased my new 2009 GTI and the iPod adapter is ****. The car I test drove had an auxiliary input jack and that’s what I planned on using with my iPhone. The car I actually leased, include the iPod adapter which was a non-issue. However, when I got home and realized VW yanks out the auxiliary input in exchange for the iPod adapter option, which they charge you for, I though, “What the ****!” I bought also bought an extension cable, thinking I could use my phone, while connected to the adapter. Crap, crap, crap! Why did they remove the auxiliary input jack? That’s all I wanted in the first place!