BMW and its owned brand, Mini Cooper cars will upgrade its entertainment system where owners can connect their iPhones to the car's dashboard console and access the iPhone's music apps and many other features in a safer way.
BMW introduced an array of apps and functions Wednesday that can be accessed through an iPhone connected to the dashboard control systems. Luxury car owners can now share location, access iPhone's music apps, and Internet radio without having to touch the phone. Any iOS device can be plugged in to the dashboard console with a USB or a snap-in adaptor and access the BMW approved apps including Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody, and TuneIn.
BMW's Connected App service offers some inbuilt features that allow access to Facebook and Twitter updates, calendar updates and music via Pandora, MOG or Stitcher. It also helps in finding the car in large car parks with the help of Last Mile app. BMW also ensured safety while driving and navigating through different options by placing the controls on the steering wheel and the touch screen on the iDrive user interface.
"We regularly identify apps that our owners rely on as part of their everyday life, and adapt them for an in-vehicle experience they'll find safe, useful and engaging," Phil Johnston, product manager for the BMW Group Apps Platform from the BMW group technology office, said in a statement.
BMW noted that its Connected Apps aren't fully functional unless they are updated completely by their developers for a better performance, which might take time as no date has been confirmed yet.
Once the apps are fully functional the Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody, and TuneIn apps will perform at its best. Audible will offer more than 135,000 digital spoken word titles. This will diminish the need of carrying the Kindle or having to wait to return home in order to continue with the book.
Johnston said that the Glympse app will allow location sharing and estimated time in a safer way with the handy control systems. This app will keep the BMW drivers posted about their current location and the estimate time to arrive at a destination.
Also the new music collection from Rhapsody and TuneIn will add to the iPhone's list of music albums and additional in-built music services including Pandora, MOG and Stitcher. "Music is key to vehicle infotainment," Johnston continued, "and by partnering with Rhapsody, we are delivering music to our owners in user-friendly formats they prefer."
According to a PC Mag report, the entertainment services boast of a wide range of music collection with more than 10 million music tracks in 600 different genres. Either of the two BMW Connected music apps will fulfill the need of the music selections.
These apps are set to debut during the New York International Auto Show.
