In November, when Apple releases iOS 4.2, it will let iPad users control their music from many car radios.
So demonstrates SoundMan Car Audio, using a beta iOS 4.2 release running on an iPad and playing through an Alpine CDA-105 and a Ford Sync.
Previously you could only connect an iPad to a car radio through the headphone/aux in jack. You couldn’t use a USB/iPod cable. And you couldn’t control the iPad from the radio.
With iOS 4.2, you won’t get a full charge for your iPad from the radio, but you’ll get a trickle charge that should keep the device going as you listen to music, says SoundMan’s Doug Bernards.
There’s a drawback: once you connect to the car radio, the iPad screen goes dark so you can’t manually use your iPad to control the music coming through the car stereo.
Note: We asked a product development manager at a leading car electronics company to confirm SoundMan’s tests and he found similar results: a car radio that’s compatible with an iPhone with iOS4 will also control an iPad running the iOS 4.2, now in beta 3.
iOS 4.2 is slated for public release in November with updates for the iPad such as multitasking and video streaming.
Apple hasn’t responded to our inquiry.
Source: SoundMan Car Audio
