Apple Lightning Adaptor Kills iPod Out on BMW, Mini Models - Wired (blog)

Image: Apple

Would-be iPhone 5 owners are in store for disappointment when they connect their shiny new Apple device into their BMW or Mini model. The new Lightning connector and the adapter necessary to convert the nearly decade-old 30-pin arrangement to the new 8-pin setup won’t work with the vehicle’s iPod Out functionality.

iPod Out allows drivers to get a familiar, iPod-like interface displayed on the in-dash screen if they equipped their BMW and Mini models with the feature. The new Lightning connector eliminates the analog video signal required to transmit that display to the screen, so iPod Out functionality is dead … for now.

BMW spokespeople made it emphatically clear that owners will still be able to listen to music, podcasts and other audio over the built-in stereo, along with accessing BMW Apps and Mini Connected features using the combination of the new Lightning adaptor fitted to the existing 30-pin connector and the duo of USB and 1/8-inch audio jack supplied by both BMW and Mini. So yes, the tunes will continue to flow, but the automaker’s PlugIn feature â€" enabling video playback while stationary and the mirrored Apple interface â€" is officially out.

According to BMW spokesman Dave Buchko, “There is a lot we still don’t know, but BMW has a long history of finding compatibility solutions for iPods and smartphones where none existed.”