Mercedes-Benz Apple iPad integration
Mercedes-Benz is working on bringing its own custom apps to its cars through its telematics systems, says Mercedes-Benz chief designer Gorden Wagener. The move mirrors BMW's progress this year in offering its own apps for its cars.
The BMW Apps option, available on 2011-12 BMWs, uses the brand's mobile Internet access service, to pipe apps like Pandora, BMW Connected, and, soon says BMW, more.
Mercedes' proposed system sounds much the same, though it's outline only in the barest details in Automotive News' interview of Wagener. The premise of the apps platform and the possibility of a "Mercedes App Store" were both acknowledged, with the end goal of producing apps that "make the life of the Mercedes driver even more comfortable." Mercedes-Benz has previously dabbled in iPad integration and model-specific apps for other platforms, but this would mark a new move to create its own apps and distribution system.
As cars get more and more computerized, intelligent, and interactive, the issue of distracted driver grows ever greater. Despite the issue being recognized as an epidemic by the NHTSA, there are apparently no plans to enact rules to try to curtail distracted driving.
Where do you stand on the idea of apps in cars, streaming Pandora or text-to-voicing tweets? Is it a welcome development, a dangerous distraction, or somewhere in between? Let us know in the comments below.
[Auto News -- sub. req.]
