Ever since I bought my first portable CD player in my junior year of college circa 1987, I've wondered why manufacturer car stereos don't have something as simple as a front panel line input jack (or auxiliary input, if you prefer). It wouldn't cost much and it would eliminate the need for clunky cassette adapters or FM modulators that are used on gadgets now. For less than 50 cents worth of connectors and circuitry, you would make so many consumers happy and simplify things. Plug in anything -- a CD player, the ol' Sony minidisc, a satellite radio, an MP3 player.
Finally in an era where our cars have options for built-in DVD players, navigation systems, multi-disc players, etc. GM has decided to put a simple line input jack on their upcoming line. Rocket science, I tell ya! Pure rocket science.
Chevy HHR Will Make It Simple To Bring iPod Along For The Ride
Music lovers will find it easier to take their favorite tunes on the road thanks to a new family of radios that will debut on the Chevy HHR and other GM vehicles starting later this year. The new radios include an auxiliary channel and front mounted auxiliary input jack, so that an iPod or other audio source can be easily plugged in and played through the vehicle audio system.
It's about time. Please... other auto manufacturers, follow suit!