Anyone feels cheated about MDI + ipod cable?

[dasrattles]

does anyone here feel cheated that you have to buy a special ipod cable from VW to play your ipod through the MDI?

i was told that the MDI would play your ipod or iphone and it cost $270 as an option. i was not, however, told that i would need to purchase the special ipod cable. now, i feel like little cheated and mislead. its like buying a new car and only later they tell you that you gotta purchase wheels separately.

S52(1) of the trade practices act says that "A corporation shall not, in trade or commerce, engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive"

not that i will sue them over a cable (that would be silly) but should i demand that i get the cable free?

[sVWatt]

VW Bayford gave me mine for free

[FJ Steve]

mine was thrown in for free, but I did ask specific questions re the iPod integration/capability with/via the MDI

[99_FGT]

mine was thrown in for free, but I did ask specific questions re the iPod integration/capability with/via the MDI

And if you have asked the specific question about "Ipod/iPhone" compatability when ordering, then it has to be part of the package you were quoted.
Trade Practices Act also talks about fitness for purpose, and in the current state it is not fit for purpose, provided you have stated that the purpose is to plug an iPod/iPhone in.
Al..

[wandersen]

It's no longer the Trade Practices Act, but the Australian Consumer Law section 18.

*Takes off lawyer's hat*

[Corey_R]

Oh Jesus. Are you guys serious? Another one of these threads?


If you're upset, why don't get you upset AT APPLE for being such corporate MEANIE POO BUM HEADS and DICTATING to their customers HOW and WHEN they can use the products the customers have PURCHASED???

iPhones and iPods do not follow general USB specifications. They also do not allow you to access the music via USB "file transfer" protocols. You MUST use iTunes to access the music (unless you use another "hack" which Apple frowns apon/takes legal action against to prevent). Whereas almost any other MP3 player on the market you can access the music through "Windows Explorer" / command lines etc.

THAT IS WHY YOU NEED A SPECIFIC CABLE! Go harrass Apple and tell them to stop being MEAN TO THEIR CUSTOMERS!



Now, on the other approach of "Why isn't the cable just included"?
Because why should everyone intelligent enough to purchase products from companies WHO AREN'T MEAN TO THEIR CUSTOMERS have to pay the extra cost for a cable they don't need? I know most Apple customers think they're cool and all, but remember, there is much more than just Apple out there. And eveyone else just uses USB.....


Beyond this, as others have mentioned, if you asked nicely during the new car negotiation process, many dealers are quite happy to "throw in" the iPod cable, or swap the USB cable for the iPod cable.


Sorry if people find this post harsh, but I'm sick of Apple customers buying Apple products and then complaining about having to buy additional "Apple accessories" when by now it should be OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE what the "deal" with owning an Apple product is... and yet we still have one of these threads pop up every few months.

[oz_train]

I feel a bit "cheated" that a special cable is necessary at all. I can plug the USB cable which is standard with an iPod straight into the USB port on a pioneer car stereo, and it works perfectly. With MDI, I have to buy a special cable, and then it skips at the start of each song! I've abandoned the iPod/MDI, and use a USB stick. Maybe the iPod/MDI will work someday...

Back on topic, though, I just assumed that the iPod would plug into the USB port in the MDI in the same way that it does with other after-market car audio. I therefore didn't think a "special" cable was necessary. I just assumed that it was a convenience thing so that one didn't have a long iPod/USB cable (which would plug into the USB/MDI cable) to tangle up in the console.
I just put it down to "live and learn", and bought a cheap MDI-iPod cable from Hong Kong (eBay).

regards,
John.

[Corey_R]

This is the problem with Apple. Everyone who buys a Pioneer is paying the "Apple license" whether they use an Apple or not. How is that fair?
I do agree that the Apple products do work better on a Pioneer aftermarket headunit - but then, AV components are Pioneer's bread and butter, so that's all they do and they _should_ be better.

But back to the point. I feel it is unfair for Apple customers to continue to expect that non-Apple customers should have to pay for something that they do not use. If you chose to purchase an Apple product, then you should also expect to have to pay additional for Apple specific accessories.

If you don't like it, then buy non-Apple products which use a standard USB connection (directly on the device) and, most importantly with music, allow direct access to the music (without proprietary software).

[team_v]

Oh Jesus. Are you guys serious? Another one of these threads?


If you're upset, why don't get you upset AT APPLE for being such corporate MEANIE POO BUM HEADS and DICTATING to their customers HOW and WHEN they can use the products the customers have PURCHASED???

iPhones and iPods do not follow general USB specifications. They also do not allow you to access the music via USB "file transfer" protocols. You MUST use iTunes to access the music (unless you use another "hack" which Apple frowns apon/takes legal action against to prevent). Whereas almost any other MP3 player on the market you can access the music through "Windows Explorer" / command lines etc.

THAT IS WHY YOU NEED A SPECIFIC CABLE! Go harrass Apple and tell them to stop being MEAN TO THEIR CUSTOMERS!



Sorry if people find this post harsh, but I'm sick of Apple customers buying Apple products and then complaining about having to buy additional "Apple accessories" when by now it should be OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE what the "deal" with owning an Apple product is... and yet we still have one of these threads pop up every few months.

This is exactly the answer i was going to give.
Also why Android > Apple

[oz_train]

This is the problem with Apple. Everyone who buys a Pioneer is paying the "Apple license" whether they use an Apple or not. How is that fair?
I do agree that the Apple products do work better on a Pioneer aftermarket headunit - but then, AV components are Pioneer's bread and butter, so that's all they do and they _should_ be better.

But back to the point. I feel it is unfair for Apple customers to continue to expect that non-Apple customers should have to pay for something that they do not use. If you chose to purchase an Apple product, then you should also expect to have to pay additional for Apple specific accessories.

If you don't like it, then buy non-Apple products which use a standard USB connection (directly on the device) and, most importantly with music, allow direct access to the music (without proprietary software).

And this leads to my "gripe"... yes, I choose to use an Apple if/when it suits me, and I'm happy to buy the cable to "pay my dues", but then, having done that, I expect it to work! No excuses, no "Pioneer should do it better"... VW offer an iPod cable to plug into their MDI - they are explicitly offering an interface, and they should make it work! It doesn't!

I guess it isn't easy (maybe Apple keep moving the goalposts), and I'm prepared to be patient & wait, but VW shouldn't sell the cable unless they can make it work!

[Corey_R]

Yeah - it has worked fine at various times. But you're correct, Apple has moved the "goal posts" "a few" times. Several times when they have performed an update to iTunes, or to the iPhone/iPone, it updates the device firmware, and everything breaks, or you can new bugs come in, like the random skipping of the first second of songs etc.
Third-party device manufacturers then need to try and update their firmware/software to adjust to the new Apple updates. Volkswagen do release updated RCD/RNS firmware, and updated MDI firmware, but they don't particularly have a good method of distributing that.

One of their German sites does have a "software updates" page, but it's all in German.
Maverick's My-GTI site often posts the updates and instructions in English.

But being that I just use a USB key for my MDI storage, I've never needed to do these updates...

[dasrattles]

salesman noticed i use an iphone and commented that the MDI will "let me play my music from my iphone". i'm gonna go talk to them and see what can happen.

thing is, my friend has a 2011 suzuki swift and she plugs her ipod straight into the usb jack and it all works so i just kinda assumed it would work for the golf as well.

i'm just saying that VW should let their customers know that a separate cable is needed. it shouldn't be on the customer's part to assume that a separate cable is needed just because they use an apple product.

[Ryan_R]

Hehe - gotta love Corey's posts there. While I also dislike Apple for similar reasons I've pretty much gave up arguing about it a long time ago due to the massive number of Apple fans/users on Internet forums.

In this instance, I wouildn't necessarily be blaming them since VW charge the same amount for each type of cable. If I had bought the car from teh dealer with MDI, I would've done my best to persuade them to throw in at least one type of cable (otherwise the option is rendered useless). Keep in mind that you can also get the cables shipped to you for $30 from eBay.