#in-car

Google and General Motors are reportedly in negotiations to partner on an in-car telematics system that would take aim at Ford and Microsoft’s SYNC system. Rumored to be a derivative of the Android operating system, it would apparently go beyond entertainment and connectivity features and allow owners to unlock and start their cars, something SYNC isn’t capable of doing yet.

Oh, Apple. Always coming up with ways to improve the user experience.

The picture above is from the 2011 Ford Edge and its groundbreaking MyTouch dashboard, which we’re using because it’s currently the most advanced in-car display. But it looks like everything, plus the kitchen sink, was put onto the screen. The result is very un-Apple like simplicity.

Apple apparently feels they should share some good design with drivers, according to technology site Engadget. In the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 software exists an “iPod Out” mode, generating a simple menu that’s fed via a video output.

While we can’t comment on the choice of music in the clip below, we will say it looks far nicer (and simpler) than anything a manufacturer has yet shown. While some think this could pave the way for Apple-branded in-car accessories, we say: “Give us an Apple car stereo!”

[Source: Engadget]

See a short clip of the “iPod Out” mode after the jump: