Apple Announces iPod Airplane Integration

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Apple has announced a partnership with a number of airlines (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/nov/14ipod.html) to provide in-flight iPod integration during flights.

In-flight iPod connectivity will be available to Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United passengers beginning in mid 2007. Additionally, Apple is working with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring even more leading airlines in-flight iPod connectivity in the future.

According to the press release, these six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the their seat back displays. The press release did not specify whether the iPod integration would be a first-class accommodation, as presumably that designation would be up to the individual airlines.

[generationxwing]

Now that is a brilliant idea. Earlier this year I took a 26 hour flight(s) to Asia, and I would have LOVED to have been able to take advantage of this.

[justflie]

On the seatback displays? ok, that's pretty cool, not gonna lie. C'mon Jet Blue, do it on yours too!

[longofest]

On the seatback displays? ok, that's pretty cool, not gonna lie. C'mon Jet Blue, do it on yours too!

heh... Don't expect to see this on Jet Blue any time soon

[freebooter]

Great idea.

[EGT]

"Mummy, why is that man watching those naked people doing things to each other." :p

It will happen.

[dcv]

"Mummy, why is that man watching those naked people doing things to each other." :p


LMAO, Post of the Week™ :D

[notjustjay]

Well, the only airline I remember which had seat-back displays for all passengers was WestJet. I just flew United and the smaller planes didn't even have an in-house audio system, let alone video.

But this is a great idea.

(Side note: Having listened to it for the first time on this flight, I really appreciate airlines that put the air traffic control traffic on one of the audio channels. It was neat -- and somewhat comforting -- to know exactly what my pilot was doing up there.)

[Gasu E.]

"Mummy, why is that man watching those naked people doing things to each other." :p


"And why does one look like Steve Ballmer?"

:eek:

[imacintel]

C'mon...Air Canada? Anybody?


I <3 E190

[bartelby]

"Mummy, why is that man watching those naked people doing things to each other." :p

It will happen.


I thought iGary had trouble getting on flights!

[thejadedmonkey]

That's ingenious. Go Apple!

[gallagb]

guess the bigger question
will this be available in coach or is this just a first class option?

[whatever]

Since Apple introduced the video iPod I wondered why they didn't encourage both airlines and auto industry to add this functionality in their video devices.

Imagine having two kids in the back of the car, both with their own video screen, watching their own movie, controlling it from their own iPods.

guess the bigger question
will this be available in coach or is this just a first class option?
Like EmPower ports they will appear in phases. First in Business and First Class and the in Coach and expect it to be in all new planes. Some Airlines (like JetBlue) may elect to put them in all seats.

[Arcus]

I know who Ill be flying with. Nice.

[chabig]

(Side note: Having listened to it for the first time on this flight, I really appreciate airlines that put the air traffic control traffic on one of the audio channels. It was neat -- and somewhat comforting -- to know exactly what my pilot was doing up there.)United is the ONLY airline that does this.

[CrackedButter]

Just shows Apple is thinking where others do not. Apple are providing or creating outlets for their devices while other companies just produce mp3 players.

[slidingjon]

Since this is Zune launch day:

Seeing as apple now has a majority of auto makers making connectivity and now the airline industry is getting on board, this is a major blow to the Zune. Neither cars nor airplanes will come with every connection possible so that any media player can be used. This is a great step for apple and potential apple customers.

How about a built-in mag safe connector for the airplanes too? :)

[EricNau]

And it begins.

I suspect we'll see a few more announcements in the near future - all meant to kick the Zune's butt. :D

[justflie]

Since this is Zune launch day:

Seeing as apple now has a majority of auto makers making connectivity and now the airline industry is getting on board, this is a major blow to the Zune. Neither cars nor airplanes will come with every connection possible so that any media player can be used. This is a great step for apple and potential apple customers.

How about a built-in mag safe connector for the airplanes too? :)

Exactly! How many airlines are going to pony up $X-million to outfit their fleet with the newest proprietary media plug-in? Zilch. They're going to say to M$ and the rest, "Sorry, we just spent our pilots' pensions on ipod connectivity, come back in 3 years and we'll see what we can do..." :D

[jalagl]

Well, the only airline I remember which had seat-back displays for all passengers was WestJet. I just flew United and the smaller planes didn't even have an in-house audio system, let alone video.

But this is a great idea.
...

Most airlines that fly trans-atlantic and pacific have individual displays for everybody. In coach, most of them play the same movies and series over and over, but in business/first, most of the time you can choose what to watch, and even pause/stop the movies.

[rowanhall]

we all know m$ is stuffed from day one... the only people i could imagine buying the zune are m$ fanboys or apple haters... "bet your ipod can't do this"... so what...

i had been expecting something huge like this to come out today... and i'm expecting bigger still...

how long till somebody makes an adaptor for the zune to make use of the apple dock connector?

[Squonk]

Very cool idea. Now, what airlines need to do is publish this information on their websites so you can know when choosing your seats what are the accommodations of 19F.

I'm going to Hawaii next spring on Delta, if I knew for sure that my seat will have video and a dock connector, I'd be sure to upgrade to an iPod video for the trip. That would be very, very cool.

So, next year we'll have iTV, hopefully higher res offerings in the itunes movie store and the ability to watch this on the airplane. Sweet.

Of course the one thing that no one has mentioned yet is that many of the screens on planes are in crappy condition... :(

"Excuse me! Does anyone want to switch with me who has a good screen and an isle seat? Anyone???" :D

[Clive At Five]

Aww, there, there, Zune. Look on the bright side... you come in brown!

-Clive

[Macmaniac]

Please American Airlines do this! We have frequent flyer miles with them. I would love to plug my pod in!

[aafuss1]

I wonder if British Airways and Qantas wil offer this. After all it's one up on Zune.

[marco114]

What is a Zune? :D :eek:

[MrFirework]

so then... maybe...

flyPod?


... just a thought.

[Squonk]

i had been expecting something huge like this to come out today... and i'm expecting bigger still...

Right on! Apple is going to mitigate the media flurry around the Zune. "Brownie, you are doing a heck of a job..."

how long till somebody makes an adaptor for the zune to make use of the apple dock connector?

That does get to the heart of the matter doesn't it. The airlines and auto manufactures, and heck the audio industry is not going to want to support multiple interfaces... Will there be a standard? HA! Fat chance. Adapters - maybe. I need the zune to iPod dock port dongle... Wait, I won't need one - I'm a podder.

[Squonk]

so then... maybe...

flyPod?


... just a thought.

I like that! :cool:

[MrFirework]

What is a Zune? :D :eek:

Zune (zoon)
See: Brick

Now that I say that, Zune can never have the Airline compatability! All those bricks would add too much weight!:p

[garybUK]

I fly between Manchester and New Jersey (Newark) a Lot, like 7 or 8 times a year for personal reasons :)

Anyway, I fly a mixture of KLM / Northwest Airlines, Continental or British Airways, it would be pretty cool, though most of the time I use my ipod whilst sat in the lounge then when on board I watch their movies, they offer like 6 of them and some good comedy channels.

Then again if I loaded some movies onto my ipod I could probably watch them, its just deciding before you go what mood your in!

[Snowy_River]

Since this is Zune launch day:

Seeing as apple now has a majority of auto makers making connectivity and now the airline industry is getting on board, this is a major blow to the Zune. Neither cars nor airplanes will come with every connection possible so that any media player can be used. This is a great step for apple and potential apple customers.

How about a built-in mag safe connector for the airplanes too? :)

I'm sure that a 3rd party adaptor will appear to connect an iPod dock connector to whatever kind of connector the Zune ends up using...

Still this will give the iPod one more feather in its cap. I'm certainly thrilled by this news, and I think it makes the idea of a video iPod much more appealing. In general, I've taken the stance that if I'm going to watch a video on a plane, I'd rather watch it on my PB's large screen. The iPod screen is just too small. But if I could watch it on the plane's screen, that would make the iPod a viable alternative.

This would also eliminate one of my pet-peeves about the in-flight entertainment. Ever since airlines (i.e. JetBlue) have started offering TV, there's been a slight problem. When the captain comes on, it mutes the sound of the TV, but doesn't pause it, or anything like that. The last flight I was on, I was watching a drama, and at a pivotal plot moment the captain came on with "Hello, ladies and gentleman, this is your captain.... if you look out the right side of the plane you can see...". He droned on for several minutes while I watched two people talking to each other, resolving a plot point. I had no idea what they were saying (not being a very good lip reader), and I was furious! It would have been one thing if he was coming on to give us some important information, but he was just simply giving one of those "up here at 35000 feet the air is really cold" speeches, and he could NOT have picked a worse time to do it, as far as the program I was watching. Now, if I had been watching something on an iPod, I could have paused while he was talking, or rewound after he was through. (I expect if it's going through the plane's system it would still mute out whatever I was watching in favor of the captain's voice.)

[sofila]

Imagine having two kids in the back of the car, both with their own video screen, watching their own movie, controlling it from their own iPods.
I would call this "pre-lobothomy":eek:
What happened to old driving games and conversation?:o

[fixyourthinking]

Since this is Zune launch day:

Seeing as apple now has a majority of auto makers making connectivity and now the airline industry is getting on board, this is a major blow to the Zune. Neither cars nor airplanes will come with every connection possible so that any media player can be used. This is a great step for apple and potential apple customers.

How about a built-in mag safe connector for the airplanes too? :)

That truly is the news ... it's not MP3 player integration ... it's iPod integration!

[notjustjay]

United is the ONLY airline that does this.

Really? That's too bad... it was a really neat feature. I knew when to expect altitude changes, when (and, more importantly, why) various turns were being made, and whether to expect turbulence up ahead. Hearing the hand-off between various centers also gave me a rough idea of where we were, and gave me an idea of our surroundings (I heard pilots and ATC commenting on what was likely smoke from a forest fire).

[Squonk]

I would call this "pre-lobothomy":eek:
What happened to old driving games and conversation?:o

99 bottles of beer on the wall,
99 bottles of beer.
If one of those bottles should happen to fall,
98 bottles of beer on the wall.

98 bottles of beer on the wall...

:D

[swiftaw]

I fly between Manchester and New Jersey (Newark) a Lot, like 7 or 8 times a year for personal reasons :)

Me Too!! :)

[cecildk9999]

I like this announcement; it's not a direct vocal challenge to the Zune on launch day, but it does remind the wider world of what the standard is for mp3/portable video players, with a nice new feature to boot. Fanboys of MS can rip on the iPod for lacking things like wireless, but the seamless integration from home to car to flight is worth more to most consumers than a stupid sharing option. I mean really, if you want to advertise what you're listening to others, get a boombox to carry around on your shoulder (what happened to the 80s? ;) ).
Advantage: Apple

[fixyourthinking]

I'm sure that a 3rd party adaptor will appear to connect an iPod dock connector to whatever kind of connector the Zune ends up using...


Not legally ... Apple owns the patent to the iPod dock connector. Any commercial or retail use is strictly against Apple patents. Developers pay a small percentage to Apple for every product sold that uses the iPod dock connector. While it has been hacked and many home brew adapter guides have been on the internet, these items are also not for sale. So, I doubt we WILL see such an adapter.

[swiftaw]

Very cool idea. Now, what airlines need to do is publish this information on their websites so you can know when choosing your seats what are the accommodations of 19F.

I always use seatguru.com to choose a good seat.

[Kid Red]

As long as the Zune can't connect to it then is really a great idea. Stick it to M$!! Regardless, nice to see Apple expanding the reach and impact of the iPod.

So it is a dock connector? Just scanned the article.

[Hertog]

It sounds really nice, but... perhaps someone got out the press release too soon. The Dutch airline KLM, one of the partners mentioned in the article, are apparently not aware of the deal and respond in surprise to the news. They also say Air France, KLM's owner, nows nothing.

The article, in Dutch: http://www.nu.nl/news/885979/54/%27iPod-aansluiting_in_vliegtuigen%27.html

KLM reacted in surprise at the announcement. 'It is true that there where talks, but the changes of this happening are now/at the moment smaller than ever', said a spokesman from the Dutch airline.

(Translation by me. I'm not quite sure if the spokesman means 'now', ie. since the announcement, or 'at the moment', ie someting went wrong at the talks.)

[intlplby]

Zune will probably only need an adapter to work with all this stuff

[timnosenzo]

Wow, this is a great idea!

[weg]

"Mummy, why is that man watching those naked people doing things to each other." :p


"Because he's a pervert, son. Stop staring at his screen and keep watching how the American hero slaughters evil terrorists with his machine gun on your TV screen."

Technically, people were able to watch porn on their notebooks during a flight, and so far this hasn't been an issue, has it?

[EliteGamer]

This is a great idea of apple to do actually. It will help them expand alot more and if they put demo versions on plans it will advertise to another customer base.

[EliteGamer]

However im still not sure if apple can pull it off..Sorry double post accidently so using this one instead of my edit

[twoodcc]

even more good news for Apple and the ipod. more success for Apple ;)

[samh004]

"Mummy, why is that man watching those naked people doing things to each other." :p

It will happen.

That's true, it will, and so I wonder what will be done about it when it does happen. Can airline staff confiscate your iPod till the end of the flight, will an air marshall urge you to choose something more appropriate ?

Well, the only airline I remember which had seat-back displays for all passengers was WestJet.

Sweet, I just booked a flight with them for an upcoming trip to Canada, it's good to know they were a good choice.

Most airlines that fly trans-atlantic and pacific have individual displays for everybody. In coach, most of them play the same movies and series over and over, but in business/first, most of the time you can choose what to watch, and even pause/stop the movies.

AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) is becoming increasingly popular on international airlines, however normally only in first and business as you point out.

Hopefully iPod integration will be incorporated throughout all the classes in the airlines which employ it, that way everyone will have their own AVOD for stuff they own. I see no reason to lock out more than half the passengers, when it could drive sales, touting it as a feature on that airline as oppose to another airline - without paying a premium for a higher class.

I wonder if British Airways and Qantas wil offer this. After all it's one up on Zune.

And most importantly for me, Cathay Pacific, who are partners with both of them... and I much prefer Cathay to Qantas.

Anyway, I fly a mixture of KLM / Northwest Airlines, Continental or British Airways, it would be pretty cool, though most of the time I use my ipod whilst sat in the lounge then when on board I watch their movies, they offer like 6 of them and some good comedy channels.

Generally airlines offer movies showing in the cinema at the time, your getting a movie ticket, or a few, included as a bonus with your travel, sometimes that will beat out movies stored on your Ipod that you can see at any time.

I know it would for me.

[iSee]

Well, this is pretty cool.

Is there going to be some downside to this, like a fee or (worse) ads? (Much worse, if the ads can't be skipped or easily ignored.)

Well, a fee isn't really that bad, come to think of it. I mean, it's got to be paid for, whether directly or through the price of the ticket or ad revenue.

This is a really nice passenger perk.

[autrefois]

Sounds great to me! Did anyone here anything about Zune intergration in planes? I didn't think so. :p

It still amazes me that so many cars in the US are iPod friendly. Now the skies are becoming iPod friendly, too! Next stop, the space shuttle.

[gugy]

I agree that's a great idea. Apple once again on the forefront of thinking great things.
My concern comes when an inividual brings a x-rated(porn) content on their iPods and choose to see on the seat screens. That will cause a furor!:eek:

[MattyMac]

This is definitely VERY cool!

[puckhead193]

holy cow, that's such a great idea, wish i had this feature when i went to china

[samh004]

Well, this is pretty cool.

Is there going to be some downside to this, like a fee or (worse) ads? (Much worse, if the ads can't be skipped or easily ignored.)

I think the integration could be used as enticement for customers to use a particular airline over another. It doesn't matter if everyone eventually adopts the technology, as you've built up a reputation and some customers.

Ads or a fee aren't needed as your attracting more revenue, ads and additional fees would be more likely to push people away.

Sounds great to me! Did anyone here anything about Zune intergration in planes? I didn't think so. :p

I'm sure Microsoft could pay the airlines enough to install it at no cost just to push their brand.

[mechamac]

This is yet another one of those things that makes you think: damn, the iPod is huge.

[donlphi]

I guess this means no TRUE VIDEO iPOD before Christmas. That is a let down.
:(

[Maccus Aurelius]

And here people were hoping something would come along and topple the iPod. I had to check the Zune out for myself, it's basically dull-finished 1st Gen iPod clone. And now with iPod friendly skies, the bastardized iTurd will have very rough waters venture through. Go Apple. :D

[Maccus Aurelius]

I guess this means no TRUE VIDEO iPOD before Christmas. That is a let down.
:(


Well my birthday's in january, hopefully it comes out by then :p

[Snowy_River]

Not legally ... Apple owns the patent to the iPod dock connector. Any commercial or retail use is strictly against Apple patents. Developers pay a small percentage to Apple for every product sold that uses the iPod dock connector. While it has been hacked and many home brew adapter guides have been on the internet, these items are also not for sale. So, I doubt we WILL see such an adapter.

Of course, what you're implying, but not saying explicitly, is that Apple would never license the dock connector to a product that would be an adaptor to Zune. I'm not so sure that's true. Look at it this way, what's the best way for Apple to make sure that companies don't go putting Zune connectors in their cars and on their airplanes? Allow there to be a way to connect a Zune to an iPod dock connector. It's very magnanimous of Apple, but it means that Zune users will have one more bit of inconvenience compared to iPod users.

So, I stand by what I said. I believe it will happen... legally.

[mac 2005]

This is great news for Apple and for iPod-owning travelers. I can't for the life of me imagine why 5% of people who voted determined this news to be negative, but I often have this problem with the polling system. :rolleyes: Anything that entrenches the iPod for the consumer and the marketplace will only be good for Apple and its product line. One could argue that market domination might preclude innovation, but I don't see that being the case with Apple so much as it is with Microsoft and Dell. The iPod is well on its way to becoming ubiquitous (sp?) -- which will mean greater access to media for us iPod owners.

[fixyourthinking]

Of course, what you're implying, but not saying explicitly, is that Apple would never license the dock connector to a product that would be an adaptor to Zune. I'm not so sure that's true. Look at it this way, what's the best way for Apple to make sure that companies don't go putting Zune connectors in their cars and on their airplanes? Allow there to be a way to connect a Zune to an iPod dock connector. It's very magnanimous of Apple, but it means that Zune users will have one more bit of inconvenience compared to iPod users.

So, I stand by what I said. I believe it will happen... legally.

Good point (truly) ... but I stand by what I said too. I think if your scenario wwas true then we would see Creative Zen adapters or SanDisk Snasa adapters on the market - at least they have proven marketshare against the iPod. Still ... it will be interesting to see how this will pan out.

What i wonder is if the Wifi the Zune uses for file transfers will be banned on planes. If it's not, then i want to be able to use Wifi for any device on a plane.

[61132]

I am sure there will be adapters that would convert normal RCA connectors to an ipod dock connector, then you could connect any mp3 player (zune) to the airlines ipod system. But still, more of an inconvenience to a Zune user :)

[cornfedgrowth]

This is pretty sweet, and a good deal for apple, but i'd rather see airlines spend the money on putting standard outlets at each seat. Then i can charge my Macbook Pro, iPod, cellphone, camcorder or bring along a big firewire drive to get a start on my video editing with, ect. From the airlines point of view, i think it makes more sense to install something that most passengers would find useful instead of something that only Apple users find useful.

If this does happen tho, good for apple.

[Squonk]

And here people were hoping something would come along and topple the iPod. I had to check the Zune out for myself, it's basically dull-finished 1st Gen iPod clone. And now with iPod friendly skies, the bastardized iTurd will have very rough waters venture through. Go Apple. :D

Wouldn't that be a mTurd? :D

[AppliedVisual]

United is the ONLY airline that does this.

No they're not. I've listened to ATC transmissions on Delta and Alaska Air too... Then again, it's been a few years since I've flown anyone other than United, Southwest and Frontier and of those three, United is the only doing it.

[AppliedVisual]

OK, now that we'll have iPod integration on flights from major airlines... And there's talk of broadband access in-flight at some point in the near future. Hmmm... I can see it now. Steve's plan is to have the iPod integration in place so that the next time I'm on a 14 hour flight, I have nothing to do but play with my iPod and shop the iTunes store. ...World domination, one small step at a time.

[Squonk]

OK, now that we'll have iPod integration on flights from major airlines... And there's talk of broadband access in-flight at some point in the near future. Hmmm... I can see it now. Steve's plan is to have the iPod integration in place so that the next time I'm on a 14 hour flight, I have nothing to do but play with my iPod and shop the iTunes store. ...World domination, one small step at a time.

Buying a movie or music while in-flight would be very cool!

[whatever]

Good point (truly) ... but I stand by what I said too. I think if your scenario wwas true then we would see Creative Zen adapters or SanDisk Snasa adapters on the market - at least they have proven marketshare against the iPod. Still ... it will be interesting to see how this will pan out.

What i wonder is if the Wifi the Zune uses for file transfers will be banned on planes. If it's not, then i want to be able to use Wifi for any device on a plane.
You currently are not allowed, by law, to broadcast any signals on airwaves on an aircraft while in the air. Bluetooth, WiFi, phone, etc.

[sw1tcher]

Sounds great to me! Did anyone here anything about Zune intergration in planes? I didn't think so. :p

It still amazes me that so many cars in the US are iPod friendly. Now the skies are becoming iPod friendly, too! Next stop, the space shuttle.

Well, let's see... the Zune comes out today. The iPod has been out for about 5 years (?) now. So it took Apple 5 years to have them integrate with airplanes. Shame on Apple for not innovating quicker. Shame, shame, shame. And shame on MS for not innovating quicker too. The Zune's only been out, what,... a few hours and it still can't integrate with planes? Shame on MS. :rolleyes:

Seriously.... what's with all this Zune bashing? This story isn't even about the Zune, yet someone just had to post something about it. I'm not defending MS or anyone. It's just that I get's pretty redundant when everyone praises Apple and bashes on everyone else (especially MS), like Apple can do no wrong. I bet you haven't even played with a Zune yet. It's like people who say they don't like Japanese food or something. And when asked if they've tried it, they say no. How the hell do you know whether you like somethinig or not when you haven't even tried it yet?

Apple fan boys...... :rolleyes:

[saulbug]

six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the their seat back displays.


that's stupid! why would the person behind me want to watch my videos!? They shouldn't put the video on the seatback of iPod connected passengers, they should put it on the seatback of the passenger in front of them!!

[NamJangNamJa]

What is a Zune? :D :eek:

I don't know, either. :D :eek:

[lmalave]

I'm flying Delta NYC to Madrid next week - too bad it's not available now.

Domestically, I basically only fly Jet Blue so I guess no iPod integration for me...

[lmalave]

I guess this means no TRUE VIDEO iPOD before Christmas. That is a let down.
:(

While I think there will be no vPod this Christmas, I don't see why the airplane integration would imply this one way or the other. Even if you had a vPod, wouldn't you prefer to be reclining comfortably, looking at a video screen on the back of the seat in front of you? Personally, that seems to be more comfortable than having to hold the vPod in my hands for 2 hours while I watched the movie.

[xPismo]

United is the ONLY airline that does this.

I wish they all did. Its a great way to enjoy the flight.

As for the ipod plugins, its great the only downside I see is it forces Apple into a single connector / body shape for future ipods. It would suck to release a new ipod that isn't useable on your next flight.

[steelfist]

hope it's on the A380. that would be awesome! I agree, ipod video abuse will go pretty far though, as far as pornography goes.

[MrCrowbar]

"Because he's a pervert, son. Stop staring at his screen and keep watching how the American hero slaughters evil terrorists with his machine gun on your TV screen."

Technically, people were able to watch porn on their notebooks during a flight, and so far this hasn't been an issue, has it?

I flew with Virgin Atlantic once, and they have a great entertainment system where you could watch porn if you wanted. But it says you have to ask a stewardess to enable it for you (enter a code)... Might be a bit embarassing asking "Can you put the password in so I can watch big boobies 4 please?" :p

[clint@bihbs.com]

As of today at 1800 GMT+1, Klm stated that they had preliminary talks but were no where near to closing the deal. source. www.nu.nl

[SactoGuy18]

99 bottles of beer on the wall,
99 bottles of beer.
If one of those bottles should happen to fall,
98 bottles of beer on the wall.

98 bottles of beer on the wall...

:D

Funny you should mention that because one time I actually sang the song and it took about 25 minutes for me to do it all the way through. :D But that's only just over two segments of an ESPN Radio show podcast....

(By the way, I always remember the third line as "Take one down, pass it around.")

But getting back on topic, :) I think this is a great idea. Especially if you listen to long podcasts like I do that can take about way over an hour per podcast. It'll be great for long cross-country flights, that's to be sure.

[Cinch]

What will the future of air travel holds?

1. Boomless supersonic jet (NYC to LAX in 2.5 hours).
2. inexpensive jetblue/southwest flight in continent, price point $200 round trip, todays money of course
3. weight/bag restriction to increase fuel economy-saving us money
4. packing sardines even tighter allowing more seats (I hope this will not come to pass).
5. computer/machine pilot (yes, they can handle landing and take-off)--eliminating overpaid pilots and terrorism too
6. no food service (don't worry no one will starve to death, we are in a middle of a obesity epidemic for god sake)- saving weight and money
7. reduce flight attendance by at least 50% (no food see above), and add a "useful" security guard to control rowdy passenger - saving us money


If you can't reduce the weight of a LCD or OLED or whatever screen, don't add it to every seats. I think the future is clear and it looks like it will diverge into two paths. 1) basic travel that allows people to do it more frequently or 2) travel in comfort and pay more thus less frequent travel. I'm not talking about first class travel here.

Think about it, wouldn't you want to travel anywhere in the US more frequently say 7+ times a year, or 1 or 2 times a year and have all the amenities (meal, iPod, movies and overpaid pilots)?

Tune in your fear and imagine the possibility with me:D

Cinch

[lord patton]

With their proprietary dock connector becoming ubiquitous in cars and airplanes, it's only a matter of time before the government uses anti-trust law to crack down on Apple. Not because they really believe iPod dominance threatens the "public good" (whatever that is), but because it will be a way to extort protection money from Apple (i.e. campaign contributions) and sell government services (regulatory predation) to their competitors.

IMO

[Squonk]

(By the way, I always remember the third line as "Take one down, pass it around.")


We used to alternate verses. You know, to break up the monotony of it. HA! :D

[flir67]

LOL, now that was good...:D


Zune (zoon)
See: Brick

Now that I say that, Zune can never have the Airline compatability! All those bricks would add too much weight!:p

[newmacuser13]

I think this would be great, but really, how many seats will get actual connections. Ever try to find an empower jack on a plane in coach - I've never seen one yet. A great idea, but poorly executed. Hopefully Apple can bring it to the masses (coach) not just 1st class seats. Hey airlines, while your doing the wiring, how about installing those empower jacks at the same time.

[LimeiBook86]

that's stupid! why would the person behind me want to watch my videos!? They shouldn't put the video on the seatback of iPod connected passengers, they should put it on the seatback of the passenger in front of them!!

No, no. You got it all wrong. They mean the seatback that your facing. This is usually where the personal video displays are in a section that has them. :rolleyes:

I think this is a good thing for Apple. Once a few companies start to use the dock connector in their planes others will want the same thing. Now if they would still install some dock connectors in coach class...(maybe just not every seat) that would be nice too. :p :D

[scu]

Here is my take. Anyone who owns a video iPod mostly like would own a laptop. If they take the video iPod on a trip they are also more likely to take their laptop. I would prefer to watch a video on my laptop instead of the little screen on the airplane. But then of course battery life is an issue as well.

[Stridder44]

And it begins.

I suspect we'll see a few more announcements in the near future - all meant to kick the Zune's butt. :D



No kidding!! iPod integration in airplanes!??! The iPod connector is becoming as much of a standard as a headphone jack is.

[princealfie]

And where is Jetblue in all of this??? :cool:

[justflie]

Does anyone else find it really really really weird that Apple would announce it today and an airline that is mentioned is denying that a deal was even close to fruition? Someone got their lines crossed/translations screwy I think. Sheesh.:confused:

[Hertog]

As of today at 1800 GMT+1, Klm stated that they had preliminary talks but were no where near to closing the deal. source. www.nu.nl

I allready posted that, but everyone seems to be overlooking this fact (including you :P)

So, this time in bold:
People, one of the airlines mentoined has denied the deal, so it's not sure if it is true!

[swingerofbirch]

Has no one else thought of the security implications of this? They are allowing people to connect complex computer devices to the electronics system of an airplane. What is to stop someone from writing a virus that would infiltrate the plane's computers and cause it to crash? With all the crazy precautions they take regarding toothpaste, it's hard to see how they could miss the obvious.

[p0intblank]

Now this is really cool! :D The iPod is everywhere now... even in flight! Go Apple! :)

[apfhex]

4. packing sardines even tighter allowing more seats (I hope this will not come to pass).
I'd be happy with your 6 other points if it meant cheaper ticket prices (the food in coach isn't worth any amount of money!!!). But if they squeeze those seats any closer together, it will make it physically impossible for me (and anyone else over 6 ft) to fit in them. It's already pretty much a fracking health hazard (damned if blood is going to flow through my legs when they're so crammed up against the seat in front of me, hah :D).

Hey airlines, while your doing the wiring, how about installing those empower jacks at the same time.
HOW ABOUT INSTALLING WORKING HEADPHONE JACKS FIRST? ;) What's an Empower jack, anyway?

[Poff]

I allready posted that, but everyone seems to be overlooking this fact (including you :P)

So, this time in bold:
People, one of the airlines mentoined has denied the deal, so it's not sure if it is true!


I think we might just be surpressing this..

..this is veeery un-apple. Last time I remember something like this was Steve announcing the G5 would reach 3GHz within a year, upon which IBM said they would try to get it to 3GHz within a year.

..I'm guessing someone got fired at Apples today..

[DaveTheGrey]

Well, let's see... the Zune comes out today. The iPod has been out for about 5 years (?) now. So it took Apple 5 years to have them integrate with airplanes. Shame on Apple for not innovating quicker. Shame, shame, shame. And shame on MS for not innovating quicker too. The Zune's only been out, what,... a few hours and it still can't integrate with planes? Shame on MS. :rolleyes:

Seriously.... what's with all this Zune bashing? This story isn't even about the Zune, yet someone just had to post something about it. I'm not defending MS or anyone. It's just that I get's pretty redundant when everyone praises Apple and bashes on everyone else (especially MS), like Apple can do no wrong. I bet you haven't even played with a Zune yet. It's like people who say they don't like Japanese food or something. And when asked if they've tried it, they say no. How the hell do you know whether you like somethinig or not when you haven't even tried it yet?

Apple fan boys...... :rolleyes:

i can tell you:
ms has stolen 13 years of my life with bluescreens and driver installations and because ms won't pay me for the time i spent having fun with their "os" i just love to laugh about their try to copy apple and fail, as they did for the last 20 years.

[kpangilinan]

I believe this will be the coolest thing ever. As long as it charges it at the same time, I'll fly more.

[Glenny2lappies]

What will the future of air travel holds?

1. Boomless supersonic jet (NYC to LAX in 2.5 hours).
2. inexpensive jetblue/southwest flight in continent, price point $200 round trip, todays money of course
3. weight/bag restriction to increase fuel economy-saving us money
4. packing sardines even tighter allowing more seats (I hope this will not come to pass).
5. computer/machine pilot (yes, they can handle landing and take-off)--eliminating overpaid pilots and terrorism too
6. no food service (don't worry no one will starve to death, we are in a middle of a obesity epidemic for god sake)- saving weight and money
7. reduce flight attendance by at least 50% (no food see above), and add a "useful" security guard to control rowdy passenger - saving us money


If you can't reduce the weight of a LCD or OLED or whatever screen, don't add it to every seats. I think the future is clear and it looks like it will diverge into two paths. 1) basic travel that allows people to do it more frequently or 2) travel in comfort and pay more thus less frequent travel. I'm not talking about first class travel here.

Think about it, wouldn't you want to travel anywhere in the US more frequently say 7+ times a year, or 1 or 2 times a year and have all the amenities (meal, iPod, movies and overpaid pilots)?

Tune in your fear and imagine the possibility with me:D

Cinch

8. Couldn't give a toss (aka Ryanair). Like we're going to give you anything.

9. You can't take that piece of electronics through sir. It could be used by trrrrrroooooiiiisssts [think Team 'merica here].

[Cinch]

8. Couldn't give a toss (aka Ryanair). Like we're going to give you anything.


Ryanair must be a British com. or others. I never heard of Ryanair.

Cinch

[RodThePlod]

..I'm guessing someone got fired at Apples today..

Haha... I don't think so. On the face of it this seems like Apple's marketing team have jumped the gun on this announcement - however I'm guessing Steve Jobs sanctioned this as a swift poke in the eye to Microsoft on Zune launch day.

It's showing the industry how creative Apple are being when it comes to their plans for iPod. They have a lot of cool stuff in store for us that Microsoft aint even thought of yet!!

:D

[wildmac]

It sounds really nice, but... perhaps someone got out the press release too soon. The Dutch airline KLM, one of the partners mentioned in the article, are apparently not aware of the deal and respond in surprise to the news. They also say Air France, KLM's owner, nows nothing.

The article, in Dutch: http://www.nu.nl/news/885979/54/%27iPod-aansluiting_in_vliegtuigen%27.html

(Translation by me. I'm not quite sure if the spokesman means 'now', ie. since the announcement, or 'at the moment', ie someting went wrong at the talks.)

It's more likely that one part of the airline isn't talking to the other part.

Also, if figures that anything related to France would surrender first. :D

[Abstract]

guess the bigger question
will this be available in coach or is this just a first class option?

It may be in all classes if it's on seat-back displays. First class usually gets better displays than that, as the seat is usually quite a distance in front of the people in 1st class. :o

And besides, what good is a service like this when the large majority of travellers will never see this?

[bluedevil14]

its a great idea all around

[EricNau]

guess the bigger question
will this be available in coach or is this just a first class option?
Hopefully it will be available in all classes. It doesn't seem like Steve Jobs to settle for anything less - He's all about the average consumer.

[wtfk]

They were for it before they were against it. Seems I've heard that somewhere before.

[BlueRevolution]

Apple has announced a partnership with a number of airlines to provide in-flight iPod integration during flights.

Redundant much? Pick one and run with it.

[egretry]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Apple has announced a partnership with a number of airlines (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/nov/14ipod.html) to provide in-flight iPod integration during flights.



According to the press release, these six airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections which power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the their seat back displays. The press release did not specify whether the iPod integration would be a first-class accommodation, as presumably that designation would be up to the individual airlines.

BOEING 747-400 -- The ultimate ipod accessory.:D :D :D :D :D

[tb2007]

You know your product has made it when a motherfing airline will have support for something like that.

[BWhaler]

This is a brilliant idea.

I just don't buy the "mid-2007" part. Airlines don't move that fast.

[BWhaler]

And where is Jetblue in all of this??? :cool:

I wondered the same thing. JetBlue seems like an innovator, and if anyone is going to actually hit this launch date, it would be them.

i suspect the issue is their deal with directtv. just my guess.

[autrefois]

Well, let's see... the Zune comes out today. The iPod has been out for about 5 years (?) now. So it took Apple 5 years to have them integrate with airplanes. Shame on Apple for not innovating quicker. Shame, shame, shame. And shame on MS for not innovating quicker too. The Zune's only been out, what,... a few hours and it still can't integrate with planes? Shame on MS. :rolleyes:

Seriously.... what's with all this Zune bashing? This story isn't even about the Zune, yet someone just had to post something about it. I'm not defending MS or anyone. It's just that I get's pretty redundant when everyone praises Apple and bashes on everyone else (especially MS), like Apple can do no wrong. I bet you haven't even played with a Zune yet. It's like people who say they don't like Japanese food or something. And when asked if they've tried it, they say no. How the hell do you know whether you like somethinig or not when you haven't even tried it yet?

Apple fan boys...... :rolleyes:

That's about the funniest thing I've heard, being called an Apple fanboy. Since you replied to my post, I assume you're at least in part referring to me.

I am almost always critical of Apple here on Macrumors, either directly or indirectly, in my posts. Either that, or trying to poke fun at Apple's expense. Their business practices, their business partners, their pricing, their overheating laptops, etc. I'm always worried people with think I'm a troll, which I'm not. I love Apple products, and have given them (entirely too much of) my money over the years, but I realize the company is not perfect and can get better. I occasionally am under the RDF, but try to keep a reasonably critical mind about things.

My post was just meant to be funny. MS's Zune wasn't even out yet, so no I didn't expected airplane integration immediately. And apparently Apple even make sure all their partners knew about the announcement before making it, so that's rather embarrassing for them.

I agree the Zune should be judged on its own merit. My guess is that as an MS product it will probably not be as good as the iPod (heck, Microsoft doesn't even put their name on the box for the Zune) but it will probably gain ground sooner rather than later since people will assume (correctly or not) that Microsoft works better with Microsoft, just like Apple works better with Apple.

[SFVCyclone]

I wonder if this was announced the same day as the zune just to take away some media attention from it?

[uwoelfel]

Update: Yesterday everything worked with my DVD drive - today everything is the same as before! It won't play some of my DVDs - how strange is that? It seems that the reset made the DVD drive accept DVDs again, but only for a limited time :-(
Does anybody else in this forum have the same problem? Is there any soft fix, or does my MBP have to get ripped apart and receive new parts?

[dlperry42]

Better check the latest Delta ruling -- no use of an iPod on board at any time.

Hard to believe, but that is the statement in their magazine and they are having the flight attendents enforce it.:(

[Leia1912]

Better check the latest Delta ruling -- no use of an iPod on board at any time.

Hard to believe, but that is the statement in their magazine and they are having the flight attendents enforce it.:(
Can you provide more information about that? There's nothing on Delta's Website that references that, including the latest security bulletins. There is the link to their press release about increased iPod integration, dated November 2006: press release here (http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=10453). Nor are there any iPod-related security suggestions on the TSA's website (which would be the *only* reason Delta or any airline would try to mess with personal music player usage).

I do know you are not supposed to be using any electronic device (which would include the iPod) at take-off or landing, but having a few frequent flier tickets behind me (all earned with the help of my iPod), I just find this very strange.

[chabig]

Yeah. I don't believe that iPods are prohibited.