Does anyone know if the new iPhone 5 will be compatible with a 2013 Mini Connect? I ordered my Mini and am thinking of ordering the new iPhone, but with it's new connection am worried they won't be compatible.

 

Nobody is going to have a clue if it will work or not. Apple has made a statement that there will be an adapter available but there really won't be anymore information other than speculation at this point.

 

See now that is a reasonable answer. My MA said, "of course".

 

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The plus is that the connector in the car is just a USB port and not the old iPhone dock connector, so all you need to replace is the cable. The lightning adaptor is $30 (the extender cable is $40) so it'll be a rip off no matter how you go about it. I'm sure the basic track forward/back functionality will make it through since they're normal dock functions.

Unfortunately, Apple is so tight with these phones that at this point very few people have them. If it makes people feel better, the slides they showed had the phone in a BMW with iDrive, which should imply that BMW/MINI should have their act together eventually.

 

I know that the iOS does. I have had it for a few weeks (app developer) and it works with Mini Connect (well beta 3 does, not sure about the final, have not had time to update).

I think yes the iPhone 5 will work fine, BMW and Apple love each other, they have done the most for apple in the whole phone/car working together. What pisses me off is I have the media adapter and that is no longer going to fit. Damn you apple and your upgraded connecter!!!!!

 

It means that we will see a new cable in 6 months and still no cradle.

 

The GM release works fine with MINI Connected and my iPhone 4s. What concerns me is that the lightening adapter doesn't support iPod Out which is what MINI/BMW uses to get the iPod interface up on the screen. I'm sure the OEM cable will be out in 6 months for 199$ or something stupid like that.

On another note I do like having SMS and emails through MINI Connnected now. See http://www.reddit.com/r/MINI/comment...sms_and_email/

 

From what I've been able to gather (from Apple's web site) the Lightning connector doesn't support 'video' and 'iPod out'. It's easy to tell what they mean by 'video', but it's not clear what 'iPod out' means. I suspect (and a few sites say) that this is the analog audio, and this may be why the headphone connector is on the bottom. If that's the case then you'd have to replace the MINI Y-cable with two cables. One a straight headphone cable for audio and one to convert the applicable Lightning port to USB. Could be messy if there is anything in that USB connection that isn't normal.

We'll find out soon.

 

Well here we go, this is sure to cause widespread panic...

I've turned up an old 2010 article from TechCrunch about the then new 'iPod Out' feature...

"Lurking deep in the underpinnings of iPhone OS 4 is a feature that went almost entirely unnoticed until now, with BMW announcing support for it in their namesake and Mini series cars: a brand new, standardized iPod interface for use with in-car displays."

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/13/ios...hird-party-ui/

So, it sounds like analog audio will work and probably simple forward/back controls that have been present in docks since they first existed, but it's likely the whole playlist/artist/etc. functionality could be in peril. One would think that would require at least a software update for the stereo and MINI Connected.

This should make for a fun discussion!

 

And here we go... this video explicitly states that the "Plugin" menu under Mini Connected opens up iPod Out, which I'm going to guess uses the video out to send the interface to the car.

I haven't seen Mini Connected, but I'm going to guess that it probably hasn't changed that much since the video was made in 2010.


Until there's an update to Mini Connected to replace that interface with something else, I wouldn't expect it to work. At least it looks very likely to be possible and probably not really all that difficult.

(Now I'm going to try to go to sleep again... Insomnia is awesome! And no, THIS isn't what's been keeping me up!)

 

All of this was a large part of why I didn't bother buying MINI Connected. If Apple change something in the phone that obsoletes a $50 speaker dock on my nightstand that's annoying. If they change something that obsoletes $2000 worth of extra kit in a $25k to $35k car that's almost actionable... (By the way, the latest Android phones use a different way of accessing files via USB so getting music from the phone via USB doesn't work any more, so it's not just Apple that change stuff with little or no good reason.)

I decided to keep it simple. I have my Android phone next to the speedo on a ProClip, getting power from a charger in the lighter socket and plugged into Aux, Bluetoothed to the car for phone, and have all I need.

 

I would be surprised actually if it didn't work. On the Apple website for the new 30pin adaptor it states 'so you can keep on using your existing iPhone accessories' or words to that affect.

In the X5 we have you can connect the phone via bluetooth as well with the same functionality (without being able to charge the phone though)...can you do this in the MINI?

 

We get limited capabilities with Bluetooth.... you can stream audio, make phones calls, read sms/emails but none of the Mini Connected apps, Pandora/Mog interface stuff.

I'm sure that it will all be resolved with Mini releasing a new cable with the 8 pin lightening connector instead of the older 30 pin connector. Early adopters might just have to live with some oddities for awhile.

 

A relevant article on the new Iphone adapter...

http://www.slashgear.com/iphone-5-wo...pter-13247441/

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the cable supplied with the Mini Connected a digital cable (though originally it was the analog cable that only worked with the iPhone 3Gs and lower)? If this is the case then I believe that even if the adapter doesn't initially work then a software upgrade to the Mini Connected firmware can sort it out. Who knows when that would happen though.

 

after reading all this, I *LOVE* my AUX-jack 3.5mm stereo plug that will fit into the earbud jack of ANYTHING I play tunes with. No muss, no fuss.

 

Well to be fair most people have that as well. It's a good fall back option in the case Mini Connected doesn't work with the new iPhone. Definitely will save yourself some money on Advil though.

 

Putting that AUX-jack thing in was the best money I ever spent (as it didnt come with my car originally)... good luck with your other guchi-kool-thingamajiggees....

 

The amount of good information out is pretty minimal, but I can't fathom that Apple would have gotten rid of the option of analog audio out through that port. I would say either some of those pins on the lightning are used for analog audio or that there is a DAC in the adapter (which could explain the cost). Also, I would think the product page would explicitly say that it didn't offer analog audio along with it saying that video and iPod Out (which isn't available because it uses video). Most 'old' dock products use analog audio, so it would be REALLY dumb to drop that functionality.

 

Straight from my MINI M.A.:

I can almost say 99.99999999999% that it’s going to be something you as consumers will have to purchase. It’s all about making money in this business. Also the phone should come with something where the USB should work in the car. It’s just the connector part of the phone that has changed.

First, I am shocked that he actually emailed this to me. "All about making money in this business." Wow. Something we knew but is never actually said. By a sales guy no less. Anyways, I should include that when I was purchasing my MINI and we began talking about the tech package this guy was lost. COMPLETELY. With that said, I don't think he is wrong about the new part that will need to be purchased. He said to me that nothing was mentioned to them from Apple but I can't say I trust him. Odds are they already know this won't work with the I-5.

I hope I am wrong though.

 

I would trust him on that. Apple doesn't really talk to any people ahead of time that aren't part of their circle of trust. I'm sure there's a few people in BMW that know the scoop, but it certainly wouldn't have made it out to people on the frontlines. At this point the people that make their living covering these devices don't have any way of knowing the impact of the dock changes and there hasn't been any good information yet.

I'm pretty sure it will all work eventually (for newish cars at least) though.

 

 

It's not too late for me to drop the Mini Connect feature on my order. I'm starting to think that it is way too much fuss for what little it really offers. I will be upgrading to an iPhone 5 by the time my car gets here, and I have to admit I would be plenty annoyed to find it doesn't work or that I have to drop a bunch more money to get it to work. Any thoughts of wisdom out there?

 

So far we have no clue what is going on and won't for a week. It sounds like the lighning may or may not work, the adapter probably won't. If anything we will probably just have to wait for a new BMW cable.

 

i've also heard that the lightning adapters won't be available unitl mid oct! For once i'm glad my 4S is still under contract.. lol