Alpine Uses iTunes Tagging in New DMRs

Alpine and Apple having been engaged in a long standing courtship, have decided to take their relationship to the next level. Building on the successes of the iDA-X001, Alpine is releasing three more digital media receivers, for your auto, based on the same design functionality and iPod integration of this earlier model.

Of course, newer iPods will be compatible with these yet to be released Alpine head units, but the real windfall for Apple is the new iTunes tagging feature that will be incorporated into Alpine's flagship receiver, the iDA-X100.

iTunes tagging works in conjunction with HD radio. Let’s say, for whatever reason, your iPod playlist just isn’t ‘doing it’ for you. So you make the executive decision to switch over to HD radio programming (you just happen to have that module installed). Then things start to look up again, there’s this rockin’ song playing from some artist you haven’t discovered yet. In fact, you’ve enjoyed the song so much you would like to take note of the artist and song title. This all seems fairly plausible, right?

At this point, iTunes tagging comes into play; all you’d have to do is press a button, there by ‘tagging’ the song playing on the radio. That tag is then relayed to your iPod and when you next sync the iPod to your computer you’ll be prompted to purchase the tagged song at, where else, the iTunes store. How’s that for Marketing 2.0?

Also, seemingly in effort to build a buzz about their new releases Alpine has “leaked” their new product line brochure.