Strange but I have never read a comparative review of an IPod with a similar product that the IPod won.

The Ipod output connector is stupid. Every other device except mobile phones uses a jack output. ITunes is one of the worst software packages I have ever used. The IRiver and Sony products have better sound quality and Creative have a better interface. THe non-Apple products appear as external drives and work seamlessly with Mac, Windows and Linux.

I don't like them because they are expensive and proprietary.

I have nothing bad to say about the 8.

 

Here is my short list:

1) Automatic Headlights (on at dusk, off at dawn)
2) Climate Control (different for driver/passenger)
3) More and better gauges (oil temp, water temp, oil level, amps, etc)
3a) Compromise, use center display for various guage readouts
4) Standardized double-din stereo, non integrated with other displays (see 3a above) This would also allow using a double-din flat panel display nav system instead of that pop-up thingy.
5) Automatic Power UP windows (like on my Cadillac Catera)
6) Power seats with memory, height adjustable too.
7) Longer dipstick
8) Fold-down rear seatbacks

Okay, that's about it, I think.

 

 

Mostly I agree with your list. Especially the sunroof; if you're short like me and have to have the seat way forward, then the open roof isn't even open over you it's behind you. Since day one I've wanted them to extend the opening forward. The auto temp thing would be nice, though not a big deal. I could care less about the rear windows.

The one thing I HUGELY disagree with is the auto-steer business. That's the LAST thing I want in a car! As soon as they start coming out with cars that can drive themselves, we're only one step away from the government mandating that they get to control the car instead of you. (all in the name of Safety(tm), of course!).

Other things I'd put on my own list:

Real working guages would be nice, but in particular I'd like an oil quantity guage. Screw this antique dipstick nonsense! Yes, it would be nice to make the dipstick easier to reach, or provide a light so you can see the damn hole to put the stick back in, but let's just sidestep the whole damn thing; give me a guage so I can *always* know how the oil is doing, instead of having to remember to periodically check.

Not really the 8's fault, but: Make the goddamn sirius work! Damn that thing loses connection at the drop of a hat!

Give me two more inches of trunk/trunk-opening in the back!

Change the power seat-back to manual; it's a pain when you want to lay the seat all-the-way-back and later return it to normal, waiting for the slow power thing to do its job.

Make the auto-dimming mirror more-responsive. Or just change it to manual, I never found flipping the little switch to be such a big deal.

And, as long as we're wishing, how about fixing the sagging glovebox door problem.

 

I've got a good handful of reasons. For starters, I have no problem with the quality I get from Auxmod. Moving back onto topic though. I have to agree with what someone said later down the line, Ipod in no way outshines the competition anymore. What happened was they became a fad relatively quickly to the point to where a good handful of people don't know the difference between an Ipod and an MP3 player... I'm not making that up. They thought MP3 player meant - Ipod, as in there was nothing else, I told her to get a creative MP3 player instead, she goes to best buy and asked for a creative Ipod. From what I remember, Ipods don't even play MP3's, they are mostly converted into AAC.

The software is horrendous. Just try using any of the products from www.redchairsoftware.com. Use that on any of your other MP3 players and it blows Itunes away. The only being able to use it on one computer also aggravates me. I quite enjoy plugging my creative zen touch (outdated, I know) into any computer with Winamp (or windows media player) and just being able to do everything I want. What I've done for a friend in the past is install Winamp portable on his Sansa, and he just hooked it up to his work computer, loaded winamp off of his MP3 player and went to town. In no way is that possible with an Ipod as far as I know. I honestly think creative has a lot more work to do on their software, which is why I'm sticking with Winamp for the time being

I'm really not a fan of anything propriatary. Itunes already has something like 90% of the market, there is no reason they can't just use MP3's. People aren't going to rob them like crazy because of it.

I've ranted enough and I'm sure most of it has to do with me becoming so anti-fanboy over the years, I've just never been happy with anything Ipod puts out with the exception of the nano, but I've got no use for a mini-mp3 player.

 

iPods play MP3s just fine, and they always have. If you are talking about purchased music from the iTunes Music Store, they have to be AAC because they need to have DRM embedded within. If you don't like the DRM, don't bitch at Apple, bitch at four mafia-slash-record labels that require DRM else they won't give you their music to sell.