WHY CANT APPLE GET CAR CONNECTORS FOR AMERICAN CARS

Question

I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS WHAT APPLE HAS AGAINST AMERICAN CAR MAKERS????? ONLY CAR ADAPTERS YOU CAN BUY IS FOR GERMAN AND JAPANESE CRAP. I JUST BOUGHT THE IPOD NANO, AND I CANT CONECT IT TO MY CADILLAC WITHOUT ELIMINATING MY CD CHANGER, OR HAVING TO PUT UP WITH CHANGING RADIO STATIONS ON THOSE FM TRANSMITTERS.... APPLE, HELP US AMERICANS OUT!!!! WE ARE PROBABLY 75% OF YOUR BUSINESS

Answer 1

Ok, so the subject of your post is the question, "why can't Apple get car connectors for American cars?".
I think the answer is simply that Apple doesn't control GM, Ford or Chrysler. As a matter of fact these companies make a TON more money than Apple and have a lot more power than Apple about what goes into their products.
It isn't fair to say it's Apple's responsibility to make cars compatible with the iPod. It's Apple's responsibility to make the iPod compatible with cars. And Apple HAS done that. Thats why several car companies are including a way to control the iPod off of THEIR factories.
The more forward thinking car companies with the most recent designs have been doing this. Even if Cadillac came out with a CTS that works with your iPod tomorrow would you go out and buy that new CTS just so you could work your iPod off the steering wheel or whatever? OR, would you rather go get a great aftermarket Alpine or Kenwood? Both of which have decided it would be in their best to make devices which are compatible with the iPod.
Chevy recently came out with a new car design - the HHR - which does this. I seriously, seriously doubt Steve Jobs called Bob Lutz (the CEO of Chevy) and said "Hey Bob, you'd better start making cars that work with the iPod because it's our responsibility to force you to do that. And if you don't you're gonna be in big trouble mister".
What leverage does Apple have to force GM to do anything?
More than likely, the engineers at Chevy (being bright individuals) said, "hey, lets make this really cool hip car work with a really cool hip mp3 player so we can sell more of these cars". It's in Chevy's best interest to do that.
My turn to ask you a question.
How should Apple go about forcing GM, Chevy and Ford to build in iPod controls?
Remember, the iPod already has this funcionality as evidence by the new HHR, Nissans, BMWs, Ferraris and others at this site:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipodyourcar/
Again, I recommend that if you want CADILLAC to change their cars, ask CADILLAC - not Apple. Apple did it's part with the iPod (as evidenced at the above link).
Think about it.