????J.Crew首席執行官兼蘋果（Apple）董事會成員米基?德雷克斯勒表示，史蒂夫?喬布斯生前一直夢想打造一款蘋果汽車，即iCar，借此顛覆全球汽車產業。無獨有偶，蘋果現任首席執行官也曾對《紐約時報》（New York Times ）說過類似的話。雖然喬布斯未能在有生之年實現夙愿，但我們現在終于能夠一睹iCar風采，雖然它并不是由蘋果打造。

????大眾（Volkswagen ）在今年的上海汽車展上發布了iBeetle（甲殼蟲）。為何有個“i”？這款新車的造型略微有些變化，但仍是一如既往的經典。最重要的是，新款甲殼蟲對蘋果iPhone進行了深度集成，在中控面板上安裝了iPhone擴展塢。只要將iPhone插入，就能輕松掌控汽車導航及音響系統。（當然，通過無線連接同樣支持。）

????它和之前的iPhone-汽車集成方案有什么不同？大眾專門開發了一款應用程序，極大地擴展了iPhone的功能。這款應用能顯示冷卻液溫度、機油油位等各類汽車信息；能比較不同路線的行駛時間和里程；還能同步和播放Spotify或iTunes中的歌曲。當然，電話也能通過甲殼蟲的音箱實現免提功能。

????不過，上述功能并不新鮮。汽車制造商、電信廠商、軟件開發者和芯片廠商爭相將智能手機和平板電腦上的新鮮玩意移植到汽車上。研究機構ABI預計，到2016年，擁有互聯網接入能力的汽車數量將超過2億臺——它意味著大量的傳感器、應用程序和處理器。中控面板很快將被與移動設備相關的高科技功能所取代，包括撥打視頻電話以及快速撥號等功能。

????大眾表示，新款甲殼蟲的造型將和iPhone相得益彰。說得簡單點，iBeetle將提供鉑金灰、脂玉白和珠光鋼琴黑等多種顏色。iBeetle和敞篷版iBeetle將于明年初大量上市。至于價格，目前仍是未知數。（財富中文網）

????譯者：項航

????According to J.Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler, Steve Jobs long dreamed of taking on the global automotive industry by building an Apple car, the would-be iCar. The Apple chief reportedly told the New York Times something similar. Though Jobs never got to make it happen, the iCar is coming. Sort of.

????At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the iBeetle. Why the "i?" The new variant of the classic design is built around deep integration with Apple's (AAPL) iPhone. It sports a docking station for the popular smartphone on the dashboard. A plugged-in iPhone can tap into the vehicle's navigation and audio systems. (A wireless connection is also available.)

????How is this different from pervious iPhone-auto integrations? Volkswagen is releasing an app that supercharges what the iPhone can do inside the vehicle. One part of the program displays vehicle information, such as coolant temperatures and oil levels. Another can compare driving times and distances. It also pipes in tunes from Spotify or iTunes and, natch, makes calls that can be run through the car's stereo too.

????Of course, much of this isn't new. Carmakers, telecoms, software designers, and chip makers are rushing to bring the innovations made ubiquitous by smartphones and tablets to cars. Researcher ABI estimates that by 2016, over 200 million cars will have Internet access -- and that means loads of sensors, apps, and processors. Dashboards are quickly being replaced with high-tech features associate with mobile devices, from video calling to custom dials.

????VW says the car was designed to match the look of Apple's smartphones. In other words, it'll be available in gray, white, and black. The iBeetle and iBeetle convertible are due on dealer lots at the beginning of next year. The iBeetle's price was not revealed.