Pioneer announces iPhone 5 connectivity kits for AppRadio 2 and friends

As part of its CES 2013 announcements, Pioneer will launch iPhone 5 connectivity kits for 13 of its in-dash products some time this spring. This is bound to be a bit of entertainment relief for the many of you who've upgraded to iPhone 5 and found your Pioneer set's AppMode was unable to follow your chosen path. There will be three different connectivity kits available for purchase: the CD-IH202 (HDMI), CD-IV202AV (VGA) and CD-IV202NAVI (VGA) for the various devices types -- coupled with mandatory firmware updates for any head unit using digital connectivity. The HDMI solution will set you back $50 at the register and includes a 2-meter HDMI cable, a 1.5-meter 17-pin to USB charging cable for the iPhone 5, and the unfortunate need to purchase both the $19 Lightning to USB and $49 Lightning digital AV adapters. Compatible VGA sets will require a $100 kit which includes a proprietary interface cable and control module for all your audio and video needs, a 1.5-meter USB charging cable and the same two Apple Lightning cables as above. No mention of pack-in cable options going forward, though we'd assume a transition to iPhone 5 connectivity is where we'll eventually end up. We dig that Pioneer was able to get this to market, though, we're starting to think that a used iPhone 4 might ultimately be cheaper than the kit and extra cables required.