Quote:
Originally Posted by bitcore
I work with computers and know it would almost be trivial to change this behavior in software, but I'm sure it's intentionally dumbed down to prevent any esoteric configurations becoming a problem. 
I never thought I'd be the kind of person to hate technological advances in certain things such as cars, because all it does is become more annoying in how you "have to use it" |
Agreed.
Going to my Toyota dealer and having them tell me I needed to give them $300 to insert a DVD that would update the maps on my native Prius nav system almost caused me a coffee spit as I laughed in the service manager's face. I pointed at my iPhone, showed him "Waze" and said no thanks.
I own a software company and always cringe at how far behind the auto industry lags the rapid pace of tech. They're often so far behind, they look like dunces.
-They spend immense amount of time on track testing chassis setup at Nurburgring, but often minimal time testing the user interaction with the computer-controlled stuff using real customers.
-The tech industry has to respond to changes/competition RIGHT NOW. Autos often take YEARS to design and by the time they are released they are based on yesterday's tech. Makes me laugh when you see a brand new, $100k+ sports machine that only interfaces with an iPhone 4 or earlier.
-Most car mfrs spend very little time on User Experience/User Interface. These should include knowing what the user will need access to, in what situations, what it should be called and the logical navigation schemes to get them there. Grab a shiny new "Nest" home thermostat or killer iOS app to see how cool today's car tech should be.
The smart mfrs are the ones that throw in the towel and provide you with a solid iOS or Droid interface and let you use a tablet with "Waze" for your navigation, which beats the crap out of any native navigation system by any car mfr. In fact a couple of limo drivers I know have mounted iPads to their dashes where they can use Waze for navigation, lookup customers names/addresses, pull up a wide variety of music playlists and even use Yelp to secure a dinner reservation. Why spend $2500 on a built-in navigation system when you can have a tablet that costs less, is more flexible and can be easily updated, removed, and backed up?
Tires aren't glued on to a car by the mfr. They let Michelin and Dunlop mfr them, who are better at making tires. Plus it lets the customer swap them out for something better later.
In the same way, car mfrs need to stop trying to DESIGN/EMBED technology and instead think about trying to INTERFACE with the folks that do it better than they do. Make it easy to swap out the tech. In a few years, Apple will turn things upside down:
http://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/
Sadly, this won't be available on my new M235i due in just a few short weeks.