On the topic of car infotainment systems. I really wish car manufacturers would not be so conservative with physical buttons, and go back to their old ways of physical buttons, switches and knobs. These newer vehicles are getting heavier, and have to look away from the road while trying to change a single setting that's buried in the menu somewhere has criminally lethal design written all over it.
In the past there has been a stupid disconnect here: - you are PROBABLY running CarPlay or Android Auto BUT - Siri or OK Google don't have any way to control elements of the car beyond the entertainment/map stuff that appears on the screen...
In principle you could have something like I say "Hey Siri, Driving direction to home" and "OK, Mercedes, make it one degree warmer" but no-one seems to have done that, and certainly it's not a great user experience.
It's unclear (at least to me) just how much will be controllable, and it probably depends on each car, but AC (and AC adjacent, like seat warmers) is the most obvious common case and probably captures 90% of the current complaints.
Tesla does this. You can say turn on windshield wipers, play Tool, navigate to home depot, set temp to 68, increase fan speed, call mom, whatever. It works quite well, I use it all the time.
Oh that... that version of CarPlay is simply never going to happen. Auto Makers simply will not allow Apple to take away one of its few interactions with the consumer, bad as it may be.
they choose either/or because its cheaper and because they hope they can one day convert standard options into subscriptions.
they could absolutely have buttons and a huge infotainment system (mercedes has a very effective button system in place of the shifter) but they're not going to spend on it if people buy up these crappy buttonless cars regardless.
Honestly, I already have a LOT of tech around me including a phone which I'm always carrying. I would prefer if cars had maybe less of that stuff because it strikes me as difficult to deal with when it breaks 10 years from now and no one is making the right chip/screen/etc that my mechanic person says I need to make it work again. :<
That's the reason any supplier to automotive needs to be able to deliver spare parts 15 years after EoL, whether by keeping production line or stocking parts it's all in the contract from the get go.
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meacupla - Friday, April 28, 2023 - link
On the topic of car infotainment systems. I really wish car manufacturers would not be so conservative with physical buttons, and go back to their old ways of physical buttons, switches and knobs.These newer vehicles are getting heavier, and have to look away from the road while trying to change a single setting that's buried in the menu somewhere has criminally lethal design written all over it.
ballsystemlord - Friday, April 28, 2023 - link
I second the motion.Threska - Saturday, April 29, 2023 - link
I'm surprised voice assistants aren't used more.name99 - Saturday, April 29, 2023 - link
In the past there has been a stupid disconnect here:- you are PROBABLY running CarPlay or Android Auto BUT
- Siri or OK Google don't have any way to control elements of the car beyond the entertainment/map stuff that appears on the screen...
In principle you could have something like I say "Hey Siri, Driving direction to home" and "OK, Mercedes, make it one degree warmer" but no-one seems to have done that, and certainly it's not a great user experience.
Hence the big feature in the next CarPlay is hooks to allow Apple to control these elements like AC: https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/carplay/#the_fut...
It's unclear (at least to me) just how much will be controllable, and it probably depends on each car, but AC (and AC adjacent, like seat warmers) is the most obvious common case and probably captures 90% of the current complaints.
sygreenblum - Sunday, April 30, 2023 - link
Tesla does this. You can say turn on windshield wipers, play Tool, navigate to home depot, set temp to 68, increase fan speed, call mom, whatever. It works quite well, I use it all the time.duvjones - Monday, May 1, 2023 - link
Oh that... that version of CarPlay is simply never going to happen. Auto Makers simply will not allow Apple to take away one of its few interactions with the consumer, bad as it may be.meacupla - Saturday, April 29, 2023 - link
There are many hilarious videos on youtube where the car voice assistant can't understand thick accents.whatthe123 - Saturday, April 29, 2023 - link
they choose either/or because its cheaper and because they hope they can one day convert standard options into subscriptions.they could absolutely have buttons and a huge infotainment system (mercedes has a very effective button system in place of the shifter) but they're not going to spend on it if people buy up these crappy buttonless cars regardless.
PeachNCream - Friday, April 28, 2023 - link
Honestly, I already have a LOT of tech around me including a phone which I'm always carrying. I would prefer if cars had maybe less of that stuff because it strikes me as difficult to deal with when it breaks 10 years from now and no one is making the right chip/screen/etc that my mechanic person says I need to make it work again. :<Zoolook - Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - link
That's the reason any supplier to automotive needs to be able to deliver spare parts 15 years after EoL, whether by keeping production line or stocking parts it's all in the contract from the get go.