So, by analogy, Apple must be working on building a CAR??
You heard it here first, folks.
Well, if you had quoted the rest of Johnny Mozzarella's comment, it went on to say;
"Here's hoping that Apple has it's own parallel project in the works. Personally, I would love to see an iPad sized touchscreen integrated into the dash.".
He wasn't exactly implying or suggesting that Apple was working on a car, merely suggesting how neat an iPad-sized touchscreen would be in the dash of a car.
Well, if you had quoted the rest of Johnny Mozzarella's comment, it went on to say;
"Here's hoping that Apple has it's own parallel project in the works. Personally, I would love to see an iPad sized touchscreen integrated into the dash.".
He wasn't exactly implying or suggesting that Apple was working on a car, merely suggesting how neat an iPad-sized touchscreen would be in the dash of a car.
But that doesn't fit his analogy.
In the case of working with Motorola, Apple eventually released a competitive product - not just one component.
In any event, it was a joke - Apple's not going to release a car. I thought that was obvious.
When will these fraking German luxury car makers embrace touchscreen input? Lexus did and it was great until they replaced it with a "mouse". Trying to input an address in a BMW with a dial is like trying to find a program on a Tivo using the included remote. Let alone trying to navigate your iPod collection while driving. It is a serious pain in the ass and why as much as i want a BMW, will never buy any German car. If they so insist on sticking to their archaic input system why not then create an iPhone app that lets you input addresses and such, perhaps arm and disarm the car, operate a remote tailgate, etc. Would it kill them to include a remote tailgate on their SUV's?
Mercedes dealer told me they don't embrace touchscreen because it ruins the screen i.e oils from the skin and all. I say BS. You can buy screen protectors from various companies and i have them installed in my cars. They work really well. You can even sanitize the screen with rubbing alcohol (for u germaphobes) with one of these pretectors on and it still looks and works great.
The audio system in the car is also garbage. If you argue this point you clearly have no understanding of good audio.....no, no really you don't. I have yet to find a car with a even passable audio system and each year model they make it even harder to swap out their crappy gear with better stuff. If you come back and say BOSE or Harmon Kardon or Mark Levinson (in a Lexus) is great, i say just go stab yourself in the ears as you clearly don't need them.
really? it took 3 years to come up with a way to use the EXISTING User Interface of the iPod show up on the screen? BMW should fire their software engineers.
I tested a Mini Cooper a few months ago (yes, they are made by BMW) and found the UI of the iPod Link cable to be deplorable!!!
really? it took 3 years to come up with a way to use the EXISTING User Interface of the iPod show up on the screen? BMW should fire their software engineers.
I tested a Mini Cooper a few months ago (yes, they are made by BMW) and found the UI of the iPod Link cable to be deplorable!!!
The latest iDrive system in my car actually works quite well with my iPod Classic which has 92GB of music on it. Considering the sheer quantity of songs, it's actually quite speedy. The iDrive allows me to sort by Artists, Song, Genre, Playlist, etc. just like you can from the iPod. I can search by a specific letter as well. The downside to all of this is if you don't order the 3-series with the NAV option, then navigating your iPod becomes a lot harder.
When will these fraking German luxury car makers embrace touchscreen input? Lexus did and it was great until they replaced it with a "mouse". Trying to input an address in a BMW with a dial is like trying to find a program on a Tivo using the included remote. Let alone trying to navigate your iPod collection while driving. It is a serious pain in the ass and why as much as i want a BMW, will never buy any German car. If they so insist on sticking to their archaic input system why not then create an iPhone app that lets you input addresses and such, perhaps arm and disarm the car, operate a remote tailgate, etc. Would it kill them to include a remote tailgate on their SUV's?
Well, for starters, the screen in my car would be too far away for touch interaction. Yes, they could design the car so the screen is specifically oriented for a touch interface, but then you'd have this big honkin' screen in the middle of your dash. I find the BMW layout to be quite elegant actually. We test drove an Acura TSX and it had this huge screen in the middle of the dash. Directly beneath it, there was this enormous joystick/dial controller surrounded by about a hundred buttons. The BMW, by contrast, has a dial by the shifter with 5 buttons directly above it and 2 below. Besides the climate controls, 6 preset buttons and a volume knob, there's nothing else on the dash (except the screen of course ) Most things you might need for day-to-day driving are just 1 or 2 clicks away.
As for entering addresses via the dial, I don't find it to be all that difficult. As you probably know, when you spell out the state, city or street name, the letters disappear as you further narrow down the possibilities. Yes, I can see how a touch interface would be easier in some ways, but I really don't find it to be that bad. I actually find it easier than using a TomTomXL (granted, that's kind of a different animal). On top of that, you could also use voice input if your vehicle has the feature. I realize it doesn't always work that well, but it is another option. Perhaps that is why they seem to be moving away from touchscreen interfaces. Maybe one day they'll perfect voice control to a point where it'll be quite usable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iLad
Mercedes dealer told me they don't embrace touchscreen because it ruins the screen i.e oils from the skin and all. I say BS. You can buy screen protectors from various companies and i have them installed in my cars. They work really well. You can even sanitize the screen with rubbing alcohol (for u germaphobes) with one of these pretectors on and it still looks and works great.
I'll give you that. An iPad grade touch interface would be sweet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iLad
The audio system in the car is also garbage. If you argue this point you clearly have no understanding of good audio.....no, no really you don't. I have yet to find a car with a even passable audio system and each year model they make it even harder to swap out their crappy gear with better stuff. If you come back and say BOSE or Harmon Kardon or Mark Levinson (in a Lexus) is great, i say just go stab yourself in the ears as you clearly don't need them.
The truth is, unless you are driving a Lexus LS, S-Class Mercedes or a 7-Series BMW (and even in these vehicles), the acoustic environment of your average car is far from ideal. With interior noise levels in the upper 60dB to 80dB+ range at highway speeds in the typical car, you're going to be missing all the subtleties of the music anyway. On top of that, many drivers use iPods/MP3 players/Satellite/FM (and I didn't forget CD, I just left it out) as their primary source of music and the resolution is further lost to "lossy" compression and dynamic range compression employed by the radio stations. Yes, I'll agree that most factory car systems are crap, but I certainly wouldn't expect performance like what you'd experience at home with a nice 2-channel setup. I'm not saying you have to settle for something you find as having insufficient quality, but to a degree, it is what it is. Out of curiosity, what would you consider to be an adequate audio system and what are the key strong points you look for? I would genuinely like to know.
i thought that the 'ipod out' capability wasn't just for BMW...however, i haven't seen anyone else use it...has anyone tried hooking their iPhone 4 to a touch screen to see if that works?
i thought that the 'ipod out' capability wasn't just for BMW...however, i haven't seen anyone else use it...has anyone tried hooking their iPhone 4 to a touch screen to see if that works?
Comments
...technology office in "Silicone Valley"
Otherwise known as Hollywood.
I personally am not a fan of the IDrive system but I think its a perfect companion for iPod integration.
Works better than the cup holders. Unless I need navigation I keep it turned off. Normally I don't listen to music while driving.
Do you remember when Apple worked with Motorola to create the ROKR?
Apple used the collaboration to gain knowledge and expertise in cellphone design.
A short while later, the iPhone was introduced.
So, by analogy, Apple must be working on building a CAR??
You heard it here first, folks.
So, by analogy, Apple must be working on building a CAR??
You heard it here first, folks.
Well, if you had quoted the rest of Johnny Mozzarella's comment, it went on to say;
"Here's hoping that Apple has it's own parallel project in the works. Personally, I would love to see an iPad sized touchscreen integrated into the dash.".
He wasn't exactly implying or suggesting that Apple was working on a car, merely suggesting how neat an iPad-sized touchscreen would be in the dash of a car.
Well, if you had quoted the rest of Johnny Mozzarella's comment, it went on to say;
"Here's hoping that Apple has it's own parallel project in the works. Personally, I would love to see an iPad sized touchscreen integrated into the dash.".
He wasn't exactly implying or suggesting that Apple was working on a car, merely suggesting how neat an iPad-sized touchscreen would be in the dash of a car.
But that doesn't fit his analogy.
In the case of working with Motorola, Apple eventually released a competitive product - not just one component.
In any event, it was a joke - Apple's not going to release a car. I thought that was obvious.
But that doesn't fit his analogy.
In the case of working with Motorola, Apple eventually released a competitive product - not just one component.
In any event, it was a joke - Apple's not going to release a car. I thought that was obvious.
Hmm, I wonder what the iCar would look and be like?
It connects via bluetooth to my carsystem and i control everyting on the iPad and iPhone itself what is not so bad
http://glenn.eu/2010/07/13/apple-ipa...-bmw-320d-e46/
Wish that i could just put my iPad in a space in my dashboard made for the iPad
But i'm pretty happy with the setup i have now
Mercedes dealer told me they don't embrace touchscreen because it ruins the screen i.e oils from the skin and all. I say BS. You can buy screen protectors from various companies and i have them installed in my cars. They work really well. You can even sanitize the screen with rubbing alcohol (for u germaphobes) with one of these pretectors on and it still looks and works great.
The audio system in the car is also garbage. If you argue this point you clearly have no understanding of good audio.....no, no really you don't. I have yet to find a car with a even passable audio system and each year model they make it even harder to swap out their crappy gear with better stuff. If you come back and say BOSE or Harmon Kardon or Mark Levinson (in a Lexus) is great, i say just go stab yourself in the ears as you clearly don't need them.
I tested a Mini Cooper a few months ago (yes, they are made by BMW) and found the UI of the iPod Link cable to be deplorable!!!
really? it took 3 years to come up with a way to use the EXISTING User Interface of the iPod show up on the screen? BMW should fire their software engineers.
I tested a Mini Cooper a few months ago (yes, they are made by BMW) and found the UI of the iPod Link cable to be deplorable!!!
The latest iDrive system in my car actually works quite well with my iPod Classic which has 92GB of music on it. Considering the sheer quantity of songs, it's actually quite speedy. The iDrive allows me to sort by Artists, Song, Genre, Playlist, etc. just like you can from the iPod. I can search by a specific letter as well. The downside to all of this is if you don't order the 3-series with the NAV option, then navigating your iPod becomes a lot harder.
When will these fraking German luxury car makers embrace touchscreen input? Lexus did and it was great until they replaced it with a "mouse". Trying to input an address in a BMW with a dial is like trying to find a program on a Tivo using the included remote. Let alone trying to navigate your iPod collection while driving. It is a serious pain in the ass and why as much as i want a BMW, will never buy any German car. If they so insist on sticking to their archaic input system why not then create an iPhone app that lets you input addresses and such, perhaps arm and disarm the car, operate a remote tailgate, etc. Would it kill them to include a remote tailgate on their SUV's?
Well, for starters, the screen in my car would be too far away for touch interaction. Yes, they could design the car so the screen is specifically oriented for a touch interface, but then you'd have this big honkin' screen in the middle of your dash. I find the BMW layout to be quite elegant actually. We test drove an Acura TSX and it had this huge screen in the middle of the dash. Directly beneath it, there was this enormous joystick/dial controller surrounded by about a hundred buttons. The BMW, by contrast, has a dial by the shifter with 5 buttons directly above it and 2 below. Besides the climate controls, 6 preset buttons and a volume knob, there's nothing else on the dash (except the screen of course
As for entering addresses via the dial, I don't find it to be all that difficult. As you probably know, when you spell out the state, city or street name, the letters disappear as you further narrow down the possibilities. Yes, I can see how a touch interface would be easier in some ways, but I really don't find it to be that bad. I actually find it easier than using a TomTomXL (granted, that's kind of a different animal). On top of that, you could also use voice input if your vehicle has the feature. I realize it doesn't always work that well, but it is another option. Perhaps that is why they seem to be moving away from touchscreen interfaces. Maybe one day they'll perfect voice control to a point where it'll be quite usable.
Mercedes dealer told me they don't embrace touchscreen because it ruins the screen i.e oils from the skin and all. I say BS. You can buy screen protectors from various companies and i have them installed in my cars. They work really well. You can even sanitize the screen with rubbing alcohol (for u germaphobes) with one of these pretectors on and it still looks and works great.
I'll give you that. An iPad grade touch interface would be sweet.
The audio system in the car is also garbage. If you argue this point you clearly have no understanding of good audio.....no, no really you don't. I have yet to find a car with a even passable audio system and each year model they make it even harder to swap out their crappy gear with better stuff. If you come back and say BOSE or Harmon Kardon or Mark Levinson (in a Lexus) is great, i say just go stab yourself in the ears as you clearly don't need them.
The truth is, unless you are driving a Lexus LS, S-Class Mercedes or a 7-Series BMW (and even in these vehicles), the acoustic environment of your average car is far from ideal. With interior noise levels in the upper 60dB to 80dB+ range at highway speeds in the typical car, you're going to be missing all the subtleties of the music anyway. On top of that, many drivers use iPods/MP3 players/Satellite/FM (and I didn't forget CD, I just left it out) as their primary source of music and the resolution is further lost to "lossy" compression and dynamic range compression employed by the radio stations. Yes, I'll agree that most factory car systems are crap, but I certainly wouldn't expect performance like what you'd experience at home with a nice 2-channel setup. I'm not saying you have to settle for something you find as having insufficient quality, but to a degree, it is what it is. Out of curiosity, what would you consider to be an adequate audio system and what are the key strong points you look for? I would genuinely like to know.