Apple Designing Car Interfaces?

[eatapc]

Oh come on... the M3, 335i, M6 how can you be so harsh to these brilliant machines.

I own an M3 and it is brilliant -- but it came out prior to flame surfacing, big butts and iDrive. (Thankfully.)

BWM was the first to offer an iPod interface, BTW, and I snapped it up as soon as it was available (which was many months after it was announced). As an interface it's a clever salvage job, but it works. When the dealer put it in they installed the wrong thing -- an AUX input cable for which there was no control. I asked if they had tried it out before letting me drive off with a non-working part installed. Nope. No one at the dealer had an iPod. Ah, the BMW dealer network in NA was never a strong suit for the brand.

Obviously the great thing about Apple design is the simplicity. For buttons, the "less is more" aesthetic applies. But in a car's dashboard and console, that's not a good thing. For me, functionality in this case is defined by what it doesn't do -- take away from safety and the driving experience. Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel. Can Apple clean up the driver/dashboard interface without creating driver distractions?

 

[AlmostThere]

(not dissimilar to BMW's iDrive control) ??

Not dissimilar? WTF? This writing is as confusing as the iDrive...

Good english talker write there.

FWIW, 'not dissimilar' is a reasonably common British-English phrase.

Considering the site is a UK one, using such a phrase is not unreasonable.

 

[Tsurisuto]

Apple is the new Sony.

I remember a while back when Steve Jobs was being interviewed. He said that Apple's rival wasn't Microsoft... it was Sony. A company that Jobsy admired most, (especially how broad Sony's reach was). I would not be shocked if Apple branched out into more areas than just music and computing.

 

[ErikCLDR]

That sounds cool. I love Jag's and Apple

But why Jaguar. Honestly who buys a Jaguar. Most people that go out and buy a luxury car get a BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes... not a Jag.

 

[Chris Bangle]

I remember a while back when Steve Jobs was being interviewed. He said that Apple's rival wasn't Microsoft... it was Sony. A company that Jobsy admired most, (especially how broad Sony's reach was). I would not be shocked if Apple branched out into more areas than just music and computing.

Robotic dogs called ibo

 

[iGav]

he key thing here is What Does CONTROL INTERFACES mean... Is it the buttons and controls, or is the GUI and user experience stuff on the touch screen display. These two pics should brighten up this thread.

Judging by the state of the dash, I'm presuming it means the actual GUI. Or at least I hope it does.

It'll be interesting to see whether it's as good as the benchmark MMI though.

 

[jrhone]

That sounds cool. I love Jag's and Apple

But why Jaguar. Honestly who buys a Jaguar. Most people that go out and buy a luxury car get a BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes... not a Jag.

EXACTLY....and while Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes tell Apple that they need no help with designing cars, thats what they do successfully, Jaguar is BEGGING for an edge on the competition, and just might take a chance to earn some interest for their cars...I am sure its not who Apple wanted, but who wanted Apple....

 

[Chris Bangle]

I just have one question.. Why do nearly all Japanese cars have that stupid digital clock which looks like its from the 70's.. Even the latest lexus GS or whatever its called has it and thats one of the most advanced cars ever made? Thats like Apple selling the iphone with windows mobile instead of OS X... (but windows mobile isnt too bad) unlike the blasted digital clocks.... Get rid of them ... Pleeeese.

 

[farmboy]

just wait...

THAT"S AWESOME.....for wealthy people...

Since most cars shift automatic transmissions electronically, this technology should be adaptable to almost all automatics, regardless of price.

 

[Plutonius]

The first thing Apple has to do is put the steering wheel on the correct side of the car .

 

[Eduardo1971]

Well I guess Chris Bangle's SCREAMING got heard.

Yeah, just like a whining, petulant kid.

 

[pieman02]

FWIW, 'not dissimilar' is a reasonably common British-English phrase.

Considering the site is a UK one, using such a phrase is not unreasonable.

Exactly, it made perfect sense to me when I read it...

OSX in a car would be pretty freakin awesome...it would be much more modern looking and responsive probably then current ones, matching most of these modern-looking cars

 

[junker]

Top end cars...

Firstly, why can't Apple pursue this at a more affordable auto level - honda's, nissans, toyotas...

Secondly, my dad was a VW mechanic in 70's and 80's; I lived in a pop-up camper bus, with my family in the 70's, for 6 mos. I've owned 4 myself and I've known several friends who've owned the newer versions. They are CRAP! Personally, I'll never own a VW again - they are **** with polish. For example, last night I saw a newer Jetta (maybe 04 or 05)... with it's rear driving lights out. I mean - come on!!!

FFS, Why VW? I can understand the BMW, Jag, associative snobbery/luxury implications - but VW???? Ugh.

I don't get the who-ha about it all anyway. I have a $100.00 auto-charging ipod dock that I can switch between any car I want (also works with my portable Milwaukee jobsite radio)

I believe we should have FW/USB plugs in cars already built in.

Anyway, I guess that's all about that...

And btw, who doesn't know that typing in all caps is a form of yelling??? Sometimes, I hate people alot.

Man, I gotta get that anti-people campaign started.

 

[CaptainScarlet]

Just what we need, another part of a car that only a dealership can repair....ugh.....

 

[otter008]

Its a well known and well followed fact that using CAPS in internet text (email, im, etc) means your SCREAMING AT THE PERSON.

It doesn't matter if you like this or not. If you use CAPS in your MESSAGES people will get upset at you. END OF STORY!

Will you all please stop yelling!? I have a hangover!

Jaguar design used to be timeless and gorgeous, and then for the last several years every new Jaguar I see looks like a dog's ugly sister. What up with that?!

 

[CWallace]

Jaguar design used to be timeless and gorgeous, and then for the last several years every new Jaguar I see looks like a dog's ugly sister. What up with that?!

Ford (rightfully) put their initial efforts into fixing the mechanicals. I know for a bit there was a decent business putting old Jaguar bodies on new Jaguar chassis.

They've gotten better over the years, but I do agree they lack that sense of...elegance...the pre-Ford models had. But then, they also last more then a few months, so unless you want a "garage queen", that's a plus I imagine.

 

[~Shard~]

hahaha, I did not know competing to be the first post in Macrumors is the ultimatum nerd dream. Congrats to you!

Not sure why you're congratulating me, but yes, you'd be surprised, it is a very serious deal to many people here! Never understood the concept myself... As you say, must be a "nerd thing"...

The first thing Apple has to do is put the steering wheel on the correct side of the car .

And for the benefit of many of our Asian, European, etc. members, please educate them on which side that is...

 

[gugy]

it seems that you are the only one paying attention to it.
I just posted a comment and you said I was trying to be the first on some sort of nerd competition. That's sounds funny to me.

 

[G.Kirby]

A nice bonus for the Jag but i can't see may sales from just this addition. If the car is a good car, looks sweet, handles well it will sell. If the car is a pony i can't see an apple designed control system selling the car.

That said, what about the rest of the car, a 100% Apple-mobile that has the carbon footprint of an ant

 

[steve_hill4]

No, no, no. Jaguar? Don't Apple realise this is about 5 years out of date now. What are we going to get, pinstripes down the side of the car?

 

[morespce54]

...We miss things of course and everything submitted we don't post but you shouldn't assume the editors see everything or even read all the comments in the discussion.

WHAT???

 

[madmaxmedia]

Yeah, but will it have wifi and Safari?


I like Bangle's designs, although they are obviously very polarizing. Not all of them are equally successful, but I actually do like the 7, the Z, and the new 3.

 

[raykhrud]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Really, it is stupid. My father owns an S-Type and in some years he will need to vhange it for something else. And for what? For this one? No way, it doesn't even have manual gearbox.

 

[twoodcc]

this sounds great and all, but i want that apple navigation system!

 

[MacFly123]

The future!

it definitely seems as though computer has been extracted from apple.
so, if i want the latest products i have to switch phone services and buy a new car? whatever happened to simplicity?

It is all about the future!!! We will be connected to a digital lifestyle everywhere, our homes, cars, and mobile... Apple understands this that is why they changed. It is not that they are neglecting computing because all of these things are really computers. It is just how they are integrated into our lives and how we use them.

A classic "computer" will probably always be in our homes, but we also need these things in our cars and mobile. So Apple has the computers, now the iPhone.... cars are next