Touching
By Mitch Berg
I’ve joked – or, really, “joked” – that I may just make my millions by developing a line of televisions and other technology products with mechanical power switches, channel selectors and other key controls.
It’s not Luddism – at least, not directly. I actually design things for people to actually use effectively in the real world. And much of the world we interact with is designed by people with more enthusiasm than empathy for the person who’s actually trying to use their product in the real world.
I’m looking at you, company that built my washer and dryer control panels with little tiny dark gray letters on a slightly lighter gray background, which if you’re over 40 and have a dimly lit basement makes things a lot more difficult than they should be.
And at the idiots who put the touch-screen interfaces onto damn near everything in every post-2015 car I’ve rented lately:
Touch screens are ubiquitous in new cars. A recent S&P Global Mobility survey of global car owners cited by Bloomberg estimates nearly all (97%) of new cars released after 2023 have at least one touch screen nestled in the cabin. Nearly 25% of US cars and trucks currently on the road reportedly have a screen at least 11 inches long according to that same survey. These “infotainment systems,” once largely reserved for leisure activity like switching between Spotify songs or making phone calls, are increasingly being used for a variety of tasks essential to driving, like flashing lights or signaling for a turn. Consumer Reports, which regularly asks drivers about their driving experience, claims only around half of drivers it surveyed in 2022 reported being “very satisfied” with the infotainment system in their vehicles.
So Im not the only one who wants to bring back mechanincal controls:
Starting in 2026, according to The Sunday Times, the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) will only award its top safety rating to new vehicles that use old-fashioned buttons and levers to activate indicators, hazard lights, and other critical driving features. The new requirements could force automakers who use the safety rating as a selling point to reassess the amount of driving features they make accessible only through touch screens. Though these voluntary standards are limited to Europe, a battle over buttons is gaining momentum among drivers in the US as well.
Any old time, people.
I’ll take the “W”.
March 11th, 2024 at 8:29 am
Seriously, Mitch, it’s people like you what cause Unrest.
How do you expect me to water my lawn if my sprinkler system isn’t connected to WiFi so I can turn it on from my iPhone?
How do you expect me to maintain my speed and interval on the highway if my dashboard doesn’t display my text messages?
Do you have ANY idea what would happen to the world economy if manufacturers started making products that not only work but also last, instead of being disposable junk? Think of all the slave laborers in China who would starve. Why do you hate foreigners and want them to die?
I can’t even . . .
March 11th, 2024 at 9:27 am
It strikes me as well that mechanical switches are a lot harder to jam with electronic warfare. You’ve got to get the spark to bridge a gap that is many volts instead of simply confusing CMOS logic at 1V or less. Given that police agencies are starting to talk about wanting to shut off cars remotely, that’s important to me. I don’t trust my government not to abuse this.
Another thought is that as I look at my digitally controlled appliances–stove, fridge, dishwasher, washer, dryer–what I see is that the adjustments I used to make with a flick of the wrist are now requiring me to hit a button again and again and again….while my clothes take twice as long to wash and dry, and my dishes don’t really get clean at all, even after a five hour cycle that used to take 90 minutes. This is progress?
March 11th, 2024 at 10:21 am
What you need to know:
1) Touch panels are cheaper than 2 mechanical switches.
2) Processing inputs electronically lets you also “process” that data to use for “product development” for both yourself and anybody you can sell it to.
3) Engineers are inveterate tinkerers and love control every possible option, and they don’t think like normal people (guilty as charged). Plus we have no fashion sense (just ask my wife).
4) UI designers are slaves to fashion, and when “modern design” became Google’s template, everyone followed the leader with the same stupid low-contrast style.
I think that pretty much sums up why we’re in the state we are in.
March 11th, 2024 at 11:24 am
Consumer Reports, which regularly asks drivers about their driving experience, claims only around half of drivers it surveyed in 2022 reported being “very satisfied” with the infotainment system in their vehicles.
This isn’t limited to the auto industry. We’ve been watching (and bitching about) Microsoft “pulling” it’s consumer base along by changing things in Windows, to the chagrin of almost everyone, from “the way it’s always been done” ever since Windows XP. Sometimes it’s a win (the “ribbon” bar at the top of MS Office 2010 apps vs older versions). Sometimes, the outcry is so large that they reverse course (most of Windows Vista).
while my clothes take twice as long to wash and dry, and my dishes don’t really get clean at all, even after a five hour cycle that used to take 90 minutes. This is progress?
Bikebubba, that isn’t due to technology. The root cause of that problem is laws that dictate reduced water usage in appliances. Blame eco-warriors and their friends in the fed gov’t
March 11th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Forgot to add this:
Given that police agencies are starting to talk about wanting to shut off cars remotely, that’s important to me.
Any Tesla that can receive “software updates” from the home office has this capability already built in. I have a friend who had a 2018 Volvo XC90 which he could remotely start from the Volvo app in his phone. Same thing. If you can remotely start it, someone else CAN remotely stop it. Whether that capability is enabled back in Corp HQ or in the FBI office (warrants be damned) is another thing.
March 11th, 2024 at 12:29 pm
Yes, guys, consumer choice isn’t something manufacturers are considering these days. These days car companies are all about recurring revenues, which is why you see them trying to wrest away infotainment systems from Google/Apple, charge you monthly for options like heated seats, etc.
I’m tired of stupid decisions being made for me. I have a Chevy truck where they tried to placate those eco-warriors and shut down 4 of the 8 cylinders when they can. All well and good, but shutting it down can often cause the lifters to overpressure the lube lines to the shut down cylinders and cause you some very expensive repairs. Especially when you’re out of warranty. You can either re-chip your engine or use a plugin on the OBD to force the cylinders to always run (the former if you’re out of warranty and don’t care, the latter if you want to keep your warranty). In my case it’s less than a 1% mpg difference since all my driving is highway driving.
March 11th, 2024 at 12:41 pm
As an engineer, I see both sides of it. I like the convenience of being able to remotely turn on my Christmas decorations with an app on my phone, but I also like the tactile feel of buttons and switches of my “smart” TV’s remote control. When the kids have been using the remote and it ends up under in the sofa cushions, my wife doesn’t understand why I’m frustrated and focus on finding the remote when it’s just as easy to control the TV through a smartphone app.
The biggest issue with touch-screens is they require you to look away from something, whether it’s the TV program you’re watching, or, more dangerously, the highway your auto is hurtling down. There are 2 answers to addressing this issue: Mental discipline on the part of the user/driver to look at the screen only when necessary and reasonably safe, or take decision-making away from the human. Some auto manufacturers have already done this: Systems that engage braking or steer around an obstacle when it’s detected.
The thing is that AI has not yet advanced to the point where it’s 100% trustworthy. It still needs to be seconded by a human being.
I have a friend who had a 2018 Volvo XC90 which he could remotely start from the Volvo app in his phone. Same thing. If you can remotely start it, someone else CAN remotely stop it.
Good observation, Bill. Didn’t a sh*storm recently erupt over BMW trying to sell cars with heated seats that were an option that you rented? A lot of the tech companies are pursuing subscription-based microservices for the software running on their products.
March 11th, 2024 at 5:49 pm
Nerdbert, well said. Along the same lines, my objection to the automatic turnoffs for cars these days is the same as my objection to hybrids; the main part of wear and tear on the engine is starting, because the oil is down in the pan. So it would follow that you’re going to get fewer miles out of a hybrid or an “automatic stop” car than a regular one. Plus, you’re going to replace more serpentine belts, starter motors, and alternators.
And since the miles on three of my four most recent vehicles are 262k, 284k, and 270k, I think I’ve got some room to talk about this. Especially my 1997 GMC with its original 5.7l V-8 and manual transmission.