Touchscreens falling out of favor

[gsxr]

About time:

" Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, recently announced that the company would be centering future car design around physical controls instead of screens. “The data shows us physical buttons are better,” Östberg told Autocar at the Munich motor show. He says Mercedes will begin integrating more physical controls into its digitally focused cabins starting in 2026. Mercedes’ announcement is part of a bigger industry trend…"​

Touchscreens in cars are finally on their way out. Good riddance​

Blame Tesla (and maybe Buick?) but with Mercedes’ latest moves to bring back knobs and buttons, our big-screen nightmare may soon be over.

https://archive.ph/dRLtp

https://www.fastcompany.com/91405987/mercedes-brings-buttons-back-to-cars

 

[sheward]

Finally, some good news from the automotive world! Will likely save many cars and humans.

 

[nocfn]

Well the MB experience was outdated when the car rolled in my ownership with 6 miles, new in 2019. Now to use Iphone we have to use an adaptor and try to get carplay to work. Tough to get that timing right for car companies, really just an agnostic system is best.

 

[93-400E]

Touchscreens are harder to repair, less intuitive and age the car faster. Bugatti refused to use them for the aging factor alone. And the sentiment has definitely changed, as i would try to convince people to buy, say, an early 2000s CRV instead of a newer one. But I would also say a lot of this feeling is fully stemming from tesla hatred, and frankly, Im all for it.

 

[Bogeyman]

I think they were definitely copying Tesla. The fact that they never integrated them but made them look like an iPad add on was a clue.

 

[r44raven]

Finally, some good news from the automotive world! Will likely save many cars and humans.

I have never understood how it can be illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving - and yet legal to allow drivers to use touch screens. As far as I can tell the distraction and potential risk of doing either present equal dangers?

 

[sheward]

Exactly. Screen, phone...same distraction. There is an argument that can be made for the GPS function only IMO since that can be punched in before travel. The rest of it can be chalked up to people's fascination with gadgets.

 

[gsxr]

I have never understood how it can be illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving - and yet legal to allow drivers to use touch screens. As far as I can tell the distraction and potential risk of doing either present equal dangers?

Both are massively dangerous because they take the driver's eyes off the road. It's mind blowing that manufacturers foisted that crap upon us.

 

[r44raven]

Dammit, I just realised - driverless cars are the answer - then we can play with the touchscreen (or our phones) as much as we like !?

 

[yao500e]

About time:

" Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, recently announced that the company would be centering future car design around physical controls instead of screens. “The data shows us physical buttons are better,” Östberg told Autocar at the Munich motor show. He says Mercedes will begin integrating more physical controls into its digitally focused cabins starting in 2026. Mercedes’ announcement is part of a bigger industry trend…"​

Touchscreens in cars are finally on their way out. Good riddance​

Blame Tesla (and maybe Buick?) but with Mercedes’ latest moves to bring back knobs and buttons, our big-screen nightmare may soon be over.

https://archive.ph/dRLtp

https://www.fastcompany.com/91405987/mercedes-brings-buttons-back-to-cars

Thank Goodness. Touchscreens aren not accurate, distracting and inefficient.

 

[gerryvz]

I'll believe it when I see it. I have a very hard time believing that the car companies are going to eliminate these touchscreens.

Heck, my 2024 Lexus LX600 has TWO touch-screens.......one for the entertainment system, and a second one below it for the climate control and suspension settings.

 

[195910]

Yes turn switches for vehicle functions and features into complex integrated features controlled on a central screen. When it fails (or made to fail) nothing works and they buy a new car

Technicians still complain about SAM modules +25 Years since they were introduced, the last thing cars need are exaggerated systems that no one can repair.

 

[500AMM]

I'll believe it when I see it. I have a very hard time believing that the car companies are going to eliminate these touchscreens.

Heck, my 2024 Lexus LX600 has TWO touch-screens.......one for the entertainment system, and a second one below it for the climate control and suspension settings.

+1 on that, I believe it when I see it. But it has been spoken for already by some brands a couple of years ago. I think it was some of the main functions - whatever that would be, but IMO the HVAC funtions should be switch operated. Especially when entering tunnels and abrupt fog down of the windscreen, externally is taken with the wipers - while internally is taken with the HVAC. Our DD is a 2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pro and the HVAC controls is way down on the screen and we are still after 3 years fiddling with those controls during driving.

Yes turn switches for vehicle functions and features into complex integrated features controlled on a central screen. When it fails (or made to fail) nothing works and they buy a new car

Technicians still complain about SAM modules +25 Years since they were introduced, the last thing cars need are exaggerated systems that no one can repair.

Exactly! push the sh... over to the customers! The same goes on the battery package when they fail - which they can do without warning and just days after the warranty period is over, you never know. I think most brands have 7 years on the battery package and the value of the car after 7 years may be about the value of a new battery package, which means a huge loss for the owner. The insurance companies will be flooded with claims - which they don't cover...

 

[gerryvz]

Interestingly, SOME of the HVAC controls on the LX600 are buttons/switches (such as driver's and passenger side temperature), and other controls are accessed via the touch-screen (such as fan speed).

Dual touch-screen setup:


Note the mixture of buttons & screen controls.
Buttons:

• temperature controls (both sides)
• front windscreen defrost
• rear windscreen defrost
• fan OFF
• auto climate control mode
• recirc mode
• climate concierge mode
• seat heating/cooling modes (separate controls below touchscreen)

Touchscreen controls:

• blower fan speed
• various HVAC mode + temp indication
• seat heating/cooling mode indication

Lower (HVAC + running gear) touch-screen display:

Running gear mode:



HVAC mode:

 

[JC220]

This is what people really want if they ever experienced it

 

[gsxr]

This is what people really want if they ever experienced it

This must be mind blowing to Gen Z'ers. Meanwhile, us card-carrying curmudgeons have been used to this elegant UI/UX for decades, and have been griping about the stupid touchscreens that Gen Z grew up with.

 

[maw1124]

Yes, you KNOW when a button is pushed. It clicks, it moves, it sounds -- you know, "haptics". I still can't bring myself to touch screens. I use the little swipe and push touchpad in the center console to the extent I need it (basically to set up the stereo) then I turn the Display Off. I'll use the steering wheel swipe and push to reset MPG, etc. But somehow I never get around to actually touching the screen, probably because I'm too busy wiping off the fingerprints.



maw

 

[doolar]

It’s getting colder here in Sweden so I turned on the bun warmer the other day when driving my 500E. When it was time to turn it off, I just knew where the button was with muscle memory. Like with the parking brake release.

I had a chuckle because I hadn’t thought about what we all used to have for interface, cheap or expensive car. They were all like this. Safe, easy to learn. Took two minutes to find your way in most cars.

I had an Alfa 164 (actually I had many because they did not like Swedish winters even though a third of the car was a SAAB) and they had this monstrosity that was not so fondly dubbed ”The Piano”:



But it was STILL better than today’s touchscreens.