I know, I need to win the lottery before the end of this month and then call up a bunch of dealers and see if there's one somewhere!
acket.
Best looking Merc in ages. Other than the big AMG wagons.
Because, if it can control systems within the car, they need to have a good amount of control over it. If all it's doing is controlling the sound system, that's one thing, but when you can control the HVAC, adjust the suspension and transmission, etc, just having some apps you throw up on an app store is IMO not enough.
Get that weak shit off my track
I'm sure that is the entire argument... I do wonder how true it actually is, like really.
Let's say you start designing the thing in 2014 for a 2016 model. Merc advertises 3 year leases on their site, so you're looking at about 5 years worth of changes from you starting development and testing until the first owners are done with them.
Then you're trying to sell them on as certified pre-owned with the 5th and 6th year of changes, and keeping them working for, what, another 5 years?
How much have iPads changed in 5-6 years? Android tablets? What about 10 years?
Do you trust in Mercedes to keep doing updates to keep up with Apple and Google's changes? Are they going to stick with just Apple, and just hope the resolutions and connection ports don't change again?
IMO the software connection solution, where your iOS or Android device just interfaces with the media and navigation stuff as if it was any other kind of media accessory, rather than making your device control the whole car, is a lot better.
Apple CarPlay: https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/
Android Auto: http://www.android.com/auto/
Get that weak shit off my track
I seriously doubt Mercedes gives a rip about any 6th year owners on any of their cars. That puts them way past the CPO warranty or anything like that, and Mercedes entire business model is pretty much predicated on people buying new Benzes every 3-4 years. I've got no visibility into it, but I am sure Apple's relationship with big corporate customers is like any technology company, and they provide a roadmap which includes interoperability guarantees and guidelines for some period of time. Usually five years, but maybe more or maybe less. AT&T bought bazillions of iPads for both retail store and carrier field work, and you know they didn't just jump in and say, "Golly, I hope the connectors don't change!" They got guarantees of compatibility and support, and if Benz went down that road, they'd get the same guarantee.
I'm not saying it's a good or realistic or bad idea, I'm just curious about the real roadblocks in executing such a plan. I also really wish car manufacturers would look more heavily towards technology companies for building these devices, too. I personally find it weird that in the past there have been all sorts of standards for cars - especially in Europe where there are common symbols for common functions - but these damned manufacturers feel compelled to reinvent the UI wheel for each generation of cars. It seems like having a common interface for all basic controls is *the* way to go. Even if we'd stuck with Audi's clunkiest designs of ten years ago, we'd be used to them by now. I feel that regardless of whether Apple, Google, or Microsoft executed a UI, if one of them did it rather than relying on car manufacturers we'd have a consistent interface across multiple brands and multiple generations, and maybe drill down on what actually works best. With everything changing every three years, it's taking WAY too long to make any progress. I thought the Microsoft Car initiative (from which Sync and IIRC ChryCo's system evolved) was a very forward-thinking approach to this issue, but ten years later sod all has been actually accomplished.
IMO there's a huge difference between retail kiosks and computers you give to your employees, and what you're trying to sell brand new and as CPO to customer in 3-4 years (not customers of 6-year old cars, 6-year old design in a 4 year old car they're trying to sell as CPO). It's not like employees were using their personal iPads as kiosks at AT&T, they just use whatever they're given until they're given something new.
Could it be done? Absolutely. I just don't see many real benefits that aren't more easily fixed by just using the plug-in media stuff that Apple and Android have shown rather than making you plug in your device and have the right app to drive the whole experience.
As for having a consistent interface, we didn't have that with fully mechanical functions! Every person that gets in my car and wants to turn up the volume grabs the big round knob in the center and turns it without a moment of hesitation. Unfortunately that actually switches stations/songs, the volume is the little knob on the far left.
And that's not even getting close to the insanity that is steering column stalks, with cruise control, windshield wipers and turn signals doing all kinds of crazy stuff on different brands.
You have different companies from around the world all trying to make "the best" functional, stylish design, with all of their suppliers and potential suppliers telling them why their design is better. Google's OEMs can't decide which buttons to put on their phones, in what order, and with what icons, and there are basically only 4 potential buttons. Apple has gone from wanting to everything to look like their real world equivalent (e-books sitting on bookshelves, etc) to wanting everything to look as flat and vibrant as possible, to whatever they will want next time.
Having big agreements on general UI stuff would be great, but companies all think they can find something better, and when they do that it will garner them all kinds of riches. There isn't much of a business case to being just like everyone else when you're trying to sell your customers on how special your product is.
Get that weak shit off my track