Recently, in this thread, Firmware 7.1 - For Classic Model S, a number of us emotionally debated what Tesla should be spending its time on for 7.2, now that 7.1 is out. In that thread, a number of us Classic MS drivers expressed disappointment at Tesla's seeming abandonment of refinements of half completed essential and nice-to-have features, like voice commands, the all-essential NAV, UI, Favorite voice call list, the internet radio interface, and abortions like auto-condition (or whatever its called). Some of you argued that auto-pilot is the future of the company, and Tesla should be spending al of its resources on perfecting that.
I argue that if the purpose of Tesla enhancements is to sell more cars, rather than to pump the stock price or create a revolution (debatable, I know), that Tesla should be focussing on optimizing the overall user experience with the car, and just hang in the hunt on auto pilot, since the best car companies are all doing it anyway, and this will not be a differentiator of Tesla from other cars a year from now (look at the auto shows and CES this year if you don't believe me). I believe that Tesla can make more hay and differentiate by optimizing its user experience, making it elegant and usable, turning the combination of the gorgeous 17 inch screen, voice command (which is where the entire world is going) and the steering wheel controls into the "Apple of cars", than by throwing all apparent programming resources at auto pilot, which an occasional sop to the rest of us like the garage self opener (which is great -- if I would upgrade from 6.2 -- which I won't because the UI on 7.0-7.1 sucks).
The electric drive train is a differentiator, sure, but I think Tesla needs more than that to sell a lot of cars, especially for as long as oil prices stay low, as we approach the mass market 3's.
What do you think Tesla should be doing with its programming dollars?
I argue that if the purpose of Tesla enhancements is to sell more cars, rather than to pump the stock price or create a revolution (debatable, I know), that Tesla should be focussing on optimizing the overall user experience with the car, and just hang in the hunt on auto pilot, since the best car companies are all doing it anyway, and this will not be a differentiator of Tesla from other cars a year from now (look at the auto shows and CES this year if you don't believe me). I believe that Tesla can make more hay and differentiate by optimizing its user experience, making it elegant and usable, turning the combination of the gorgeous 17 inch screen, voice command (which is where the entire world is going) and the steering wheel controls into the "Apple of cars", than by throwing all apparent programming resources at auto pilot, which an occasional sop to the rest of us like the garage self opener (which is great -- if I would upgrade from 6.2 -- which I won't because the UI on 7.0-7.1 sucks).
The electric drive train is a differentiator, sure, but I think Tesla needs more than that to sell a lot of cars, especially for as long as oil prices stay low, as we approach the mass market 3's.
What do you think Tesla should be doing with its programming dollars?