"Digital Dash" patent from Apple

[Stoneymonster]

Apple picks up Digital Dash touch screen dashboard patent that could improve iOS in the Car | 9to5Mac

Looks like Tesla and Apple will be playing in the same neighborhood soon. Interesting to see what comes out of this.

 

[jerry33]

If that's what Apple's dash looks like, I don't think Tesla has any worries.

 

[deonb]

That's a solution in serious search of a problem.

I guess the knobs and buttons made it too hard to close the iPad cover, so now it's instead getting unleashed on poor and unsuspecting automobiles the world over.

 

[Mayhemm]

More Apple patent-hoarding. Maybe Tesla's the target of their next lawsuit?

 

[jerry33]

More Apple patent-hoarding. Maybe Tesla's the target of their next lawsuit?

Apple hasn't done so well with their lawsuits recently. As the patent looks nothing like the Tesla display it would be pretty hard for them to sue and win.

 

[gregincal]

That's a solution in serious search of a problem.

I guess the knobs and buttons made it too hard to close the iPad cover, so now it's instead getting unleashed on poor and unsuspecting automobiles the world over.

I'm not sure that's quite fair. A number of people have commented that the problem with the touchscreen interface is the lack of tactile feedback. You definitely have to take your eyes off the road more than with a traditional interface, and this seeks to solve that problem.

 

[deonb]

I'm not sure that's quite fair. A number of people have commented that the problem with the touchscreen interface is the lack of tactile feedback. You definitely have to take your eyes off the road more than with a traditional interface, and this seeks to solve that problem.

Tactile feedback good. Tactile feedback positioned in a place where you're going to necessarily obscure part of the screen when you use it, not so good.

In essence the 2 scroll wheels on the steering wheel serve the same purpose as having 2 dials on the touchscreen. However, it is a much more elegant solution and is even less eyes-off.

And I can't help that it remind me of everybody's "favorite" screen/dial integration:

 

[Mayhemm]

Apple hasn't done so well with their lawsuits recently. As the patent looks nothing like the Tesla display it would be pretty hard for them to sue and win.

Yes, but I'm sure they'll try anyway. If every so often I could be handed a billion dollar settlement, I'd probably be suing everything in sight too.

You definitely have to take your eyes off the road more than with a traditional interface, and this seeks to solve that problem.

Honestly, I've never really understood this argument. Don't people ever glance down to confirm their selection for climate control or audio? You just finger them blindly?! (*snort*, sorry)

My current car has 100% analog controls and I look down for a second several times whenever I need to adjust something; once to check the current setting, once to adjust it, then once more to confirm my adjustment. This behavior would not change when using a touch interface. More important than tactility is logical control layout and big hit-targets so less concentration is required (keeping your main focus on the road ahead). Tesla does both these things very well.

 

[woof]

And I can't help that it remind me of everybody's "favorite" screen/dial integration:

I find one of the problems with the iDrive is that the knob is horizontal, and the screen is vertical. It's difficult to "map" movement from one to the other, plus the knob is very hard to reach comfortably. Well, that and the iDrive software just isn't the best.

Contrast that to the knob in the 2005 Acura RL (about the same time as iDrive came out):

The knob and screen are on the same plane. I found this interface to be wonderful to use. The knob turns clockwise/counterclockwise with detents, and pushes "in" as expected, but it also acts as a digital joystick with 8 ways to push it along the compass rose. What isn't clear in this picture is the way the elbow rests on the arm rest, with the wrist supported by the shifter lever, leaving your fingers resting comfortably on the knob. Also, the knob had HEFT--you could give it a could spin and it would keep going for a few detent clicks. Combined with a great "arc" based user interface on the screen, and audible feedback on where the knob was "pointing" to, this provided a very nice eyes-free input device. I prefer this to the Model S's touch screen keyboard for inputing numbers and text.

Interestingly, the same really good NAV software showed up a few years later in Honda's but with a touch screen without the nice knob. It's not even close to the same experience.

I chalk it up to having something to rest my arm on while using it. In both the Honda and the Model S, to use the screen one's arm must be suspended in free space. This is fatiguing over time, and the weight of one's arm makes hitting precise touch points difficult. On the Model S they make sure the touch points are rather large which helps. But the support of my arm in the Acura made a huge difference in usability.

 

[jerry33]

One thing that could be easily done is to put some detents in the aluminium display frame so that you could just feel and press. No buttons to wear out but tactile just the same.