No new features since December: A New Tesla Strategy?

[qdeathstar]

Well, like it says on the tin. I’ll add a poll. Seems like we have gone a while without Tesla squirting out even a turd as far as new features go, and although I’m a relative new comer to how Tesla does things (may 2019) I have become accustomed to receiving regular feature updates.

Clearly, Tesla believes that it’s value lies in its ability to create software. Elon himself he wasn’t gonna make cars once he perfected pure vision fsd by the end of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 for sure.

To that end, Tesla has begun to make purchasing fsd cost prohibitive. They have raised the price of FSD by 5 grand in exchange for green light chimes and the cars ability to show us a stop sign we can see by looking out the window virtually on the screen.

All the while, tempting new buyers with an fsd trial and saying a subscription service will be available soon.

So it seems like Tesla wants to sell fsd as a service. The question virtually logically becomes, what about ota software updates? I know they said you will get software updates free. But, they didn’t say which ones. Maybe not all of them. Only safety and bug fixes, which is all we have gotten thus far this year.

For a premium subscription, it’s possible Tesla will offer new features, video games, and fart noises from different parts of the car. The charge port perhaps.

So, with that said, wot u fink?

 

[TBrownTX]

Maybe they are spending time working on V11 versus more minor updates to V10?

Tim

 

[jjrandorin]

The last time we got new features was the end of december of last year (2020). Do we live in a world now where 90 days of no new features constitutes "tesla gonna screw me out of my feature updates!"?

(or is this just another "lets have a discussion" type thread)?

 

[qdeathstar]

The last time we got new features was the end of december of last year (2020). Do we live in a world now where 90 days of no new features constitutes "tesla gonna screw me out of my feature updates!"?

I feel like you are putting words in my mouth.

 

[qdeathstar]

The last time we got new features was the end of december of last year (2020). Do we live in a world now where 90 days of no new features constitutes "tesla gonna screw me out of my feature updates!"?

(or is this just another "lets have a discussion" type thread)?

! And then you edited your post! Shame!


Yes, this is a let’s have a discussion thread.

 

[jjrandorin]

! And then you edited your post! Shame!


Yes, this is a let’s have a discussion thread.

I only added the last line: (or is this just another "lets have a discussion" type thread)? and added it within about 5-6 minutes of the original post, the same way a regular user could... as long as its not the first post in a thread anyway.

My original question is the same, though. Your original thread title is putting forth "a new tesla strategy" and the body explanation is that because we havent gotten any new features "this year" is tesla going to sell them, because they keep making FSD more expensive.

Thus, my question of, "this year" is 90 days, so is that really that long to go without new features?

 

[qdeathstar]

I only added the last line: (or is this just another "lets have a discussion" type thread)? and added it within about 5-6 minutes of the original post, the same way a regular user could... as long as its not the first post in a thread anyway.

I was just teasing you

My original question is the same, though. Your original thread title is putting forth "a new tesla strategy" and the body explanation is that because we havent gotten any new features "this year" is tesla going to sell them, because they keep making FSD more expensive.

sort of. But not because fsd is more expensive. But because Tesla is making fsd more expensive to drive fsd subscription to sell it as a service. If they are moving that direction for fsd, might they be moving that direction for software as well.

Thus, my question of, "this year" is 90 days, so is that really that long to go without new features?

It is a lot longer than we typically have to wait.

 

[drtimhill]

It's not hard to guess what's going on, they are heads-down on FSD, pretty much to the exclusion of all else. This is a very typical dev/release cycle for this type of software effort.

When a beta like FSD is first released, there will typically be a backlog of minor (or not so minor) fixes and feature adds that are already in the pipeline but didn't make the beta deadline. So, in the initial beta period, you see a flurry of updates as those fixes/features work through the pipeline and are released (fast). Overlapping this are incoming reports from the beta testers, generating new issues that are put in the pipeline. The easy ones are handled first, and get out into the hands of beta testers.

But eventually, you are left with the nasty hard fixes, which take time. So the release cycle slows to a crawl as those big items are handled. Which is what we are seeing now.

Meanwhile, apart from minor fixes, the mainline release stalls while every stays focused on FSD.

All speculation of course, but I dont think it will be too far off the mark.

 

[jjrandorin]

I was just teasing you



sort of. But not because fsd is more expensive. But because Tesla is making fsd more expensive to drive fsd subscription to sell it as a service. If they are moving that direction for fsd, might they be moving that direction for software as well.



It is a lot longer than we typically have to wait.

I appreciate the measured, reasonable response, so thanks for that (no sarcasm, just genuine thanks). An interesting viewpoint. I dont think tesla would prefer people subscribe to FSD though, I think they would prefer to capture all that money up front. I think the proposed subscription is (will be) an attempt to capture revenue from people who have no intention of paying up front.

I dont think its linked to feature updates, though. Its my opinion that feature updates will continue for a specific car until the cars hardware cant support them any longer, then stop for that car, similar to how we see them for mobile phones.

 

[qdeathstar]

Selling fsd as a subscription also reduces their liability since the buyer is only subscribing to current features and not future ones. Tesla can recognize that revenue as an asset right away and not as a liability. And the person subscribing can’t take them to court for features promised but not delivered... I feel like it’s pretty obvious that they want to sell fsd as a service, question is when does that extended to other software.

Didn’t Elon talk about wanting tell offer cars as a service at one point aswell?

 

[smogne41]

I kinda wish they would. I would gladly never get another update if they are all gonna look as sh*tty as the holiday 'update'.

 

[craigery]

It's not hard to guess what's going on, they are heads-down on FSD, pretty much to the exclusion of all else. This is a very typical dev/release cycle for this type of software effort.

When a beta like FSD is first released, there will typically be a backlog of minor (or not so minor) fixes and feature adds that are already in the pipeline but didn't make the beta deadline. So, in the initial beta period, you see a flurry of updates as those fixes/features work through the pipeline and are released (fast). Overlapping this are incoming reports from the beta testers, generating new issues that are put in the pipeline. The easy ones are handled first, and get out into the hands of beta testers.

But eventually, you are left with the nasty hard fixes, which take time. So the release cycle slows to a crawl as those big items are handled. Which is what we are seeing now.

Meanwhile, apart from minor fixes, the mainline release stalls while every stays focused on FSD.

All speculation of course, but I dont think it will be too far off the mark.

There’s no way the devs hired for things like infotainment development are all of a sudden working on NN development for FSD. Or at least I hope not. I think it’s much more likely they are heads down on V11 / major UI overhaul as Musk mentioned a couple months ago.

 

[smogne41]

There’s no way the devs hired for things like infotainment development are all of a sudden working on NN development for FSD. Or at least I hope not. I think it’s much more likely they are heads down on V11 / major UI overhaul as Musk mentioned a couple months ago.

Yes, that is most likely. I just hope the UI overhaul is good (and has options) and not just doubling down on the 'holiday update' direction.

 

[drtimhill]

There’s no way the devs hired for things like infotainment development are all of a sudden working on NN development for FSD. Or at least I hope not. I think it’s much more likely they are heads down on V11 / major UI overhaul as Musk mentioned a couple months ago.

Of course, but the FSD work isnt just the NN, there are a host of UI and non-NN things to take care of also. And we have gone down the whole "V11" pathway several times already and most have been (unsurprisingly) false starts.

 

[kpeng]

What if I told you that software updates will come when there are updates to be made and that your car runs perfectly fine on the current version and you don't NEED the updates?

 

[qdeathstar]

What if I told you that software updates will come when there are updates to be made and that your car runs perfectly fine on the current version and you don't NEED the updates?

ARE YOU INSANE MAN!?

 

[DustinT]

There’s no way the devs hired for things like infotainment development are all of a sudden working on NN development for FSD. Or at least I hope not. I think it’s much more likely they are heads down on V11 / major UI overhaul as Musk mentioned a couple months ago.

Yup... This is it. Developers are too specific to a specific thing to just casually move around. It could take months to retask a dev into a complicated, fast moving project.

 

[johnm]

The new Model S & X seem like they require(d?) a ton of work. (new screen in the front, an additional screen in the back, new direction change UI, ...) That seems like plenty to keep them busy for a while.

 

[Two-rocks]

Had the car for 3 months.
Every update has been a downgrade.
Random reboot on the interstate last night, good times.

I would like to root/jailbreak the car, and have it my way, all day. I can make my own fart noises.

 

[qdeathstar]

Had the car for 3 months.
Every update has been a downgrade.
Random reboot on the interstate last night, good times.

I would like to root/jailbreak the car, and have it my way, all day. I can make my own fart noises.

Let’s hear ’em