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Comment by FriedPickles | Hacker News Reader

Ford moved volume control to the touchscreen, but people wanted a knob. Solution? They stuck a knob to the touchscreen. Under the knob is an artificial "finger" that touches the screen.

I haven't used it personally so all I can say is it's a hilarious solution.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/02/im-obsessed-with-the-ford-...

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They took a simple device, that was easy to make, and every china basement factory could make, and made it needlessly complicated.

Now we have a chip shortage, and not even a radio with volume control can be made without a chip that is backordered for 1y+

Still unfortunately more expensive buying the component than just putting the dial on a touchscreen.

Even if it's objectively worse in absolutely every possible dimension you could ever grade it on.

This reminds me how on some home audio systems when you change volume using buttons on remote control, a servo motor turns knob of the potentiometer.

Tesla’s have great physical controls for the stereo under your left thumb. For all the complaints about the Tesla touchscreen, the Model 3 has really well thought-out physical controls.

That is so ingenious, it's hilarious. I can imagine the collective cringe of all designers.

It looks cool, and that's the only nice thing you can possibly say about it.

It's a work of genius, that's just not necessarily a compliment.

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