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neogodless

Everyone: I never wanted a screen

Also Everyone: I will never buy a car without CarPlay / Android Auto

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CarPlay (March 10, 2014)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Auto (March 19, 2015)

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I want CarPlay for the PIM integrations (contacts, calendar, phone, etc). That’s about it.

If the music from my phone could controlled by big thunky buttons, that would be great. I get upset with CarPlay and its touch interface all the time.

There is also the issue that I simply don’t trust the car companies with my data. They have proven they can’t be trusted with it, and CarPlay is a way to get a lot of that data isolated (I hope).

I’m fine with a display for some things, a backup camera demands it, but I want to control it all with tactile controls, not touch.

They only want the screen for the stereo and backup camera, not anything else. It's easier to update a car from 2004 say to have Android Auto than to fix one made in 2024 that doesn't have it. $400 aftermarket stereo from crutchfield..

I would say that 2005 was peak car, except 2000 is slightly better because they had not yet gone nuts with serialized components.

(another reason is that direct inject fuel injection hadn't taken over yet, it's a disaster)

Screens are mandatory, because backup cameras are now mandatory.

Sure, but no one said the screen has to be size of an ipad glued to your dashboard. My 2022 Volkswagen e-Up has a reverse camera and it's shown on a display maybe 2 inches large. And it's perfectly usable, I actually really like how minimalistic that is. There's no "infotainment" of any kind either, it's just a simple radio/bluetooth selection screen when the camera isn't in use.

The size regulation is based on viewing angle. For a tiny car like e-Up you are seated very close to the screen, so it can be smaller. For larger cars, you are seated further away from the dash and the screens must be proportionally larger.

The picture in your first link literally has buttons

Don't mistake my snarky "people contradict themselves" post for my opinion :)

I love and prefer buttons. (I also demand Android Auto, though my car didn't have it initially - it was later added through a major software update.)

We all love screens but in a car, I think that buttons are better for the interface for climate, wipers, signaling, drive modes, cruise control, headlights, 4WD selection, volume, radio stations... while Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are excellent for navigation and other entertainment.

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