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But when comparing different car companies you usually say BMW 325xi. The 325xi stands for something. Its a 3 series, which isn't as nice as the 5 series. Th

by simonk 16y ago

But when comparing different car companies you usually say BMW 325xi. The 325xi stands for something. Its a 3 series, which isn't as nice as the 5 series. The xi is the type of car it is. When looking for a car and you ask someone they can actually tell you what it is. When people ask me if the Compaq Presario CQ61-406SA is any good, I have no idea what it even is.

hugh3 16y ago
Right, and the "25" means a 2.5 litre engine (though they've started to break from this scheme recently), the "x" means four-wheel-drive and the "i" means "fuel injected". (Even though fuel injection is no longer a distinguishing feature they keep the "i" because it sounds cool). There is, however, a limit to how much alphanumeric information one can generally keep track of. The 325xi is right on that limit. It's made easier for cars since we see hundreds of cars per day and they all proudly display their model name on the back whereas laptops hide theirs away in a corner. Also you've been able to buy a BMW 325i (+/- 5i) for well over thirty years whereas Compaq models change all the damn time.
- Tichy 16y ago
  To underline the "not for car geeks" point: Not only do I not know what kind of car the 325xi is (and I am from Bavaria, the home country of BMW), I also don't know what "2.5 litre engine" stands for (is that a lot? good? bad?), or what the hell is the point of "fuel injected". Don't all cars drive on fuel (except for the few exotic electric ones)? Even though I am surrounded by cars, I never look at the model names. Funny to think most people probably feel about computers the way I feel about cars. Although these days I don't know much about the internals of computers anymore, either. Mostly I care about "fast enough", "can run games/can't run games", "runs Linux", "noisy fan/not so noisy fan".
illumin8 16y ago
"But when comparing different car companies you usually say BMW 325xi." That was exactly the point of the grandparent poster. Obscure numbers enforces brand recognition because you have to say "BMW 325xi" if you expect everyone to know what you're talking about, thus enforcing the BMW brand. If Apple did this you would have to say "Apple MBPi750" every time just to tell people you're talking about an Apple MacBookPro. While it might help Apple's brand recognition it's a major fuck you to consumers as we appreciate simplicity over corporate brand recognition.

by simonk 16y ago

hugh3 16y ago

Right, and the "25" means a 2.5 litre engine (though they've started to break from this scheme recently), the "x" means four-wheel-drive and the "i" means "fuel injected". (Even though fuel injection is no longer a distinguishing feature they keep the "i" because it sounds cool). There is, however, a limit to how much alphanumeric information one can generally keep track of. The 325xi is right on that limit. It's made easier for cars since we see hundreds of cars per day and they all proudly display their model name on the back whereas laptops hide theirs away in a corner. Also you've been able to buy a BMW 325i (+/- 5i) for well over thirty years whereas Compaq models change all the damn time.

Tichy 16y ago
To underline the "not for car geeks" point: Not only do I not know what kind of car the 325xi is (and I am from Bavaria, the home country of BMW), I also don't know what "2.5 litre engine" stands for (is that a lot? good? bad?), or what the hell is the point of "fuel injected". Don't all cars drive on fuel (except for the few exotic electric ones)? Even though I am surrounded by cars, I never look at the model names. Funny to think most people probably feel about computers the way I feel about cars. Although these days I don't know much about the internals of computers anymore, either. Mostly I care about "fast enough", "can run games/can't run games", "runs Linux", "noisy fan/not so noisy fan".

illumin8 16y ago

"But when comparing different car companies you usually say BMW 325xi." That was exactly the point of the grandparent poster. Obscure numbers enforces brand recognition because you have to say "BMW 325xi" if you expect everyone to know what you're talking about, thus enforcing the BMW brand. If Apple did this you would have to say "Apple MBPi750" every time just to tell people you're talking about an Apple MacBookPro. While it might help Apple's brand recognition it's a major fuck you to consumers as we appreciate simplicity over corporate brand recognition.