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This is a gem (emphasis mine): "The touch-screen-actuated glove box is terrible because it’s one of those examples where carmakers have found that they have th

This is a gem (emphasis mine): "The touch-screen-actuated glove box is terrible because it’s one of those examples where carmakers have found that they have the technology to do something, so they do it, without considering literally anything about what they’ve done. Did anybody want this? At all? It takes something that has never been a problem, opening a glove box, and added cost and complexity to the construction, and added time and inconvenience to the process. No problem is solved, but a fuckload of new problems are introduced." Here's the gist: carmakers, as many other businesses -this can apply to pretty much every product-, need more bullet points to be shown in advertising, so they use technology to add every possible feature, including those that are technically useless but still could add points of failure because of their bare existence. I think there's no way out until people is taught how this works very early in their life, and I mean children at school, so they can use their wallets when time comes. I can't see this coming anytime soon, however, as our economy totally embraces advertising the useless.

henrikschroder 4y ago
Remember curved TVs? Remember 3D for TVs? That was essentially technology bullet-point features, but since they flopped hard you can no longer buy curved TVs or 3D TVs. Turns out if people really don't want shit, it disappears again, no matter how hard various corporations push the shit.
- izacus 4y ago
  Except that you can't "not buy" a vehicle you need for transport just because the manufacturers decided to remove the latch from the glove compartment. Your logic only works in healthy markets like TVs where you could buy _EQUIVALENT_ device without the curvature or 3D. Meanwhile with cars this isn't true - the touchscreen crap trend is being implemented across the market (since its cheaper) and many people can't freely choose a model and brand of their car (either due to costs, dealer availability or other factors like interior space or fuel consumption requirements). If you'd be able to buy the same car, just with different control stack, THAT would enable the behaviour you describe.
  - narcraft 4y ago
    And yet somehow I own and drive a vehicle that has no touchscreens in it!
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    >Your logic only works in healthy markets like TVs where you could buy _EQUIVALENT_ device without the curvature or 3D. Excuse me, but the TV is not at all "a healthy market", in a healthy market you would have choices for non-smart TV sets or - even more simply - decently priced simple monitors.
    - fomine3 4y ago
      Yeah, this is better example than curved/3D. Curved TVs are minority and 3D is completely harmless (that's why they can add it for cheap even though very few contents). Smart TV is the default and isn't harmless.
  - prepend 4y ago
    > Meanwhile with cars this isn't true - the touchscreen crap trend is being implemented across the market There’s many manufacturers and millions of used cars.
- bmitc 4y ago
  That's not necessarily true. For example, Apple is the king of both additive and subtractive bullet point features, and they sell like hotcakes.
- smolder 4y ago
  Imagine if we always had the option to vote with our money. We could still have dumb TVS, and computers controlled by their owners.
- NotYourLawyer 4y ago
  Curiously, I can still buy a TV that puts ads in its UI. Nobody wanted that…
  - Macha 4y ago
    Sadly the TV makers only wanted 3D TVs or curved TVs so they had a marketing bullet point, so they lost interest when consumers didn't want them that much. The makers also want ads in TVs for additional revenue streams, so customer wants can go jump off a cliff for all they care.
  - mrighele 4y ago
    A TV with ads on its UI can be cheaper that the ad-free equivalent and a lot of people want cheaper stuff
    - esperent 4y ago
      They are not though.
  - propogandist 4y ago
    I’m sure there’s a car company that plans to use Touchscreen as advertising space. Maybe it’s recommendations on your map, or a small banner ad. A great opportunity to serve Ads to a captive audience
treis 4y ago
It's much more secure. Electric locks can be stronger and you can't jimmy them like you can mechanical locks. Plus it makes the dash look better and it's kind of cool. People are coming up with all sorts of ridiculously contrived scenarios to make this look bad. But I haven't seen anything that's more than a 1 in a million type problem with an obvious solution. Is it kind of dumb? IMHO yes. Are there people who like this sort of whiz bang gadgetry in their luxury cars? Absolutely.
- qull 4y ago
  That is patently untrue. Electronic locks use the same latches and manual ones, just activated by a solenoid, easily defeated with... a magnet. The attack surface of a mechanical lock exists, bit at least has some mitications. Electronic locks seldom have any.

henrikschroder 4y ago

Remember curved TVs? Remember 3D for TVs? That was essentially technology bullet-point features, but since they flopped hard you can no longer buy curved TVs or 3D TVs. Turns out if people really don't want shit, it disappears again, no matter how hard various corporations push the shit.

izacus 4y ago
Except that you can't "not buy" a vehicle you need for transport just because the manufacturers decided to remove the latch from the glove compartment. Your logic only works in healthy markets like TVs where you could buy _EQUIVALENT_ device without the curvature or 3D. Meanwhile with cars this isn't true - the touchscreen crap trend is being implemented across the market (since its cheaper) and many people can't freely choose a model and brand of their car (either due to costs, dealer availability or other factors like interior space or fuel consumption requirements). If you'd be able to buy the same car, just with different control stack, THAT would enable the behaviour you describe.
- narcraft 4y ago
  And yet somehow I own and drive a vehicle that has no touchscreens in it!
- jaclaz 4y ago
  >Your logic only works in healthy markets like TVs where you could buy _EQUIVALENT_ device without the curvature or 3D. Excuse me, but the TV is not at all "a healthy market", in a healthy market you would have choices for non-smart TV sets or - even more simply - decently priced simple monitors.
  - fomine3 4y ago
    Yeah, this is better example than curved/3D. Curved TVs are minority and 3D is completely harmless (that's why they can add it for cheap even though very few contents). Smart TV is the default and isn't harmless.
- prepend 4y ago
  > Meanwhile with cars this isn't true - the touchscreen crap trend is being implemented across the market There’s many manufacturers and millions of used cars.
bmitc 4y ago
That's not necessarily true. For example, Apple is the king of both additive and subtractive bullet point features, and they sell like hotcakes.
smolder 4y ago
Imagine if we always had the option to vote with our money. We could still have dumb TVS, and computers controlled by their owners.
NotYourLawyer 4y ago
Curiously, I can still buy a TV that puts ads in its UI. Nobody wanted that…
- Macha 4y ago
  Sadly the TV makers only wanted 3D TVs or curved TVs so they had a marketing bullet point, so they lost interest when consumers didn't want them that much. The makers also want ads in TVs for additional revenue streams, so customer wants can go jump off a cliff for all they care.
- mrighele 4y ago
  A TV with ads on its UI can be cheaper that the ad-free equivalent and a lot of people want cheaper stuff
  - esperent 4y ago
    They are not though.
- propogandist 4y ago
  I’m sure there’s a car company that plans to use Touchscreen as advertising space. Maybe it’s recommendations on your map, or a small banner ad. A great opportunity to serve Ads to a captive audience

treis 4y ago

It's much more secure. Electric locks can be stronger and you can't jimmy them like you can mechanical locks. Plus it makes the dash look better and it's kind of cool. People are coming up with all sorts of ridiculously contrived scenarios to make this look bad. But I haven't seen anything that's more than a 1 in a million type problem with an obvious solution. Is it kind of dumb? IMHO yes. Are there people who like this sort of whiz bang gadgetry in their luxury cars? Absolutely.

qull 4y ago
That is patently untrue. Electronic locks use the same latches and manual ones, just activated by a solenoid, easily defeated with... a magnet. The attack surface of a mechanical lock exists, bit at least has some mitications. Electronic locks seldom have any.