pbarch1

Let's think about the task BMW eng's faced when developing and testing I-Drive. They had to coordinate thousands of components, from as many different manufactures. I am impressed. Is there room for improvement, you bet, but all and all it beats having a dash loaded with buttons and knobs.

Hormazd

And that is exactly what they do. The true beauty of this system is that you don't have to buy a new car to get the enhancements. In 11 months of pleasurable ownership I have had software enhancements that have added functionality like BT perspective etc. What a great system.

bakersdozen

Don't get me wrong, I think i-Drive is fine. I don't have any problems using it and have never complained about it. However, having more exposure to several friends who have the new Lexus GS, and one with an STS, I do prefer the touchscreen systems. Same menu driven ability as i-Drive, but cleaner and faster than turning the knob and then pressing down on the knob.

Hormazd

I believe Honda used to have a touchscreen system. With their uber sedan the RL, they have given it up in favor of an I-drive like knob only with many more buttons. I wonder why. I have had no experience with the touch screen.

Magneto

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>I-Drive.</span>
Doesn't everybody?

Ruf930

LuvE60,

Rub your ear lubes and say Woosaaa, Wooosaaaa, Wooossaaa....

BMW#7

I was expecting it to take a day or 2 to get used to. But in 10 minutes today I totally mastered iDrive.

It is very intuitive.

rodybmw

Touchscreens are great when you are not driving, but are much more dangerous to use than iDrive when the car is in motion. By it's nature a touchscreen requires you to look at it more than you would with systems like iDrive. For example, on the iDrive you may have to have a quick look at the screen and see where your selection is in comparison to where you currently are and then know what you need to do to select it without looking at the screen again (e.g. turn right 2 clicks and push down). In a touchscreen system you would have to either look at the screen more times (once to see where your selection is and another time to see whether your finger is approaching/touching the right part of the screen for that selection), or look at it once but for a longer period, thus taking your attention away from the road longer than iDrive. Another disadvantage of the touchscreen is that it has to be close enough to be able to reach it comfortably while you are driving, this is not required on an iDrive system so the location of the screen can be better (higher up on the dash and sunk in so that there is less glare).

Again, I like touchscreens and use them at work and on some devices that I own, I just don't think they are as safe to use in cars as iDrive is, certainly not for the driver.

Hormazd

Touchscreens are great when you are not driving, but are much more dangerous to use than iDrive when the car is in motion. By it's nature a touchscreen requires you to look at it more than you would with systems like iDrive. For example, on the iDrive you may have to have a quick look at the screen and see where your selection is in comparison to where you currently are and then know what you need to do to select it without looking at the screen again (e.g. turn right 2 clicks and push down). In a touchscreen system you would have to either look at the screen more times (once to see where your selection is and another time to see whether your finger is approaching/touching the right part of the screen for that selection), or look at it once but for a longer period, thus taking your attention away from the road longer than iDrive. Another disadvantage of the touchscreen is that it has to be close enough to be able to reach it comfortably while you are driving, this is not required on an iDrive system so the location of the screen can be better (higher up on the dash and sunk in so that there is less glare).

Again, I like touchscreens and use them at work and on some devices that I own, I just don't think they are as safe to use in cars as iDrive is, certainly not for the driver.
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UUronL

Sometimes I'm using it and I marvel at how efficiently I'm handling whatever task it may be. Usually this revelation comes to me when I've just hung up on a call, remembering how I'd miss calls because I wouldn't hear the phone ringing... or trying to dig the phone out of my pocket, fumbling with the flip, etc...

I'm not even using it to the fullest, such as accessing menus via voice commands, etc...

I do have the two programmable function buttons on the steering wheel set up to do stuff, but I'm sure if I sat down and really thought about how to use it, I'd come up with a much better workflow and access method for myself. Does anyone care to share the customizations or usage patterns that have worked for them?


One possible modification I'd suggest for future iterations is to replace the knob with a programmable gesture pad, similar to what Fingerworks has developed. http://www.fingerworks.com/


A buddy of mine has one of these keyboards, and they are revolutionary. They're not touchpads as they require zero force. It reads the impedance change from putting your finger or fingers in contact. The entire surface is sensitive to these changes, and as such the "keyboard" can be used for typing as well as "gestures" and "chords". It is 100% customizable and can be set up to do very complex sequences with a single directional swiping gesture or chord. It's infinitely harder to train yourself to do, but ultimately more efficient and has more potential for customization.