You are correct it was actually initially begun by Siemens for both manufacturers. BMW opted to go haptic with a single controller being able to have shortcuts and Audi went with separate short cuts for each area (more buttons but easier). BMW is now going with the haptic and shortcuts.


As for the eight way direction it is very difficult to do at times and not very practical.

 

Hey, mapezzul, when did you get here?

Regarding the haptic controller, the haptic feedback was eliminated in iDrive starting with March production.

 

about a month after you!

I had no idea about the loss of the haptic feedback. A cost cutting measure or what? I have actually become quite accustomed to it.....

 

I've been confused about this change. I currently have a Pro Nav equiped E60 and have a similarly equiped LCI on order. My current iDrive has "clicks" or "indents" as it proceeds through input options and has a hard stop at the end of the option list.

Will all of this be eliminated? That really concerns me, since the "clicks" provide tactile feedback that means that I don't have to look down at the screen as I scroll thorugh a list. Am I understanding this seemingly very negative change correctly?

 

I think you are understanding it quite well. Keep in mind that there will likely be "clicks", they just won't adapt to the individual screens. Also, there won't be hard stops at the end of a list, etc. I was a bit bummed out when I first heard they were dropping the feature but recently I had the opportunity to drive a non-nav E61 loaner car and found that the standard clicks worked fairly well and it wasn't a problem for me to use the system without the hard stops, etc.

Speculation is that it took too much processor power to provide the adaptive clicks (haptic feedback) which often times resulted in a very sluggish response time with the interface. If you haven't experienced this yet, just try to scroll quickly through a list of POI's in navigation. (Another time it happens is when you are scrolling through a long listing of telephone contacts.)

For me, I'll gladly give up the feedback if it'll mean the car will keep up with my spinning of the controller...

 

I certainly know about the times when the controller can't "keep up" with longer lists. I won't miss that. And as long as the "clicks" remain, I'll be OK, although I will miss the hard stops at the end of a list.

One thing that I've never really understood though, is the talk of different feedbacks for different types of list. I know of the click feel, and of the "resistant feedback" when the list is long, but what other types of feedback are there that I'm missing?

 

I think the types of feedback are limited to the click and the stop. The click is used for different events -- for example, the knob clicks as you move across different selections in a list (either horizontally or vertically). Another event that causes a click is a center "detent" or "hill" for things like balance, fader, bass, treble, etc.

In other words, BMW may define a bunch of events that use different names but I think the controller is only capable of providing a click/bump or a stop/halt.

 

I agree with this.

 

And how exactly does it make it more advanced? Underlying technology has nothing to do with anything. Those who write crappy code which is then placed in an underpowered computer make it suck. There are good Windows apps and bad Java apps and the other way around. I bet Windows demanded faster CPU and better graphics screen and someone decided to save $50 here.

 

If J6P can figure out how to use Internet, DVD player and TV remote but can't figure out iDrive, this means iDrive UI designers did it wrong. J6P is able to use cell phone and iPod. If iDrive is too complex for him, it is iDrive problem, not someone else. People have to figure out iDrive because there is no way to order BMW without it. If iDrive was an option, I bet 90% of people would opt out. And since it is not an option, but rather mandatory component, who cares about improving it?

Well designed technology automatically widely accepted without having to cram it down customer throat. I bet if average housewife had to read 50 page manual to use a TV, we wouldn't be using television today. If it was necessary to read a manual before using a Web browser, Internet would still be a geek thing.