Chances are, you’re probably reading this from a touchscreen, a technology that has become commonplace for urban folk at least. Automakers are heading that way with car interiors as well, among them the Tesla Model S with its portrait-oriented display located on its centre console controlling infotainment and vehicular functions. Jaguar design chief, Ian Callum however isn’t so keen on the idea, as Bloomberg reports.
“Not if I can help it,” Callum responded to whether Jaguar would install large, iPad-like screens in its cars. “If you’re driving 80-90 miles an hour (128-144 km/h), and you can in some countries, legally, you don’t want to be flipping around an iPad looking to move your door mirrors or your seat controls. You need to be able to feel your way through the car without looking at it for more than a millisecond,” he said.
The updated Jaguar XE (interior pictured above) uses a dual-screen layout on its centre console, where infotainment resides on the higher rung and climate controls sit below it, the latter with tactile controls to give drivers a sense of being part of something mechanical, the report quoted Callum as saying.
What say you, dear readers? Are touchscreens the way forward for cleaner-looking, tidier dashboards, or do you prefer more traditional hardware?
GALLERY: 2019 Jaguar XE
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Good one TATA Jaguar! Nothing beats good old buttons
Warning: imagine an insane driver speeding 90 miles an hour while trying to reach for the door mirror switch or trying to adjust car seat position is suicidal and may lead to homicide on others life as well!
Voice control AI system like MBUX/GKUI is the way forward. No need separate screens in future, all built into the meter panel screen for essential viewing like 360 camera eyeview.
Everything else no need screen for scrolling anymore. U want seat controls got powered smart seats, u want adjust mirrors the car AI will adjust with powered seat according to the natural view position, u want selective media just tell the AI what u want to play, u want adjust aircon just say u feel cold/hot, u want to discipline rowdy kids at back u call for robotic arm with rotan to come out.
AI is still very unreliable for now and for the near future. We still need buttons!
Johny johni i am a jonnie, and agreed with u my johny brother. No need super big touchscreen on car dashboard.
But buttons are faster….
Until those voice recognition become so perfect that can understand every damn thing u said, buttons are still the way to go. Heck even human themselves sometimes can’t understand each other.
Honesty speaking, when i firs meet my friends after they bought high spec jazz and HR-V, the first thing that come out of my mouth is…
” This is one of the most dangerous car in Malaysia ”
How you gonna set your aircond @ 25′ via touch screen without looking at it?
Errr…u called that touch screen?
I give u on the ‘touch’ part but not the screen part.
Advantage of screen is all button is fixed at one place which is the screen. Problem is to access specific function requires fiddling with the screen.
Put it at 25C and set it to AUTO.
I drive frequently@high speeds and find touchscreens distracting. Yes the screens do look nice – but for safety at higher velocities nothing trumps a good ergonomics, tactile knobs and circular controllers(bmw,merc)are safer.
It’s no different than driving distracted on mobiles, the issue with screens is not only distraction but haven’t you noticed that with touchscreen , simple commands get embedded deeper inside and requires many more touches to engage?
I cannot agree more on this. Touchscreen for the driver is an idiot idea, it’s simply because you cannot feel the soft-buttons on the screen with your fingers.
finally car maker talk sense about this. thumbs up!
Voice Command car interaction is the future, no more finicking through buttons or dials or touch screen.
to each his own…
for me, I am still an old school user…
Totally agree. The controls in automobiles should be designed in such ways that it does not distract the driver from keeping the eyes on the road. I’d like some buttons please.
Clearly old fashion guy, unless he is making a Koenigsegg, i don’t see anything special with jag cars. Boring…
Malaysians have no problems using Facebook or WhatsApp on their phones while driving. I am horrified at how common this is. So yeah, using a touchscreen to adjust your mirrors or climate controls? Kacang only to these people
Good news from Jaguar, hopefully market trends won’t dictate and make them change their approach. We only have to look at the number of videos on YouTube of people walking in to, over and off things while immersed in their mobile touchscreen to imagine the chaos if they were doing the same while being in charge of a vehicle with the potential to harm and even kill more people.
I have never like touchscreen for controls. They are good for displays, but tactile sensation and position of controls are essential for keeping your eyes on the road while adjusting ac and lights etc.
Whatever happened to situation awareness when driving?
That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking all these while. you need to feel your way to the buttons without looking at it while driving.
Nothing beats analogue dials IMHO.
Also, if you are so fixated on screens, you shouldn’t be driving on the roads in the first place.
Have to agree with john on this. Going by voice command is definitely the safer way to go. Otherwise use buttons or dial. You don’t have to look at the when you are using them. Even when a wrong button is, you can feel it and move on to the correct button. On touch screens, touching wrong icons will bring up different functions or menus. This would usually piss you off and make you look longer at the screen. Not something that should happen when you are driving. Yes, I do have a smart phone but I don’t fiddle with it while driving.
Voice control is too clunky.
Example: Ok car, adjust right door mirror 10 degrees in and 5 degrees up.
Repeat until you get the correct adjustment.
Or use a 4 way switch to make the adjustment manually in half the time.
He has the point! The 1st time I see the touch big screen car, I have the same worry as what he mentioned!
In years gone by, i owned a 1964 Jaguar 3.4 s type, it was a great car, powerfull, quiet etc etc. Talking of controls these days in comparison to my old Jag, they are rubish and un safe because you generally have to glance away from driving to press a button or touch screen.
My old Jag was easy in as much that a flick of a switch was all that was needed and after a short while of operating those switches it all came automatically to what switch to flick. I now own a 2.2 X type, its nice but just not the same as it used to be, the touch screen all works but you still have to glance over to it to touch the right part you want, it can be very distracting and can cause acidents. So large touch screens in modern cars I feel are unsafe plus its more to go wrong. Well done Mr Ian Callum .Thanks fod reading me out. Mike Y
So if talking on Mobile while driving is a crime, then how come arguing with an AI voice control or flipping through a 10 inch touch screen amounts to sanity in any sense or context…. Buttons will always have their place and so will the touch screens ( for SatNav, etc) ..
But trying to fit all functions into a touch panel will not work….