Multimedia Headaches

With big screens having made their way into cars, manufacturers are now facing a new challenge. These companies, many of which have been building cars for a very long time, now have to move outside of their mechanical comfort zone and try their hand at computers.

As trivial as it may seem, replacing physical buttons with touch screens means that manufacturers must now get into the computer business and develop operating systems that, as the name suggests, will take care of operating the automobile components.

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It’s obvious that they aren’t experts in the field.

In IT, if you have a PC, you use a version of Windows, and if you have a Mac, you use a version of OSX. But imagine 20-odd types of computers, each with its own control software.

That’s the case in the automobile industry, where each manufacturer is attempting to design programs capable of intuitively controlling the radio, air conditioning, heated seats, navigation, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, no system is perfect and we’re a long way from the fluidity of an iPhone or the versatility of an Android.

Apple and Google to the rescue

Smartphone giants have stepped up to the plate. More and more cars are offering the possibility of controlling almost all of the itemized settings previous directly on your telephone.

Apple CarPlay transforms your touch screen into an iPhone, while Android Auto literally transforms your car into an application.

Although this is only the beginning for these new technologies, it’s good to see that these important systems are increasingly being entrusted to the experts. Automakers treat their computers like several of their cars’ components and outsource production to people who know what they’re doing.