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Re: exactly... Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:08:01
In Reply to: Re: exactly..., James, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:32:11 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Most of the technology in cars for the past 3-5 years *is* upgradeable, it's just that manufacturers choose not to do it. Cell phones are no different - a three year old cell phone is not some primitive device compared to what's on the market today. Apple until just a few months ago did a snappy business selling "ancient" iPhone 3GSs even as the iPhone 4 was available. The difference is that - Apple being an ironic exception here (given their history with Mac OS) - cell phone manufacturers have zero interest in developing updates for "old" phones. They want you to buy a new one. Just like car manufacturers.
It is not that car (or cell phone) manufacturers are incapable of producing upgradeable or extensible gadgets with a more or less indefinite lifespan, it's that there is zero incentive to do it. Until consumers start demanding a way to keep old stuff around - which they *never* will - why is Lexus going to spend the dollars to "upgrade" their car much less design a system that is upgradeable? They aren't - for the EXACT reason that is discussed below... the cost of going the extra mile will NEVER be benefit to the bottom line. In fact, these guys know what 2025 is going to look like, and they have a very carefully crafted roadmap pock-marked with "good enough" between then and now, doling out new and exciting at strategic intervals so they can keep selling new stuff.
People fundamentally don't want old cars. I'm an exception, most people on this board are an exception, but the vast majority of people want new cars. They want new safety features (not addressable with software), they want new fuel economy features (not addressable with software), they want shiny new paint, a sparkling clean interior, and the current aesthetic. None of that is addressable with software. Offering incremental improvements to other components of the cars to go with the new/shiny is one more hook these guys can put into a consumer to ensure each new model sells better than the last.
I am going to venture all the folks whining about "I don't want nav built into my car!" are mostly butt hurt because when they buy that car 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand it's going to have a big useless hole in the dash. Get over it. I'd encourage you to learn how embedded systems work and hack that useless hole in your dash to do something productive. Plenty of folks are doing it, probably by the time we all buy a 2012 Focus with a useless navigation system (in 2019, yeah?) it'll be old hat anyway. It's not like GPS or TFT is facing any major change in the next few years. All you need to do is provide the brains, the logic, and a soldering iron. Nothing people who flip reverse gears and put Buick ABS accumulators on their cars can't handle, right?
posted by 69.62.186...
, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:15:12, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:41:46, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:08:01 <-- Viewing This Message, Thu, 1 Dec 2011 10:18:36, Thu, 1 Dec 2011 16:49:30, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:36:35
, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:16:46
, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:46:41, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:36:57, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:47:35, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:07:14, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:27:49, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:21:46, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:59:32
, Thu, 1 Dec 2011 04:36:36, Fri, 2 Dec 2011 12:26:32, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:24:14, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:28:32, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:34:20, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:30:27, Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:13:07, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:07:43, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:22:56, Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:14:39
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