Mercedes-Benz is the latest to backtrack on touchscreens and focus more on physical controls in their vehicles.
Jesus Diaz from Fast Company (News+ link):
For years, Mercedes-Benz has relied on touchscreens as the command center of its vehicles. Is it too hot? Tap the screen to set the AC temperature. Want to listen to the news? Tap. Defrost the rear window? Tap, tap, tap. While the automaker has retained some physical controls in its cars, its modern user experience is effectively built around the screen.
But that’s about to change.
Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, recently announced that the company would be centering future car design around physical controls instead of screens. “The data shows us physical buttons are better,” Östberg told Autocar at the Munich motor show. He says Mercedes will begin integrating more physical controls into its digitally focused cabins starting in 2026.
Mercedes’ announcement is part of a bigger industry trend…
with carmakers like Hyundai leading the charge to bring back knobs and buttons to its cars. Earlier this year, fellow German automaker Volkswagen, also announced plans to fix its touchscreen problem, saying that it was “taking a step back to move forward.”
After more than a decade of car screens growing bigger and brighter, the auto industry finally seems to be acknowledging what drivers (and science!) has known all along: physical buttons are safer and more pleasant to use.
I hear the sound of nails hammering a coffin shut. What’s inside you ask?
CarPlay Ultra.
Jesus Diaz from Fast Company (News+ link):
For years, Mercedes-Benz has relied on touchscreens as the command center of its vehicles. Is it too hot? Tap the screen to set the AC temperature. Want to listen to the news? Tap. Defrost the rear window? Tap, tap, tap. While the automaker has retained some physical controls in its cars, its modern user experience is effectively built around the screen.
But that’s about to change.
Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, recently announced that the company would be centering future car design around physical controls instead of screens. “The data shows us physical buttons are better,” Östberg told Autocar at the Munich motor show. He says Mercedes will begin integrating more physical controls into its digitally focused cabins starting in 2026.
Mercedes’ announcement is part of a bigger industry trend…
with carmakers like Hyundai leading the charge to bring back knobs and buttons to its cars. Earlier this year, fellow German automaker Volkswagen, also announced plans to fix its touchscreen problem, saying that it was “taking a step back to move forward.”
After more than a decade of car screens growing bigger and brighter, the auto industry finally seems to be acknowledging what drivers (and science!) has known all along: physical buttons are safer and more pleasant to use.
I hear the sound of nails hammering a coffin shut. What’s inside you ask?
CarPlay Ultra.
This is why Apple will not make an Apple Ring.
Daniel from ZONEofTECH just went through a harrowing experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. The battery swelled up, leading to the ring being stuck on his finger. He missed a flight, and had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.
This could have ended really badly with a finger amputation (or worse), but thankfully he’s OK. Looks like it’s not the smartest thing to wrap a curved battery around your finger. Unfortunately, this isn’t Samsung’s first rodeo either with bad batteries. At least with a watch or earbuds, you can easily flick them off before any serious damage is done.
People want Apple to make a smart ring, but with AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watches, Apple has 99% of the health market covered when it comes to health tracker placement. I do fall into the 1% who would like a more hidden placement, but definitely not a ring.
Daniel from ZONEofTECH just went through a harrowing experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. The battery swelled up, leading to the ring being stuck on his finger. He missed a flight, and had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.
This could have ended really badly with a finger amputation (or worse), but thankfully he’s OK. Looks like it’s not the smartest thing to wrap a curved battery around your finger. Unfortunately, this isn’t Samsung’s first rodeo either with bad batteries. At least with a watch or earbuds, you can easily flick them off before any serious damage is done.
People want Apple to make a smart ring, but with AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watches, Apple has 99% of the health market covered when it comes to health tracker placement. I do fall into the 1% who would like a more hidden placement, but definitely not a ring.
Apple Watch Series 3 breaks Apple’s rules for what is considered vintage.
Joe Rossignol from MacRumors:
All models of the Apple Watch Series 3 were also added to Apple's vintage products list today, a little more than eight years after the device launched.
Apple’s definition of vintage:
Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.
The Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, so technically it shouldn’t be vintage until September 2027. It did have a long run though, being available for sale from 2017-2022. My guess is they made it vintage because it’s just way too outdated both from a software and hardware standpoint.
The vintage period for most Apple products is between 5 and 7 years from when Apple stopped selling a product, and you can still get hardware repairs done. After 7 years, the product becomes obsolete, and Apple stops all hardware support. There are some exceptions but that’s the general rule.
Fun fact - The Series 3 was the best and last version of the original Apple Watch design, with its more boxy shape. If you’re a collector, now is a good time to have Apple swap out the battery before they run out of components, especially if you have the white ceramic model. The Series 3 in general is still a beautiful device that is a good weekend watch, and is worth saving.
Joe Rossignol from MacRumors:
All models of the Apple Watch Series 3 were also added to Apple's vintage products list today, a little more than eight years after the device launched.
Apple’s definition of vintage:
Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.
The Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, so technically it shouldn’t be vintage until September 2027. It did have a long run though, being available for sale from 2017-2022. My guess is they made it vintage because it’s just way too outdated both from a software and hardware standpoint.
The vintage period for most Apple products is between 5 and 7 years from when Apple stopped selling a product, and you can still get hardware repairs done. After 7 years, the product becomes obsolete, and Apple stops all hardware support. There are some exceptions but that’s the general rule.
Fun fact - The Series 3 was the best and last version of the original Apple Watch design, with its more boxy shape. If you’re a collector, now is a good time to have Apple swap out the battery before they run out of components, especially if you have the white ceramic model. The Series 3 in general is still a beautiful device that is a good weekend watch, and is worth saving.