New iDrive... ugly or not?

[synclastica_86]

I'm sure you've seen lots ofpictures of the new iDrive comming on th 09's... The new interface is nothing less thn gorgeous... but the same cannot be said about its controls... The old metal knob looks more classy and elegant... the newly added buttons makes the center console looks crowded... sure it gives the diver easy access to key functions and possibly make the iDrive more user friendly... but is it worth it?

Does the new iDrive looks like it came from a toyota camry or does the fact that it came from Deutchland makes it cool?

[Big Windy]

I think it is cool. I think that it would have been cooler to have programmable buttons instead of the standard radio/nav/tel etc...but this is a big step forward IMO

[Radiation Joe]

[QUOTE=synclastica_86;3139620]... the newly added buttons makes the center console looks crowded... QUOTE]

ARRRGGGGG!!!!!!

There is no winning here. The whole point of iDrive was to reduce clutter and minimize the number of controls. Everyone and his dog complained about having to dive through menus in order to get to the simple functions. Then those same people complimented Audi for the MMI interface (menu buttons very similar to the improved iDrive). Now BMW produces an iDrive with essentially an MMI interface and we're complaining about that. Somewhere, the project engineer responsible for iDrive just shot him/herself.

[addy85]

[QUOTE=Radiation Joe;3139715]

Originally Posted by synclastica_86

... the newly added buttons makes the center console looks crowded... QUOTE]

ARRRGGGGG!!!!!!

There is no winning here. The whole point of iDrive was to reduce clutter and minimize the number of controls. Everyone and his dog complained about having to dive through menus in order to get to the simple functions. Then those same people complimented Audi for the MMI interface (menu buttons very similar to the improved iDrive). Now BMW produces an iDrive with essentially an MMI interface and we're complaining about that. Somewhere, the project engineer responsible for iDrive just shot him/herself.

calm down sparky. I like the new Idrive, I think its a nice upgrade and will be easier to use

[!Xoible]

not that it's ugly, but that knob thing is still a problem. this thing needs some serious iPhone-like touch screen

[M3101]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

not that it's ugly, but that knob thing is still a problem. this thing needs some serious iPhone-like touch screen

[Big Windy]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

not that it's ugly, but that knob thing is still a problem. this thing needs some serious iPhone-like touch screen

do you mean a touch screen for the idrive, or another touch screen down by where the idrive controller knob is? because if you mean the second one, i think that would be a disaster.

[TLud]

I'm all about function over form. Obviously, the old knob looked much more clean, but this isn't an iPod. The extra buttons will make it much more easy to quickly navigate between the many different menus.

[Radiation Joe]

[QUOTE=addy85;3139728]

Originally Posted by Radiation Joe

calm down sparky. I like the new Idrive, I think its a nice upgrade and will be easier to use

I think I will like the new interface. I was just pointing out the irony of saying the new interface clutters the interior.

Sparky? I'm a radiation sponge, not a sparky. Nuclear Engineer. Modifying nuclear reactors is my game. My bald head might not be hereditary.

Sparkys are electrical guys.

[addy85]

Originally Posted by Radiation Joe

I think I will like the new interface. I was just pointing out the irony of saying the new interface clutters the interior.

Sparky? I'm a radiation sponge, not a sparky. Nuclear Engineer. Modifying nuclear reactors is my game. My bald head might not be hereditary.

Sparkys are electrical guys.

At least you got a sense of humor unlike many people on here

[xsilvor]

[QUOTE=Radiation Joe;3139776]

Originally Posted by addy85

I think I will like the new interface. I was just pointing out the irony of saying the new interface clutters the interior.

Sparky? I'm a radiation sponge, not a sparky. Nuclear Engineer. Modifying nuclear reactors is my game. My bald head might not be hereditary.

Sparkys are electrical guys.

I wanted to be a nuclear engineer... I'm just a boring mechanical/biomedical.

And, being that I'm an engineer, I approve of the new system. Any technological step forward is a good thing, right!?

[Big Windy]

Originally Posted by TLud

I'm all about function over form. Obviously, the old knob looked much more clean, but this isn't an iPod. The extra buttons will make it much more easy to quickly navigate between the many different menus.

i still haven't seen the main menu picture yet. if it looks like the old idrive with communication, entertainment, etc...i doubt many will use those shortcut buttons. i like going from the root directory/menu.

[masmole]

I like the old milled aluminum iDrive knob exclusive to M cars and the simplicity of just one menu button. The new knob that spawns the extra buttons flanking it looks out of place, looks tacky, and obviously doesn't simplify operation much. I dislike Audi's MMI's because of this design. I do like the new high resolution screen from what I've seen in pics and having a full screen map is FTW! I still don't understand why BMW haven't done full screen maps with the original iDrive system. It's not like it's a hardware limitation.

[booforty]

looks kinda nice I suppose

[Big Windy]

Originally Posted by masmole

looks tacky

really?

[southlight]

Originally Posted by Big Windy

i still haven't seen the main menu picture yet. if it looks like the old idrive with communication, entertainment, etc...i doubt many will use those shortcut buttons. i like going from the root directory/menu.

Here's a picture of the main menu:




Best regards, south

[Big Windy]

Originally Posted by southlight

Here's a picture of the main menu:

Attachment 176462


Best regards, south

always coming to the rescue. i guess that i have seen this menu plenty of times but didn't know that this was actually the root menu. it looks like these quick buttons might actually be useful instead of having to spin the dial around.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Big Windy

do you mean a touch screen for the idrive, or another touch screen down by where the idrive controller knob is? because if you mean the second one, i think that would be a disaster.

why would i mean that? lol touch screen just like every other car in the world

[Big Windy]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

why would i mean that? lol touch screen just like every other car in the world

haha, i have no clue. i guess they'd have to bring the screen lower then. possibly in the place of the climate controls. it'd be too far to reach at the current position i think. i'm not a touch screen fan though...it is too distracting. there is no way to operate it without looking.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Big Windy

haha, i have no clue. i guess they'd have to bring the screen lower then. possibly in the place of the climate controls. it'd be too far to reach at the current position i think. i'm not a touch screen fan though...it is too distracting. there is no way to operate it without looking.

yes but having to type stuff scrolling should not be an option. any HCI engineer should have told them that.
their categories are ridiculously unrealistic and confused.
very tough to search for what u want

[Big Windy]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

yes but having to type stuff scrolling should not be an option. any HCI engineer should have told them that.
their categories are ridiculously unrealistic and confused.
very tough to search for what u want

agree completely. but not sure touch is the solution. the search function s for version 1.0 are terrible...not sure about 2.0 yet.

[!Xoible]

voice would be good, too bad i dont have a german accent, otherwise i could use it