The Coming Wave of In-Dash Auto System Obsolescence

jfruh writes "Automakers are striving mightily to bring their in-dash systems into the modern age, providing integration with smartphones and other advanced features. The problem: while smartphones go in and out of vogue every few years, modern cars have lifespans of a decade or more. Add in the fact that many (though not all) manufacturers have no plans to allow software upgrades to their systems, and you might end up driving a car with a fancy in-dash computer system that's completely useless for much of the time you own it."

Comments

Sure

[Smallpond]

This is a completely new phenomenon with smart phones. At least I'll always have my 8-track player.

Re:Sure

[mekkab]

This is EXACTLY why I've still got my RCA 45rpm record player in my Plymouth. You really appreciate the 'warmth' of vinyl as you're cruising down the highway...

for those who care...

Re:Apples to oranges

[Rob the Bold]

Actually, you wanna get the 8-track to cassette adapter, then put the audio-to-cassette adapter into that slot and plug in the CD player. Then burn your MP3s to CD and your fresh El Camino is rollin' 21st century style. Best to operate the CD off batteries, not the cigarette lighter, lots of potential ground-loop issues with those older radios.

Command-line interface: never goes out of style

[dstone]

Seriously. Just give me a Bash shell. I'll alias some useful stuff to short commands. Voice dictation can reduce the safety issues with keyboard use. And when the car is out of warranty, the dealer has to add me to the wheel group for sudo.

Re:This is already the case with in-dash GPS.

[Joce640k]

Why do you want to send data to your car? A car is for transport.

Re:Apples to oranges

[Smallpond]

There's a 12AU7 burned out in my radio, so I can't use it for anything right now.

there's your GNU/Car

[medcalf]

I bought a GNU/Car. It took me:

• a month to gather all the parts that were not included to the car, but were necessary to its basic operation,
• another two months to find all the parts that those parts depend on,
• a week to assemble the car correctly,
• a few hours to build the custom security system in LISP so that I could open the doors, plus a day to make sure I'd configured and tested all the various access permissions needed to do each task (at first, I forgot the glove box permissions, and since that's where the starter is for some reason located ...),
• three weeks of reading semi-literate documentation that assumes I already know everything about materials engineering, calculus and thermodynamics to figure out how to turn it on and not have it immediately wreck the engine (by the way, those four ruined engines were, cumulatively, expensive),
• three days dealing with the guy in Finland who flamed me when I complained about ruining the second engine for not knowing how to do something as simple as machining my own camshaft,
• oh, yeah, and a week to machine my own camshaft.

But I've now got a completely running GNU/Car. Just one quick question: my lawyer just got back to me on the license terms. Do I really have to let my neighbor use the car whenever he wants? Because that sounds wrong.

Re:This is already the case with in-dash GPS.

[msauve]

"Setting temperature to 75 degrees Celcius."

Re:This is already the case with in-dash GPS.

[NatasRevol]

Now that's funny. But better than Kelvin.

Re:Like BMW's startac phone integration?

[RenderSeven]

I got a nice BMW about the time I got engaged, so it came with a really hot chick in the passenger seat. After 20 years I'd love to upgrade that accessory but I'm locked in, even after changing cars multiple times. Uninstalling the current one is way too pricey, and honestly Im not sure I could figure out how to work the newer models.

Re:Like BMW's startac phone integration?

[Quiet_Desperation]

Should have bought the ejector seat.

Re:This is already the case with in-dash GPS.

[Rich0]

I see you've met my wife.