Five Features for the Tech-Saavy Car
Here is an article from CNN Money about a partnership announced between Ford and Microsoft.
They are talking about a system that will be in the new Ford cars that will let them wirelessly download email, MP3s and allow you to talk hands-free on your cell phone. It just shows me that Ford doesn’t get it. I don’t need my car to download MP3s.
Here is a list of five things that the tech-saavy person needs from their car:
Several Electrical Plugs: I want to plug in whatever I need, whether it’s my laptop, cell phone charger or a DVD player. Preferrably, I would like a plug for every seat, an extra plug for the driver’s seat and two plugs in the trunk. Sure, I can use a converter, but why should I? If you want to make me happy put some REAL electrical plugs in the car instead of those nearly useless cigarette lighter units.
Gas-Efficiency: Why are they wasting time trying to get my car to download MP3s when I’m paying almost three dollars for one gallon of gas? Being gas efficient is just as high-tech as MP3s. Wow me with a car that can get 50 MPG without plugging it into the wall. That’s the kind of gadgetry I can really get behind!
Drink-Holders: I don’t think car companies realize how much we live in our cars. I want built-in drink holders that will hold ANY drink I want. This technology hasn’t been perfected yet and convenience stores and beverage companies are constantly trying to create containers that will work in our cars’ pathetic drink holders. If I have to commute for an hour in traffic, I don’t always want a coffee. Maybe I’ll want a Big Gulp. Maybe I’ll want a soda in a bottle. Impress me by inventing a drink holder that will work with whatever drink I might be obsessed with right now. When I’m driving from one end of the country to another, I’m going to be drinking a wide variety of drinks. Make a drink holder that works with all of them and you’ll have my heart.
Unique Design: All the cars look the same. Right now, you can choose between sedan, van, compact and SUV. That’s it. Every car from every manufacturer falls into those categories. I want a car that looks DIFFERENT. That’s why the VW Beetle, the P.T. Cruiser and that funny box of a Scion are interesting to folks. They don’t look like all the other cars. Sure, they pigeon-holed the Beetle into the compact car category, but nothing else looks like it. Quit designing the same car over and over. Give me something completely different.
Standardized Stereo Units: It is so difficult to change the stereo in a car that there are technicians who are hired to do that every day. A smart car company would adopt standardized stereo units that can be swapped out easily. To prevent theft, they should require a key or RFID tag of some sort, but I want to be able to just pull it out of my car like an old 8-track tape. I want to be able to swap easily between a GPS system, fully functional stereo or even a DVD player for the passenger seat. I don’t want to have to worry about whether there is a free technician to install my new GPS system. I want to be able to just pull out the old one and easily plug in the new technology. Since I expect my car to last longer than the lastest technology, I want to be able to replace the stereo without involving anyone else.
It seems like car companies are wasting their resources trying to get their cars to wirelessly download MP3s and have a person online who can unlock your car remotely when what I really need is pretty simple. Stop listening to what other companies tell you what you need and start listening to your customers. We’re here, screaming our needs to you and it feels like you never listen.