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      11-21-2012, 09:18 PM   #27
drob23
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Drives: S4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SamS View Post
Well you have to put it in perspective. First, BMW has to keep up with features offered by competitors, apps and such. That type of integration needs processing power. Second, these Nav systems typically have 5 year lifespans before they appear dated. The current system was introduced for MY2009, and surely was in development for 1-2 years prior. Several MY2013 and MY2014 cars will still use the current system, so they got a solid 5 years out of it. Now, with the new system, they have to build it fast enough now to support 5 more years of use/applications.

I've updated the software on my '12 M3, it was painless.

If you want to see the new iDrive in action, here is a video http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/05/bmw-idrive-4x/


If you're familiar with the current-gen system, you'll immediately notice the increase speed based on user input, as well as more detail in the maps.
The smooth interface is great, but is it improved aside from menu's and snappyness? Is the current implementation built on google maps? That would be a great upgrade...The view from the street - not so great IMO, I never use this with google nav on my phone.

Why do they upgrade all that hardware but not improve the resolution of the screen? That would make this a must have upgrade. It would also be cool if there was an HDMI input, so you could hook up your phone to the display.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not saying it's a bad thing. If the apps BMW offers really enhance the experience then I'll admit that's great. I for one could care less about twitter or facebook or whatever social media one can access. I enjoy mobile apps most when it extends the capability of a device, for example foxfi (free unrooted tether) or flixster (get movie times/watch trailers).

I guess I'm just surprised that there's so much interest and people canceling orders just to have a snappier interface, better menu's and better social media.

At a certain point hardware tends to outpace software...there really isn't a noticeable difference between a core2duo and ivy bridge from a purely UI experience, maybe if you are using software that actually utilizes it. A cell phone OTH can really benefit with new multi-core processors - power improvements, multi-tasking etc.

/rant
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