We’ve gotten our first glimpse of the Jonny Ive, Marc Newson-designed Ferrari Luce electric supercar cockpit, and aside from the stunning aesthetic, it’s perhaps most notable for what it doesn’t include: a touchscreen.
I still remember the first time I sat in the passenger seat of a Tesla Model S and was confronted with its 17-inch portrait-mode display. A novelty at the time, the huge flat panel was placed squarely between the driver and me. While there was a much smaller dashboard display for the driver, a lot of the information about our drive, including critical information like the nearest charging station, was all on that touch display.
Speaking this week at a roundtable event, Ive told The Drive, “Yeah, I think a large touchscreen practically, functionally, doesn’t work. That’s incontrovertible.”
“It served a purpose when we developed it, but we were very clear about why we developed it for the products we did,” Ive added.
Touchscreens everywhere?
Over time, those assertions have held less water as Apple has moved the iPad closer and closer to the MacBook. The latest iPadOS supports a multi-window experience that would be at home on any laptop, and there are also more than a few rumors claiming we may still see a touchscreen MacBook.
The analogy for cars, though, only goes so far. There’s arguably a bigger and more important reason for not using touchscreens in cars: safety.
I own an aging Mazda 6 that does include a center-mounted infotainment screen. When the car is in motion, the touchscreen capabilities cease functioning, and I have to use a multi-control knob on the center console mounted between our seats. Of course, that display doesn’t have mission-critical information on it. I might also contend that tapping it while driving isn’t that distracting.
However, in explaining why he so dislikes touchscreens on cars, Ive mentioned functions being buried layers deep, and the driver looking at the screen when they shouldn’t be.
The Ferrari Luce does have a large-ish, center-mounted, rotating console, but it’s not a touchscreen. Instead, each feature appears to be controlled by distinct and beautifully-designed buttons. This interior manages to be modern yet classic, a distinctive Ive touch if there ever was one.
The case for and against in-car touchscreens
During that first drive in a Model S, I recall that I, as a passenger, spent a lot of time staring at that big screen while my driver kept his eyes firmly glued to the road. As we started to run low on charge, he finally started tapping the display to find the next available charging station. He did it casually and with only passing glances at the screen. I didn’t think he was distracted, but then he knew the car, and knew how to navigate the Tesla platform.
Ive may be right that sometimes we take an innovation too far, and to places it doesn’t belong, but I’m not convinced that touchscreens don’t belong in a car. I see the benefit of getting valuable information at a tap (though perhaps voice control might be better), and I think Tesla and other auto manufacturers know well enough not to bury any critical information too deeply in the system. These touchscreen systems are designed to support the drive, and are not bolted on tablets with intricate, many-levels-deep operating systems.
In-cockpit touchscreens make sense when they focus on images and large, obvious controls, and I would not draw a through-line from looking and touching these screens to texting while driving – as someone who’s driven alongside such lunatics, I can see how long it takes them to read and type while they swerve all over the road.
While I don’t agree with Ive, I do see a need for moderation. The car I want will have a mix of big touchscreens and physical buttons.
That said, poorly-designed in-car touchscreens that put too much of a car’s functionality into the display might pose a safety risk. In fact, the US National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration sets guidelines for locking out non-driving functions while driving (though these rules are now 26 years old), and there’s a broader consensus that long periods of time spent using these screens can pose a safety risk.
While I don’t agree with Ive, I do see a need for moderation. The car I want will have a mix of big touchscreens and physical buttons. I worry that in an effort to remove touch, car manufacturers might simply remove big displays, and then I lose, for instance, that large, turn-by-turn navigation I love.
Ive’s Ferrari Luce design makes a statement about in-car touchscreens, but it’s unlikely to be as influential as Ive’s work on multi-touch consumer devices. After all, when the electric supercar does finally arrive in 2028 it might cost $500,000, ensuring that it only appeals to the ultra-rich.
If Ive is serious about wiping the scourge of touchscreens from all car cockpits, he might consider partnering up with Ford or Toyota to design a cabin for a truly affordable EV.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
