We put Apple's new CarPlay framework to the test by redesigning several iconic instrument clusters from the pre-screen era. Detailed Case Study: blackboxinfinite.com/CarPlay-...
The original NSX gauges are absolute perfection. Especially the JDM version without the mph gauge. The more I look at those NSX gauges, the more I see that the designers knew exactly what they were doing and totally nailed it.
looks kind-of bad imo. The end of the speedometer and tachometer scales don't stop at the same angle. The red in the big gauges is different than the red used in the other gauges, including the needles. The font is a tad too big making it look clumsy somehow. The scale on the small gauges isn't aligned to the edge of the gauge like on the tach and speedo, making them look oval and not round like the big gauges. Honestly, the more I look at it the more it looks like something I'd find in a truck. After a bit of googling the gauges look very similar to those in a MAN TGX, or an older DAF. So yeah, not what I would want in my supercar. While I agree it's iconic, doesn't mean it's also good.
its obviously subjective but that is the most boring and uninspiring gauge to me. it is literally any gauge cluster from the 90s, my old 94 altima looks the same lol.
Imagine being allowed to create inspired gauge styles and being able to use them. It will just make the experience a whole lot better. Giving you the option to add a classic version of the 911 dials on a current model. Would be sick 😆
Amazing work! I hope we get cars with customizable dashboards in the future and also having the option of downloading pre made ones from older or iconic cars.
Really nice breakdown and reimagination of the aesthetic and personality of each vehicle and brand. I can feel the auto industry feeling nervous about what it might mean to be "tied down" by the foundation Apple is setting in the HMI space, but your take on these classics shows it is a pretty flexible foundation. Thanks for sharing this!
Love the clear BTTF time machine homage in the top right of the Delorean dash (tastefully blurred and uncommented on presumably to avoid pesky copyright issues). Nice touch.
2:29 IMO. You should’ve kept the design of the original gauges on how the RPM climbs and falls with the power curve. Was an interesting touch to show where to keep the revs to maximize performance
I own a c4 corvette, and was literally thinking about this the other day, well more of what would it look like if I used modern tech to recreate my digital dash
These all turned out awesome! I have to ask though, are these actually possible to create with Apple’s tools or are they more proof of concept with the design language?
These look great, and really emphasise how important a sense of personality remains in a digital age. Cars today with basic digital clusters - ie the main numbers without any flair - are going to age horribly as tech moves on, but those which retain a style and a sense of occasion will stay fresh or even iconic. And ultimately, like a good watch, analogue will always be king.
I personally love analog wish it was an option. Lexus made a cool screen one with the LFAs I think car manufacturers should do similar or make oled screens a thing with a plastic around the software gauges to look sort of analog or round oled screens
Still, I don’t really understand, is it possible to make displays like in this video, is that only concept to show Apple what they can upgrade in the system or these layouts are already functional and ready to use?
Looks super cool, one tiny criticism on the S2000 gauge is that on the OG after 6000 RPM the gauge stretches out to the redline, whereas the CarPlay version is consistent with its spacing, perhaps a limitation on CarPlay side?
How quickly will the digital speed numbers update while accelerating (refresh rate)? Will it show EVERY mile per hour increment one at a time, or skip a bunch of numbers when accelerating or braking quickly (like the original S2000)? I'd personally love to see EVERY number updating superfast - in a way better than the original S2000 digital display. Would be really cool under braking and acceleration.
To be honest, most of the redesigns look less readable than the originals, and too generic. I presume some of this is due to the API limitations and/or Apple design guidance. For example, it's hard to read what the RPMs are in between the thousands. For comparison, the NSX or Ferrari tachs only need a quick glance to see the RPMs with ~200 rpm precision. The analog speedometers are IMO a step in the wrong direction at this point. A good responsive digital speedo is all that's needed. Why did you need to make the S2000-inspired speedo a bright rectangle? That bright spot will surely hurt my eyes when driving at night.
It's funny that you showed the linear gen 2 BRZ tachometer in the "Track mode" as an example of "radial tachometers are not good". I don't know a single person who, having driven a gen 1 BRZ (radial analog tach) and a gen 2 BRZ (linear) preferred the linear one. It's much easier to read the analog one, especially when glancing (on track).
It would be nice if people could figure out how to open source this, sort of like how they have with current carplay with a plethora of cheap Chinese android headunits
The Integrale does feel quite “useless” without the RPM markings in my opinion, how am I supposed to know I’m at 4k? “Bar halfway full” is not enough for me, as it lacks the maximum
Dang. Can't believe they forgot about half of the DeLorean's cluster, especially since the new CarPlay infastructure is capable of going across the whole dashboard; the time circuits! Sorry, I had to.
Good designs, but after watching this i have to agree with the critics. The Apple-provided elements and the way they are allowing designers to make them unique are not distinct enough.
Looks great, but my main issue being that most manufactures won't cough up the extra cost of OLED displays, making most potential designs have large areas of "almost black" grey areas if implemented in new cars. Looking like a cheap tablet strapped to the dash board on an otherwise good UI design. While some manufactures do place physical bezels in those grey areas when using cheaper displays, a lot don't. Like what happened to the center console unit when everything turned into the same blank tablet to accommodate carplay/android auto, I'm worried the instrument cluster will follow suit with everyone just using a cheap rectangular screen. Then compensating with UI. There will be no reason in the future to experiment with new displays, or unconventional designs that doesn't conform to a rectangular display.
I don‘t like the (thick) lines every needle drags behind itself. It can be cool but especially in these examples, a needle without any extra design elements would‘ve done a lot better job at recreating most of these original gauges. Though I‘m not even sure if Apple let‘s you do that
Mostly it was about the 911 Turbo, Testarossa (I really miss the needle here…) and NSX (though it looks way better here than on the Porsche. Also I hate the rounded corners on the red rev limit, loses so much snappyness) And the Speedometer on the S2000 looks like a street sign… But I really like the Corvette‘s transition as well as the Delta Integral‘s, where the dragged lines work well, giving it a radar type look with the crosshair.
I just wished you overlaid the redesign on the original or at least showed it toward facing rather than at an angle. And for longer than 3 seconds… Great work though
Or maybe just go back to gauges? Every infotainment looks bad and uses worse, these screens are getting out of hand with their functions, looks, dimensions, usability, comfort.
Modern car UI is so horrible. The only decent UI is Tesla, but even that is merely good, not particularly exciting. How awesome would it be if the UI became an iconic part of car design again in the future.
Apple have drastically overestimated their abilities. They make a great ICE interface, mostly because it's a phone you can legally use while driving. But replacing gauge clusters is less likely than them replacing Rolex with the Apple Watch. This project is clearly dead in the water, now they're trying to persuade the public with a video which was only really intended for auto manufacturers.
To add to this, my iPhone craps out regularly, my gauge cluster has never gone wrong. CarPlay is 'streamed', there is noticeable lag. Dead/forgotten/lost phone = what? CarPlay takes up to 30s to connect, sometimes it doesn't connect at all. No fully custom dials completely destroys any innovation, auto manufacturers are totally beholden to Apple's 'innovations'. The list is a mile long.
