The knob has it!
How did the world interact with an automobile over the last two decades? Just ask BMW.
Not only is BMW iDrive revolutionary in countless ways, the operating system and its one-stop dial control is celebrating a notable anniversary. It has been 20 years since this system made its debut, and a look back on its history is not only noteworthy, but relevant in a multitude of ways. That is because, despite its longevity, this forward-thinking enhancement, which continues to evolve, can be found on nearly every car today. Planned to be even more digital, smarter and more connected than ever before, take a moment to reflect on its exciting past!
Here’s more….
2001
The start of the iDRIVE in 2001 was due in large part to BMW’s ingenuity to rid vehicles of the over-abundance of switches, once controlling such things as air conditioning, navigation, entertainment and more. In plain terms, they wanted to provide a simpler way for drivers to interact with their cars.
The new control system, dubbed the iDrive, was unveiled in the BMW 7 Series, radically reducing the number of buttons on the dashboard — a great first start! This addressed what BMW saw as a problem — there needed to be a way to unify control of secondary-to-driving systems under a single, center-mourned controller. To do so, they replaced those pesky gadgets with a single push-and-turn dial on the center console named the iDrive Controller.
Burkhard Goeschel, of BMW’s Board of Management, was quoted at that time: “If you want to set new standards, you must be prepared to break new ground,” he said. “We felt that a radically different shape and a radically different ergonomic concept were compulsory to leapfrog the competition.”
This was accompanied by a Control display which came in the form of a color screen on the dashboard. These two changes allowed for a wide range of vehicle features to be operated by a single unit, sleek in appearance and extremely user-friendly. In addition to these initial shifts, the 7 Series was the first model to ever offer voice control for selected features.
The iDrive, although revolutionary without a doubt, underwent its own fair share of tweaks so as to result in an easier-to-use system.
2001-2007/2007-2016
These years were marked by continued improvements and enhancements to the system, including the feature of “favourites buttons,” designed to store individually selected operating steps to make the system that much more intuitive. Direct selection buttons were also integrated
into the most frequently used functions — again making complete sense and providing ease of use for the driver.
Head-up display is introduced during this time period, 2004 to be exact, resulting in BMW being the first manufacturer to integrate this feature for the driver. This resulted in the projection of pertinent driving information onto the windscreen, and straight into the driver’s view.
iDrive also was a trailblazer in other ways when it came to intuitive controls as well as new digital services to be integrated into BMW models. In 2007, Google Search was integrated into the iDrive and a year later, BMW became the first vehicle manufacturer worldwide to offer full access to the Internet. Since 2012, users have had the ability to integrate third-party apps into the system as well.
By 2009, and with the debut of the F01 7-Series, BMW introduced a new iDrive interface, one that served to simplify its operation by bringing back a little of the complexity it first sought to replace. In addition to the dial, the system featured shortcut buttons to access stereo, phone and navigation menus plus a much-needed “back” button. A wider screen also debuted as well as a completely revamped menu system. Continual tweaks and refinements took place into 2012, with the new 535i in for its first test.
An innovative Touch Controller also debuted in 2014, allowing the user to put characters in “handwriting,” with the overall system serving to set new and high standards within the automotive industry. To that end, even today, many manufactures are using an adapted version of the display-controller combination to operate their vehicles.
2016-2020
If it was even possible, the iDrive operating system got even smarter with drivers realizing the benefits of even more connected control over their cars. Thanks to the BMW Connected app, drivers can see their vehicle status information and transfer navigation and other data straight to their cars, all through their smartphones! That translates into what today’s version of the MyBMW app represents, including a wide array of features.
Meanwhile, voice control is continually enhanced during this time period, with an integrated BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant serving as the new digital companion of every driver with a suitably equipped BMW.
2021
This is when the next-generation, dubbed the iDrive 8.0, comes into play. To coincide with the 20th anniversary, the latest and greatest generation of the BMW iDrive takes the relationship of the driver and the vehicle to the highest of levels! Not only does the system expertly bridge the gap between analogue and digital technologies, and human and machine, but it represents and lauds another paradigm shift by BMW in intelligent automotive controls. It is also context-sensitive, with the capability to store personal profiles and anticipate needs.
Between exciting upgrades that continue as well as more and more smart features, all of which provide drivers all that is needed to operate their cars moving forward, the iDrive
has done nothing but evolve and excite. BMW not only simplifies controls through this system, but revolutionizes a driver’s relationship with a vehicle. The knob has it
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