Ferrari's first electric car is already challenging one of the biggest trends in modern automotive design, and it hasn't even been fully revealed yet. According to legendary designer Jony Ive, the industry's obsession with giant touchscreens is fundamentally flawed, and the upcoming Ferrari Luce is therefore ditching the concept.
Speaking about the project to Top Gear, Ive made his stance clear: large touchscreens don't belong at the centre of the driving experience. Instead, the Luce focuses on blending digital tech with physical, tactile controls that drivers can use without taking their eyes off the road.
"Practically and functionally, a large touchscreen doesn't work in a car. That's incontrovertible. I find it easy and lazy. This is a space where there can be an infatuation with style and fashion. Marc [Newson] and I understand culture, and we've done a lot of work in that area. But there has to be rigour. User interface design is also a relatively new discipline, and it was very clear why we developed it for the products that we did," he says.
That philosophy marks a sharp break from the current direction of the industry, where many brands have pushed almost every function into screen-based menus. Ive, best known for shaping the iPhone and modern touchscreen interfaces, now argues that approach simply doesn't translate well to cars, where usability and attention are critical.
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