Bigger is better: Volvo joins the Tesla big tablet touch screen club

large tablet-like touch screens are the future...at least in Volvos.
large tablet-like touch screens are the future…at least in Volvos.

When it comes to in car controls, today bigger is always better…at least that’s what Volvo is betting on.

Today the Swedish manufacturer provided a glimpse of the brand’s future tablet-like touch screen. While it may not be the current double wide iPad sized screen found in the Tesla Model S, Volvo’s new tablet like screen is certainly an XXL version of the small screens found in many competing European car brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

About time!

Car manufactures just don’t seem to be aware that many of their customers own an iPad or tablet computer. It is hard not to image that many current car owners feel comfortable navigating with their fingers on an iPad.

2014 Volvo Touch ScreenYet, it is striking how even a relatively large 8-inch screen in a modern car seems way too small these days.

The basic idea is to organize controls and information in a perfectly intuitive and user-friendly way. Everything is exactly where you expect it to be, making the drive more enjoyable, efficient, and safe,” says Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice president design at Volvo Car Group.

That maybe a bit heavy on the brand PR, but never-the-less big screens look modern and are much easier to use. For instance the tiny digital buttons found on Ford’s current Sync system can are hard to operate in a moving vehicle.

“Information, navigation and media are high up and easy to keep an eye on. The phone controls, application icons and climate controls are located low, comfortable to reach and touch. Using the screen is so logical that it will be part of your muscle memory very quickly,” explains Ingenlath.

Volvo says  this next car generation touch screen will hit the dealerships with the all-new Volvo XC90 later this year.

Will other manufactures follow in Volvo’s and Tesla’s big screen footsteps?

Yes, yes, and yes. Big screens are becoming the new sign of luxury. It wasn’t all that long ago that push button starters were an expensive feature of only the most luxurious cars. Today they are everywhere. The same will soon be true for the next generation of cars as customers demand the same size tablet in their cars that they use to in their homes and work.

What do you think? Are big tablet like screen the future?

Please let us know in the comments below.