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mac-like behavior found in other places...

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do you have any examples of mac-like behavior found in things other than computers?

here's my favorite example. go ahead and share yours!

my subaru forester has an external lighting situation that's pretty unique. i've owned and driven cars from nearly every common manufacturer in the us and the subbie is the only one i've seen that does this. other cars you need to turn the lights off yourself (and remind you with a chime if you don't), or they shut off automatically after a while once you leave the car.

mine simply turn off when you turn off the car. period. simple. i can leave them on all the time (and working nights in minnesota in the winter i pretty much do) and never worry about accidentally leaving them on.
now you might say, "what if you needed to have the lights on when the car is off?" well, subaru placed a convenient little rocker switch on top of the steering column so you can turn on the parking lights whether you have the key in the ignition or not (sort of like a hazard lights switch - and i have one of those too).

neat!
 
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Every care I have ever owned (or my parents have owned) for as long as I can remember had that feature except the latest 07 mustang but hey its not an car with alot of features.. its just cool and fast...

my moms car however.. has automatic high beams.. if you are in a dark area it automaticly turns the high beams on... the fraction of a second it notices another car on the road (be it a break light or head light but not a street light, or reflector) it turns them off.. pretty mac like if you ask me.
 
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eric

eric


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Every care I have ever owned (or my parents have owned) for as long as I can remember had that feature

odd. are you sure they just weren't the timed-off variety? you're saying they all just shut off immediately when you turned off the ignition? what kinds of cars were they?
 
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I'm lost, what's the mac tie-in on these examples? I'm guessing you're referring to the lighted keyboard. Similar, but I doubt the maker was inspired directly by an Apple product. I'm pretty sure many cars did have the functionality of headlights going off when the key was turned for some time now; I'm sure it would be much easier to simply make the lights come off instantly. But I think many people like the time-delay because it offers them light to get where their going in the dark. Also good for security reasons. If they could make a switch option between time-delay and instant, that would be great.

Sensor technology can make so many things more convenient and user friendly, but their not widely used. My Mazda has automatic climate control where I set the temp and the car keeps it. Simple enough, but the cool thing is that it has a sunlight sensor on the dash, so if sunlight is beaming down on the car, the climate control system takes that into account. Very nice.


I wonder when the "turning headlights" will become more standard. I think that's a great feature people would instantly love.
 
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eric

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the tie in is just doing things a different way than "the norm", and that it seems to really make sense.

my tie in is just that you don't really see parking and headlights/foglights tied directly to the ignition. normally you get the chime or you get the delay (though you can set a short delay). the added parking light switch that is not tied to the ignition is a nice bonus.
 
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odd. are you sure they just weren't the timed-off variety? you're saying they all just shut off immediately when you turned off the ignition? what kinds of cars were they?

Every car I've owned shuts off the headlights when you turn off the ignition. VWs, Chevys, BMWs, Mercedesseses.

Also, I don't see how this is "mac-like" behavior. Windows shuts the off the computer and the screen since about 98 (W95 still had the "It's now safe to turn off the computer" screen)

Are you a native of Oregon, per chance?
 
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When I got my Westinghouse HDTV, I was surprised that when you plug in a new source (HDMI DVD Player for example) it automatically switches sources to the newest input.

I thought this was pretty Mac-like...
 
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Every care I have ever owned (or my parents have owned) for as long as I can remember had that feature except the latest 07 mustang but hey its not an car with alot of features.. its just cool and fast...

my moms car however.. has automatic high beams.. if you are in a dark area it automaticly turns the high beams on... the fraction of a second it notices another car on the road (be it a break light or head light but not a street light, or reflector) it turns them off.. pretty mac like if you ask me.

that's pretty cool. One thing I noticed about cars in Japan, is that if you're sitting in traffic with the headlights on, they'll turn themselves off if the car is stationary for a set period, and automatically come on again as soon as the car moves. Probably not unique to Japan, but it's something I've never seen in Aus. That just reminds me of the monitor dimming itself or going to sleep if idle.

Also on the topic of cars, I recall a concept car (Toyota I believe) recording your personal settings (seat and mirror adjustments, radio station etc.) - much like preferences or user switching for mac.

Similar to those high-beams sensing the light, my old mobile senses the light like that, and will turn the keypad backlight on. Pretty nifty for a 3 year old phone. I believe the macbook pro keyboard lights work like that, right?

I also now have an external HD that actually WORKS. That's VERY mac-like :p heheheh

The Nintendo Wii menus remind me of OS X, and the simplicity of configuring internet settings as well. Just left everything to auto configure and it was up in no time.
 
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that's pretty cool. One thing I noticed about cars in Japan, is that if you're sitting in traffic with the headlights on, they'll turn themselves off if the car is stationary for a set period, and automatically come on again as soon as the car moves.

I rented a Renault a few years ago in the UK, and I didn't have to do anything! The lights came on when it was dark, went off when I got out, etc. The wipers would even start when the windscreen got wet and regulate speed as the rain got faster. Marvellous.

Going back to a 19 year old Volkswagen was a pain, I tell you!
 
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Okay, I just tried it on a mercedes c class, and it does not switch the lights off, neither does a honda or a bmw - it only turns the main beam off as do most cars
 
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Okay, I just tried it on a mercedes c class, and it does not switch the lights off, neither does a honda or a bmw - it only turns the main beam off as do most cars

BMW 7 series = yes
BMW 5 series = yes
Lincoln Navigator = yes
Mercedes S class = yes
Mercedes G class = yes

Ford Mustang = No
BMW 3 series = No
Mercedes C class = (as you stated) no


only cars I was able to get access to...
 
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This thread stayed on topic well...
 
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oh yes it did... we are still kinda talking about mac like functions, but now we are discussing where we can find certain ones that have been mentioned.
 
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Powerbook, lol. OK, I stand corrected. I can't believe you found all that out to be honest!
 
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BMW 7 series = yes
BMW 5 series = yes
Lincoln Navigator = yes
Mercedes S class = yes
Mercedes G class = yes

Ford Mustang = No
BMW 3 series = No
Mercedes C class = (as you stated) no


only cars I was able to get access to...
VW Beetle ('84) = no :)

Glad to be of assistance!

I find Sony Ericsson's recent phone UI is fairly Mac-like...
Common tasks are easy to find and you can constantly find subtle tricks and shortcuts that make things really easy.
 
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eric

eric


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still shirking the delay vs ignition keyed to all exterior lights issue, eh? additionally, you're talking about cars most of us probably won't ever own (or care to blow so much money on). i'll check their sites, maybe even forums dedicated to these vehicles. i'm guessing they all have delay - this would make much more sense on a luxury car (most have had this for at least 30 years).

Are you a native of Oregon, per chance?

uh, no. quite the opposite - new jersey. moved to minnesota 14 years ago when i was 22. and i won't go into my car history... it's extensive.
 
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my toyota tundra shuts off the lights when i turn it off.
 
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I think it's rather ego-centric to claim anything new and different in any product is "mac-like behavior"; It implies nothing was innovative or new before macs.
 
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I think it's rather ego-centric to claim anything new and different in any product is "mac-like behavior"; It implies nothing was innovative or new before macs.

Do you ever lighten up or are you like this all the time?
 
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I think it's rather ego-centric to claim anything new and different in any product is "mac-like behavior"; It implies nothing was innovative or new before macs.

This is just a fun thread, I don't understand your need to try and rain on the parade.
 

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