Provided it works, of course. They tell you that the perfect piece of technology is one you don't notice - it just goes about doing its job, integrating seamlessly into your day-to-day life.
That's one reason people wax lyrical about iPhones, and why they all go loopy with rage when something is wrong - witness the ado over the latest map software installed with the last update. But when they work, they're not only incredibly useful devices, but they're intuitive and reliable enough that you wonder how you lived without one. That's how technology should be.
Still, people get it wrong. Carmakers are particularly guilty. I've selected five aspects of modern cars, all of which are supposed to improve your life but end up being irritating instead. But I've also picked five that work well, revealed in a future post, to prove it can be done...
Sinners
Electronic handbrakes
The handbrake has to be one of the simplest aspects of a modern car. A lever acts on a cable, that acts on the brakes. Well, it did before electronic, automatic handbrakes started appearing. Now they come on automatically when you stop. Or sometimes they don't, and you have to push or pull a little switch on the centre console. And then they don't release when you want them to, ensuring every time you pull away from a standstill you jerk forward as it releases with all the finesse of a puppy kicked across the kitchen for crapping in your shoes. I'll stick with a regular lever, thanks.
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