It was bound to happen -- automakers stopped competing on ancient specifications like horsepower and safety and started competing on technology-laden offerings inside new vehicles. In my opinion, safety is still the single largest feature of any vehicle. After all, these are rapidly moving barrels of steel competing for road space with a thousand other drivers. Yet, safety seems boring to many of us since we can't touch or see it. Enter new car technology like Bluetooth, GPS navigation, and iPod-integrated satellite stereo systems and you have a technology arsenal inside that new car.

And, we're not talking high-end luxury vehicles here -- many of these tech appointments can be found standard in some mainstream vehicles as well as affordable options in others. How much tech is too much for the average driver? That's a question that will be played out as the customer-uncentric auto technology engineer crams ever more gadgetry into all these newer vehicles. Hear that beep-beep-beep when your neighbor backs up his new SUV? That is the motion detector telling him or her that there are no objects behind them. No kids, bikes, etc.

Therein lies a central problem I see here -- engineers are trying to assist everyday vehicle maneuvers like using driving directions and backing up safely with technology. Notice I said "assist" -- but customers will expect these new features to 'replace' old habits. In other words, customers may use these new features (if they can understand them) to take over from paying attention while driving all these new cars. In a classic tale, and something I agree with, engineers don't understand the fine-tuning of how the average customer thinks and acts, but designs to how any logical driver would think and act. How many logical drivers out there in bumper-to-bumper traffic or with kids screaming in the back seat? Raise those hands higher, please. Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is about the only company I can think of who designs to how customers will use products, not to how the company 'thinks' customers will use its products. Maybe Steve Jobs and Co. should consult with the auto industry soon?

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