F8Driver

I’ve had fair amount of experience with computer interfaces. I started out with DOS 1.1 (that’s a PC thing, not Apple). I watched Lisa and Macintosh come to life. Most early personal computers were character based and the software reflected such an environment. I used WordStar, then later Word Perfect. My first efforts with a spreadsheet was with Lotus 1-2-3 (again character based, the numbers reflected Spreadsheet -- Database (barely) – Charts (barely). Actually a great product for its era, and I became adept at using its capabilities.

The next step was “integrated” software, a program that did it all (Mac and Windows did not yet exist). Lotus’s upgrade to 1-2-3 was Symphony, everything you wanted … spreadsheet, database, word processor, graphics … in one package. It failed miserably. Why?

Symphony took 1-2-3’s menu system a bridge to far. A few keystroke shortcuts became too many. Drilling down through menus became a chore. The software failed. PCM 6.0 strikes me as a similar endeavor.

I’m new to Porscheland, but the car interface is sometimes and sometimes NOT, intuitive. Drilling down into PCM 6.0’s multi-depth interface is often challenging. I am so often left with the question, “Where do I go to do THIS, to do THAT?”

I’d like to have a roadmap of the interface, so that I understand the differences between Home-Settings-Vehicle and just Vehicle. Too much to ask?

While I’m at it, why can’t I go from Auto external lights to just Parking Lights (I have to go through a security point where they frown on headlights). If it’s dark, I can only select Parking Lights when stopped, and the Auto headlights return as soon as I move … often when the sun is shining. Security Force is not amused.

PCM ain’t there yet. The real question is Porsche listening?

shrimp money

Only thing they hear is the bell on their cash register.

aggie57

I remember all the products you mentioned. Actually **** office automation was the suite I remember most fondly, we ran a number of them across several locations of an insurance company I worked for and they were very popular with the users.

AlterZgo

I think what you are experiencing is German over-engineering. BMW has some quirks but their iDrive is much more intuitive because it's been refined over many generations. Germans do some really odd things that make sense from an odd engineer's brain which sometimes lacks logic.

I have PCM 5 on my 2021 but here are some odd quirks:

• You can program a diamond to pull up the home link screen but hitting the diamond button a 2nd time doesn't automatically open the garage door. you have to touch the touch screen's tiny "OK" button. Also, if you're reversing out of the garage and the reverse camera comes on, you have to X out of the reverse camera before you can hit the diamond button to pull up home link. Sooooo stupid and unintuitive.
• When you program home link, if you set the GPS location while in the garage, you can't open the garage door until you get very close to the garage. Typically, I prefer to open the garage door when I'm half a block away so I can just drive right in when I get to the garage. The transmitter can reach that distance, but it won't pull up the screen to let you hit the OK button. You can program the GPS location to half a block away, which works fine when you're coming home, but now, when you're pulling out of the garage, it won't pull up the homelink screen because it doesn't recognize the GPS location as your home since you set it a half a block away.
• You can set the smaller secondary screen to display options to raise and lower the spoiler.. but it won't show you a picture of the car to show the position of the spoiler... so how the heck do you know what's heppening with the spoiler?

BMW also has some odd quirks. If you enter a destination in the nav and you click OK, insted of immediately starting the trip directions, it will ask you: Do you want to go to this location? Yes. Then it asks: Do you want to start navigation directions? No S* BMW! WTF do you think I'm risking my life entering the freaking address while driving in traffic if not to go to that destination???

The engineer's brain thinks you can't just immediately go to the destination because the user may want to store it as a favorite or something first or some other reason.

Point being, don't expect your 911 to have a super polished user interface that is tested millions of times with the goal of reducing touch screen button pushes like Apple does with their products. Instead, expect a German engineer's logic then things start making sense.

doug_999

It might be one of the worst interfaces ever. Agree with the above comments.

rangerfan94

PCM 6 is better than PCM 5, but not by much. IMHO, they both suck, and I say that with only 200 miles behind the wheel of my PCM 6 equipped '22! It didn't take long for me to become frustrated with the system. OP, I feel your pain, but +1 to Word Perfect and Lotus! FWIW, the interior and PCM in my 2017 Macan GTS was the "sweet spot." Dedicated buttons for pretty much everything, and a screen with menus and functionality that did not confuse and confound.