Why Buy a 2014 Harley When I Already Have a Touch Screen In My Pocket?

2014 "Infotainment" System

I looked at the new 2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON touring bikes today at my local dealer.  They now have integrated an “INFOTAINMENT” system in the dashboard of the fairings.  The system looks nice, has a GPS, radio, and iPod/iPhone connectivity built in.  There is a pocket on the dash with a flip open door and a felt lined foam pad to tuck your phone into.  It got me wondering…why do I need to buy another touch screen when I already carry one around in my pocket.  My phone has the GPS with my choice of GPS apps, a SiriusXM radio app, and a whole host of other apps that I use all the time.  So why do I think I need that cool looking new Harley touch screen with the orange icons?  Is it the logo, or the colors that match the HD bike so well?  I could change the colors on my phone and get the same thing.   So why do I want that touch screen? 

HD's new Foam-and-Felt phone pocket A tight fit for iphone 5

I guess because Harley built it and integrated it with the bike puts some kind of stamp of approval on the whole idea of using my phone connectivity with the bike.  Now Harley says, “Hey, it’s okay, go ahead and do that”.  So why do I need their touch screen to do that.  They sell cables to integrate my phone with my Harmon Kardon radio on my almost-new 2010 Street Glide.  Cyclone Custom sold me a sweet mount that puts my phone up where I can see it, and the Cyclone Console is chrome plated aluminum, and locks the phone in so nobody can steal it!  That Harley felt-and-foam pad with the slot in it looks like it will wear out in one season.  The plastic dash with the plastic hatches on either side looks an awful lot like something Honda would put on a bike.  So what is it about that Harley touchscreen that makes it a clear justification of spending 25k on a new bike?  I trade my phone in every couple of years and get a new one for practically free.  The HD screen is there forever.  What if it has problems?  How much will it cost to repair or replace? 

I can totally justify spending a few hundred bucks to integrate my phone into the console on the bike I have.  I think I’ll give those Harley touchscreens a few years to see if they yellow in the sun, fade, or leak water.  Meanwhile I’m perfectly happy with the phone integration I already have on my bike from Cyclone.