First, Ford gets it just fine. Sync is great and was ahead of its time. Myfordtouch stinks, and Ford got rid of it. Ford's approach is probably fine. It is supporting both iOS and android. It is also letting its own apps work. There is nothing wrong with that and it is smart not to give up total control to Apple or Android. You want your car to work with whatever phone you chose.
My 2012 Flex has no touch screen, just Sync and it stinks. First off, I'm forced to sit through 10 seconds useless audio selection commands for something I wish there was a simple button for. Second, and more importantly while Siri isn't perfect, at least it understands almost everything I say (with the exception being some proper names). Sync seems to only understand about 50% of what I ask (typically that involves song or artist names). Siri never seems to have an issue with the exact same requests. And I haven't figured out why sometimes I can still use my phone directly while connect to Sync (via usb) and other times it locks me out for "safety reasons" (which I understand the logic behind if it worked properly, but since it doesn't, it can mean having to unplug the phone to find the correct song/artist and plug it back in. Bluetooth solves some of those issues, but then I'm draining battery instead of charging.
So I'm not sure how you have come to the conclusion that Sync isn't a problem, from my point of view it's a stinking pile of crap sitting in an otherwise great vehicle.
A lot of misinformed posts on here. My Ford Touch (MFT) is part of Sync. Regular Ford Sync is in vehicles without the 8" touch screen. When you have the 8" screen, it's Sync with My Ford Touch. MFT used to be pretty bad, but it's actually fine now. Since the big update at the end of 2013, Ford fixed all of the issues. The new Sync is called Sync 3. I've had a lot of time to play around with it and it's really good. I can understand Ford wanting to show off Sync 3, then move onto CarPlay support with Sync 3. Sync 3 will be CarPlay ready when it's launched later this year on several 2016 models.
When it comes to car infotainment systems and the promises they make, I can't help but wonder if they even know what they're doing. In the past they've always had issues with everything "infotainment" they made: slow hardware, unintuitive software, horrible touchscreen functionality, and so on. If they think they're in a good position to "cherry pick" the best features of both Google's and Apple's system, you can bet they'll pick some of the wrong cherries instead of just plainly providing proper support for both or either of these systems. I can't recall any normal consumer car (outside of the top-end models perhaps) to ever have a complete system that just works, both well and fast. The aftermarket Parrot Asteroid Smart does most of it, although it's a bit slow. But they're afaik the only ones who come close to doing it right. Even Pioneer, who does have great looking infotainment systems, fail with the need of either a plethora of cables or a lack of support for mobile OS'es features.
A lot of posters are noting previous bad experiences with Sync. I suffered under Sync too---but this is a new QNX based version. QNX is a very stable platform and will likely be a vast improvement over the current infotainment system. I think we should hold off on any harsh criticism before anyone has actual hands on.
That being said, I think Ford will be shooting itself in the foot for not getting ahead of the curve by adopting CarPlay and the Android equivalent. Consumers spend an ever increasing amount of time in these environments. Leveraging them into a good driving experience can only be beneficial for any carmaker.
And the CTO's comments are way off---consumers can and will make decisions based on useful, reliable integration with their smartphones.
First, you have ZERO clue. QNX is basically irrelevant to the discussion.
A parallel example in the Apple world is Darwin and MacOSX. MacOSX is based on Darwin, but effectively all the important bits that the user works with [particularly with Ford's product] is in MacOSX. QNX is a low-level operating system. No GUI. Everything that matters really rests on the code that Ford is writing from scratch [as it's not even based of the windows crap].
From 40 years of experience, don't expect much from a 1.0 software product [as this is not a revision of the old product, but an all-new product]. Particularly from an automobile manufacturer.
And the real reason why Ford isn't playing favorite with either CarPlay or Android is that, like all the other car makers, they believe you didn't pay enough for your vehicle, and want you to pay for a built-in cellular connection, so they can
-track what you do to sell to others
-get a cut of your monthly cell fee
-put advertisements on the display in your car [your car needs service now. the nearest shop is Bill & Teds Ford Emporium. directing you there now.]
Exactly what I was thinking, they are going to screw it up. When things do not work you will have no idea what the issue is. Plus I do not want to use Google maps for navigation they suck. I like using waze yeah I know its own by Google but they have not screwed it up yet except for the stupid ads that now show up.
That's fascinating. I am actually in the market for a new vehicle and am looking for one that offers Google Maps. When you say Google maps sucks, I wonder if you are living on another planet. In my world, Apple Maps sucks. If you have a busy lifestyle, in my world you can't use Apple Maps because in about 50% of cases, it will navigate you to the wrong place. I'm a big fan of Apple, but their maps is a disaster even years after it was first introduced. Originally, I was looking for a vehicle that would have Car Play exclusively. However, without Google Maps, Car Play is useless to me. Google Maps killer features such as automatic re-routing based on real-time traffic conditions, providing alternate routes in real time with ETAs for each alternate route, suggesting a better route in real time based on changed traffic conditions, lane guidance, etc. is indispensable in large metro areas like the one I live in.
Apple Maps doesn't have any of these features, but even without these features it's a sorry case for a navigation system. It has told my wife to park and walk down the hill through the woods to get to an adjacent parking lot. It has tried to navigate us to the wrong suburb many times, which would have wasted us at least two hours had we followed its route, and one of the most ironic and ridiculous routes it offers is when we try to navigate to a local Jewish Community Center, Apple Maps wants to take us to Saudi Arabia. At this point, I have given up on Apple Maps. The only way I would ever consider Car Play in my vehicle is if Apple allowed Google Maps on Car Play. When people say Apple Maps is fine, I wonder what planet such people live on. Maybe in coastal California in Apple's back yard Apple Maps is accurate. That is not the case in the Southeast, where Apple Maps is an unmitigated disaster. Google Maps is such a superior navigation system that it's not even in the same league with Apple Maps.
Problem with Ford Technology or any carmaker is the planned obsolesce once you drive out of the showroom. I can't image buying my next car and being frozen in technology enhancement for 3-4 years. They don't get it. They'll find a way to limit what Apple or Google offer and make you unfortunately dependent on the never to be delivered..next update.
It's not Sync people hate, its MyFordTouch. Don't confuse the two systems. MFT is gone.
My wife and I have a 2010 Flex with Sync. It is awful, and before MyFordTouch. I don't even bother with voice control. Want to pair a phone? No problem, except it treats your iPhone's calling and bluetooth playback features as separate. That means you can have the phone connected via bluetooth, and you still have to select "bluetooth devices" to play music, especially if the phone is not listed as the primary under favorites.
Granted, the system is still better than my 2011 Sonata and my 2013 Azera. They make Sync look like the future.
It's not Sync people hate, its MyFordTouch. Don't confuse the two systems. MFT is gone.
I disagree. Sync is a failure. About half of the time it doesn't work like it's supposed to, and Ford techs don't even want to touch it when something is terribly wrong with it. At least that's been my experience.
I own a 2014 Escape and would agree with your assessment of the sync system! The major problem I experienced was in pairing with my iPhone 6 via bluetooth media, a feature which allows one to stream audio from the iPhone to the audio system. However, after installing the latest sync update, the issues I was having were solved; as a bonus new functionality was added to the system. Given the fact that the geniuses who gave us windows developed this tube of cheese-wiz, and that my expectations are commensurately low, I am ready to break the arrow of war and speak words of peace!!
as always I confess that I am an idiot, just succor for the inevitable troll! ¯\_(?)_/¯
Nair's statement affirms that Michigan automakers continue to regard their the car-buying public as idiots. And this perpetual corporate attitude is why intelligent car-buyers shun these companies and their mediocre products.
Nair's statement affirms that Michigan automakers continue to regard their the car-buying public as idiots. And this perpetual corporate attitude is why intelligent car-buyers shun these companies and their mediocre products.
... and how fortunate they are that most folks aren't that intelligent.
Comments
My 2012 Flex has no touch screen, just Sync and it stinks. First off, I'm forced to sit through 10 seconds useless audio selection commands for something I wish there was a simple button for. Second, and more importantly while Siri isn't perfect, at least it understands almost everything I say (with the exception being some proper names). Sync seems to only understand about 50% of what I ask (typically that involves song or artist names). Siri never seems to have an issue with the exact same requests. And I haven't figured out why sometimes I can still use my phone directly while connect to Sync (via usb) and other times it locks me out for "safety reasons" (which I understand the logic behind if it worked properly, but since it doesn't, it can mean having to unplug the phone to find the correct song/artist and plug it back in. Bluetooth solves some of those issues, but then I'm draining battery instead of charging.
So I'm not sure how you have come to the conclusion that Sync isn't a problem, from my point of view it's a stinking pile of crap sitting in an otherwise great vehicle.
A lot of misinformed posts on here. My Ford Touch (MFT) is part of Sync. Regular Ford Sync is in vehicles without the 8" touch screen. When you have the 8" screen, it's Sync with My Ford Touch. MFT used to be pretty bad, but it's actually fine now. Since the big update at the end of 2013, Ford fixed all of the issues. The new Sync is called Sync 3. I've had a lot of time to play around with it and it's really good. I can understand Ford wanting to show off Sync 3, then move onto CarPlay support with Sync 3. Sync 3 will be CarPlay ready when it's launched later this year on several 2016 models.
When it comes to car infotainment systems and the promises they make, I can't help but wonder if they even know what they're doing. In the past they've always had issues with everything "infotainment" they made: slow hardware, unintuitive software, horrible touchscreen functionality, and so on. If they think they're in a good position to "cherry pick" the best features of both Google's and Apple's system, you can bet they'll pick some of the wrong cherries instead of just plainly providing proper support for both or either of these systems. I can't recall any normal consumer car (outside of the top-end models perhaps) to ever have a complete system that just works, both well and fast. The aftermarket Parrot Asteroid Smart does most of it, although it's a bit slow. But they're afaik the only ones who come close to doing it right. Even Pioneer, who does have great looking infotainment systems, fail with the need of either a plethora of cables or a lack of support for mobile OS'es features.
Anyway, I'm hopeful, but that's about it
A lot of posters are noting previous bad experiences with Sync. I suffered under Sync too---but this is a new QNX based version. QNX is a very stable platform and will likely be a vast improvement over the current infotainment system. I think we should hold off on any harsh criticism before anyone has actual hands on.
That being said, I think Ford will be shooting itself in the foot for not getting ahead of the curve by adopting CarPlay and the Android equivalent. Consumers spend an ever increasing amount of time in these environments. Leveraging them into a good driving experience can only be beneficial for any carmaker.
And the CTO's comments are way off---consumers can and will make decisions based on useful, reliable integration with their smartphones.
First, you have ZERO clue. QNX is basically irrelevant to the discussion.
A parallel example in the Apple world is Darwin and MacOSX. MacOSX is based on Darwin, but effectively all the important bits that the user works with [particularly with Ford's product] is in MacOSX. QNX is a low-level operating system. No GUI. Everything that matters really rests on the code that Ford is writing from scratch [as it's not even based of the windows crap].
From 40 years of experience, don't expect much from a 1.0 software product [as this is not a revision of the old product, but an all-new product]. Particularly from an automobile manufacturer.
And the real reason why Ford isn't playing favorite with either CarPlay or Android is that, like all the other car makers, they believe you didn't pay enough for your vehicle, and want you to pay for a built-in cellular connection, so they can
-track what you do to sell to others
-get a cut of your monthly cell fee
-put advertisements on the display in your car [your car needs service now. the nearest shop is Bill & Teds Ford Emporium. directing you there now.]
That's fascinating. I am actually in the market for a new vehicle and am looking for one that offers Google Maps. When you say Google maps sucks, I wonder if you are living on another planet. In my world, Apple Maps sucks. If you have a busy lifestyle, in my world you can't use Apple Maps because in about 50% of cases, it will navigate you to the wrong place. I'm a big fan of Apple, but their maps is a disaster even years after it was first introduced. Originally, I was looking for a vehicle that would have Car Play exclusively. However, without Google Maps, Car Play is useless to me. Google Maps killer features such as automatic re-routing based on real-time traffic conditions, providing alternate routes in real time with ETAs for each alternate route, suggesting a better route in real time based on changed traffic conditions, lane guidance, etc. is indispensable in large metro areas like the one I live in.
Apple Maps doesn't have any of these features, but even without these features it's a sorry case for a navigation system. It has told my wife to park and walk down the hill through the woods to get to an adjacent parking lot. It has tried to navigate us to the wrong suburb many times, which would have wasted us at least two hours had we followed its route, and one of the most ironic and ridiculous routes it offers is when we try to navigate to a local Jewish Community Center, Apple Maps wants to take us to Saudi Arabia. At this point, I have given up on Apple Maps. The only way I would ever consider Car Play in my vehicle is if Apple allowed Google Maps on Car Play. When people say Apple Maps is fine, I wonder what planet such people live on. Maybe in coastal California in Apple's back yard Apple Maps is accurate. That is not the case in the Southeast, where Apple Maps is an unmitigated disaster. Google Maps is such a superior navigation system that it's not even in the same league with Apple Maps.
It's not Sync people hate, its MyFordTouch. Don't confuse the two systems. MFT is gone.
My wife and I have a 2010 Flex with Sync. It is awful, and before MyFordTouch. I don't even bother with voice control. Want to pair a phone? No problem, except it treats your iPhone's calling and bluetooth playback features as separate. That means you can have the phone connected via bluetooth, and you still have to select "bluetooth devices" to play music, especially if the phone is not listed as the primary under favorites.
Granted, the system is still better than my 2011 Sonata and my 2013 Azera. They make Sync look like the future.
I disagree. Sync is a failure. About half of the time it doesn't work like it's supposed to, and Ford techs don't even want to touch it when something is terribly wrong with it. At least that's been my experience.
I own a 2014 Escape and would agree with your assessment of the sync system! The major problem I experienced was in pairing with my iPhone 6 via bluetooth media, a feature which allows one to stream audio from the iPhone to the audio system. However, after installing the latest sync update, the issues I was having were solved; as a bonus new functionality was added to the system. Given the fact that the geniuses who gave us windows developed this tube of cheese-wiz, and that my expectations are commensurately low, I am ready to break the arrow of war and speak words of peace!!
as always I confess that I am an idiot, just succor for the inevitable troll! ¯\_(?)_/¯
... and how fortunate they are that most folks aren't that intelligent.