FORD'S SYNC 4 BRINGS BIGGER SCREENS AND OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES

[Sivi70980]

Larger screens allow you to integrate often unused buttons into the display... How many times have you touched your headlight switch (assuming you use automatic lights)? Why does that need to be a persistent button if the computer is taking care of that for you? How many times do you touch HVAC controls (assuming you have dual zone auto climate?) You might touch the defrost and temp buttons alot but not much else.... Larger screens allow for more room to integrate vehicle functions into the display. Removing buttons allows for a far more simplistic design and cheaper design (Tesla Model 3). If you have actually driven a car with a large touchscreen, you would understand that it does not require any more attention then it would a traditional interior (assuming an intuitive layout and easy to read display)... My whole point here is this... Do not form such a strong opinion on something before you have even seen the thing in person and had experience with it. If you still do not like it even after using it then that is fine! People are allowed to have different personal preferences, at least it is formed based off of experience instead of behind a keyboard after seeing a few pictures....

Fair points and I don't mind Tesla's at all really. I have driven a model S and sat in a 3 and that big ass screen is terrible. Again, I like your points and agree with some of them but a backlit screen like that in a car is just as distracting as the lit up billboards at casinos and such. When my sync 3 tells me I got a text, it draws my eyes right to it even though I don't touch my phone and rarely even talk via Bluetooth while driving......because you know, I'm driving and all. Even changing the volume of whatever I'm listening to while driving at night annoys the hell out of me, just change the volume, don't display some useless number. The gauge layout and analog vs digital is totally an age thing imo. I almost got a model 3 instead of my mustang but once I sat in it, couldn't get out of it fast enough. That interior is dare I say, worse than a Camaro's.

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[zackmd1]

Fair points and I don't mind Tesla's at all really. I have driven a model S and sat in a 3 and that big ass screen is terrible. Again, I like your points and agree with some of them but a backlit screen like that in a car is just as distracting as the lit up billboards at casinos and such. When my sync 3 tells me I got a text, it draws my eyes right to it even though I don't touch my phone and rarely even talk via Bluetooth while driving......because you know, I'm driving and all. Even changing the volume of whatever I'm listening to while driving at night annoys the hell out of me, just change the volume, don't display some useless number. The gauge layout and analog vs digital is totally an age thing imo. I almost got a model 3 instead of my mustang but once I sat in it, couldn't get out of it fast enough. That interior is dare I say, worse than a Camaro's.

And that is a perfectly reasonable opinion! My opinion is that I like the 3s interior (aside from the screen not being integrated into the dash). I would however prefer a more usable dark mode during the day instead of the brighter light mode. The thing to keep in mind was that the 3s interior was design with cost in mind first and foremost. That is why it does not have a design similar to the S and X, far cheaper to have just one LCD and integrate everything into it then have a more traditional layout with multiple LCDs and buttons. I refer back to a few posts above... It is not what they are doing, it is how well they do it that will make all the difference in the world. In terms of usability, the Tesla UI is far and above any other infotainment system I have used. Something as simple as fully baked multi touch controls make a big difference.

 

[FreePenguin]

I don’t want bigger, perfectly fine. My problem is with some of the displays not dimming enough. I have lasik and I am sensitive to bright lights, it’s crazy how some displays dimmest setting is like 80% of my iPhones screen.

honestly the mustangs display is fine though, it’s actually really nice for me. The aftermarket displays though are garbage in that issue, so bright! Which people love but not me, hurts my eyes

wish we had a button to turn display off without having to go through all settings

 

[MustangJoe84]

How about wireless android auto and apple play?

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are part of the Sync4 upgrades.

 

[zackmd1]

I don’t want bigger, perfectly fine. My problem is with some of the displays not dimming enough. I have lasik and I am sensitive to bright lights, it’s crazy how some displays dimmest setting is like 80% of my iPhones screen.

honestly the mustangs display is fine though, it’s actually really nice for me. The aftermarket displays though are garbage in that issue, so bright! Which people love but not me, hurts my eyes

wish we had a button to turn display off without having to go through all settings

That is a product of a auto manufacture trying to design tech and software.... The screen panel tech used in vehicles is FAR behind consumer tech in both quality and resolution. Some of it is due to technical reasons (Vehicle screens need to survive more extreme environmental conditions and last longer at very high brightness settings for daytime readability). The 3s screen can dim about as well as an ipad with the inclusion of an ambient light sensor (something traditional infotainment screens usually do not use). Traditional vehicle screens cut brightness a set amount when the interior lights are activated where as having an ambient light sensor allows for a much more gradual and refined control of the screen brightness.

 

[VooDooDaddy]

I wonder how many people have been killed by these unnecessarily gigantic touch screens.

I phucking hate them. ALL of them.

Why?? Because you can't do anything with them unless you take your eyes off the road.

Who thought this was a good idea? WTF was wrong with buttons and knobs that can be operated by hand without taking your eyes off the road. Buttons/knobs are tactile, unlike a touch-screen in which you only know if they are being manipulated effectively when you are actually looking at them.

But hey..., who gives a schzit? It's all about the cool/look at me factor!

Maybe I'm just too old?

 

[Bikeman315]

I wonder how many people have been killed by these unnecessarily gigantic touch screens.

I phucking hate them. ALL of them.

Why?? Because you can't do anything with them unless you take your eyes off the road.

Who thought this was a good idea? WTF was wrong with buttons and knobs that can be operated by hand without taking your eyes off the road. Buttons/knobs are tactile, unlike a touch-screen in which you only know if they are being manipulated effectively when you are actually looking at them.

But hey..., who gives a schzit? It's all about the cool/look at me factor!

Maybe I'm just too old?

Yup, that's it. You too old, you're from Iowa and you have six fingers on your right hand. I'm an electronics "techie" guy, I'm 67 and love my digital gauges. BUT, I agree with you. The industry thinks if a little is good a lot is great. I've also driven a Tesla S. At first it was totally foreign but did get a little easier as I drove. Never really got comfortable with it. Honestly, not my thing.

 

[lacanteen]

I completed a Ford on line survey earlier this week that was related to Sync. It was very detailed a bout how we use it, preferred update methods, and even asked what else would we like it to do. I would prefer to touch the screen less and use steering wheel buttons or voice commands. You can control the climate system by voice, you can also ask for a radio channel. The voice system is very complex and difficult to learn. "Passenger 71 degrees" is simple, but "Sirius 133" oddly produces mixed results.

What did I ask for? A button like the "media" steering wheel button on my F150 with Sync 1. This button scrolled through 'input', AM, FM1, FM2, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3. I have the 3 Sat channels set up with different genres for example, Sat1 is News & comedy, Sat 2 & sat 3 are different types of music. What I haven't tried in the Stang is "Sirius Sat1". Having to reach over to the far right of the screen to touch the presets button at road speed is precarious to me. I'll have to remember to try this.

I also complained about the navigation maps not being as up to date as other phone apps.

 

[zackmd1]

I wonder how many people have been killed by these unnecessarily gigantic touch screens.

I phucking hate them. ALL of them.

Why?? Because you can't do anything with them unless you take your eyes off the road.

Who thought this was a good idea? WTF was wrong with buttons and knobs that can be operated by hand without taking your eyes off the road. Buttons/knobs are tactile, unlike a touch-screen in which you only know if they are being manipulated effectively when you are actually looking at them.

But hey..., who gives a schzit? It's all about the cool/look at me factor!

Maybe I'm just too old?

Touchscreen buttons can be tactile as well... This goes back to my point of a well laid out UI. If the design is good, you do not have to look at the screen to activate them. Even still, looking at the screen to confirm a button press is just about the same as looking down at your speed.... It does not take long and is not more of a distraction. But for sure this is an age related preference.... It is what people are comfortable with. My age group grew up with touchscreens so it is not that large of a leap to use.

 

[VooDooDaddy]

Touchscreen buttons can be tactile as well... (HOW) This goes back to my point of a well laid out UI. If the design is good, you do not have to look at the screen to activate them. Even still, looking at the screen to confirm a button press is just about the same as looking down at your speed.... (no, it is not. Speed is directly in front of you and there is no "speed" knob or button/screen that needs to be adjusted. That is a complete non sequitur) It does not take long and is not more of a distraction. But for sure this is an age related preference.... It is what people are comfortable with. (Are you comfortable with someone you love being killed in an auto accident that was caused by a distracted driver phucking with their touch-screen?) My age group grew up with touchscreens so it is not that large of a leap to use.

 

[Sivi70980]

Touchscreen buttons can be tactile as well... This goes back to my point of a well laid out UI. If the design is good, you do not have to look at the screen to activate them. Even still, looking at the screen to confirm a button press is just about the same as looking down at your speed.... It does not take long and is not more of a distraction. But for sure this is an age related preference.... It is what people are comfortable with. My age group grew up with touchscreens so it is not that large of a leap to use.

Yep, I've received texts from my nieces phone while it and her hand was in her pocket and everything was spelled correct. My mind exploded. I feel like I'm destined to drive off the road just changing from radio to phone for Bluetooth music on Sync3. But.....in my old truck, she didn't know where or even what manual locks are lol. If all we had were these big touch screens, I'm sure we would evolve to make them work. I did successfully change to phone music without hitting the turtles the other day...#progress.

 

[Bikeman315]

There is something else. The manufacturers do not want you to take your eyes off the road. They want you to use voice commands. While they still do not do everything and sometimes not all that well they are getting better. No need to look away to do the simple stuff. If you're not using them, try it.

 

[w3rkn]

Larger screens allow you to integrate often unused buttons into the display... How many times have you touched your headlight switch (assuming you use automatic lights)? Why does that need to be a persistent button if the computer is taking care of that for you? How many times do you touch HVAC controls (assuming you have dual zone auto climate?) You might touch the defrost and temp buttons alot but not much else.... Larger screens allow for more room to integrate vehicle functions into the display. Removing buttons allows for a far more simplistic design and cheaper design (Tesla Model 3). If you have actually driven a car with a large touchscreen, you would understand that it does not require any more attention then it would a traditional interior (assuming an intuitive layout and easy to read display)... My whole point here is this... Do not form such a strong opinion on something before you have even seen the thing in person and had experience with it. If you still do not like it even after using it then that is fine! People are allowed to have different personal preferences, at least it is formed based off of experience instead of behind a keyboard after seeing a few pictures....

I am not sure you understand... Removing the ability to reach down (instinctively) to toggle lights, and adding them to a menu on a computer screen... is not innovative, easier, or simpler... It is just cheaper.

I already know for a fact that menu-driven displays are horrid, because they require more effort to toggle. This is based on research and PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!!

Large displays are a fad and the government will outlaw them soon, once people start getting into more accidents.

 

[zackmd1]

@VooDooDaddy

They can be tactile through both conformation sounds and vibrations... You can even integrate physical elements onto the display surface if that section of the display is strictly for that function or button. Muscle memory still applies if the UI is designed with that in mind. (static buttons). Point 2: you are still taking your eyes off the road, if you are comfortable using a display then it does not take any longer then viewing the speed. Another thing is that the whole point of these touchscreens and tech is to automate as many car functions as possible, HVAC, lights, etc... You will not NEED to touch the screen that often. Steering wheel buttons can incorporate frequently used buttons while driving such as volume and media keys. Point 3: Show me data suggesting that large touchscreens cause more accidents as compared to physical buttons....

 

[zackmd1]

I am not sure you understand... Removing the ability to reach down (instinctively) to toggle lights, and adding them to a menu on a computer screen... is not innovative, easier, or simpler... It is just cheaper.

I already know for a fact that menu-driven displays are horrid, because they require more effort to toggle. This is based on research and PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!!

Large displays are a fad and the government will outlaw them soon, once people start getting into more accidents.

Buttons you need while driving are not buried in menus... If the are then it is a bad UI design. And back to my previous point. More tech and touchscreens AUTOMATE more systems in the vehicle so you do NOT have to look down as much... Lights, HVAC, etc.. are all moving towards automation with these displays. Volume and tuning are usually able to be controlled though physical buttons on the steering wheel.

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