That is exactly what I was thinking until I saw Ford listed as a future partner. Ford has consistently been absent from the makes who implement Apple products.
I feel the exact same way! They have been massacred in recent customer satisfaction surveys because of how terrible Sync is. Ford has no choice now.
This close to production seems unlikely. Next model year might be another story. That would be a big change to try and integrate if the ordering (May) and production (August) timeline holds.
I am afraid you are most likely correct. However, because I have not yet seen any video of the actual s550 audio system in action (please correct me if there is one out there), I am holding out slim hope that this may have been in the works behind the scenes for a while and can be announced later this year.
Oh no! An Apple fan has to use a non Apple interface. What a tragedy!
I hope Ford stays away from anything beyond proper Bluetooth integration as Apple has a long history of not playing well with others. Namely Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The current MFT works with them all.Actually that was the case prior to the last update. Its been stable since last fall. I had it in my 2012 Focus and it was a bug fest. My 2014 Escape has been rock solid. Unfortunately past perception is still clouding current reality.
There are photos of in-dash setups for the base and uplevel systems, and MyFordTouch & Sync have been specified in what's been released. I don't think I've seen any video, but the photos don't look like they would be from an Apple platform.
Not sure if you support mobile in your line of work, but Droid vs iOS is basically 51% vs 44% in the real world depending on which analytics model you go with. How that applies specifically to Mustang owners is anyone's guess (even Ford). Whether you translate that into supporting responsive web design, direct app store support, or third party integration…turning your back on that chunk of the market is just like saying “this site works best in Internet Explorer 5” then sticking your head in the sand.Oh no! An Apple fan has to use a non Apple interface. What a tragedy!
Everything I've seen, acknowledging it was announced today, has pointed to the software running on OEM equipment; not Apple equipment. The one video I saw from Volvo did not look like anything the Ford my touch equipment could not handle. I 100% agree with you that it does not appear that CarPlay would be likely on that base level equipment. My bet that if it is ever available on the s550, it would be part of an upgraded ($$$) electronics or audio package.
I think those photos are from the very earliest prototypes; far too austere and cluttered to be used. Any Apple integration would not consist of hardware (not that Apple might not do so in the future, but not likely right now), but instead a set of protocols that the OEM would implement to allow an iPhone to communicate with the car's system and for it to send and receive commands and data from the phone. The phones touch controls would appear on the car's display and it could also be controlled in some fashion from the wheel-mounted controls. Basically a developer's kit, which once implemented would then be eligible for certification by Apple. With reports that Ford is looking at QNX, it might very well mean that Ford intends to become OS agnostic in terms of the hardware, relying instead on integration with any device (after certification) and let the phone provide the UI. There is already a certain amount of integration with making phone calls and texts; further integration would just extend the protocols to allow greater data manipulation, though beyond calls, text, music, and navigation, I'm having trouble visualizing what else you would do on a display in your car, that would require such integration from your phone.
