MyFord Touch scrapped?

[Helios1234]

How is Microsoft 20th century tech? They are highly innovative and came up with the idea of the Smart Phone OS and tablet a long time before either Apple and Google. Sure, their implementation may not have been great to start with but their devices are brilliant these days. We have an Ipad in the house and to me it's absolutely useless. Windows offers so much more. If they put as much effort into their car OS as they do on their main OS, then I'm all for it.

And I would hate to have to get an Iphone or another expensive Apple device just to get the best out of an in car OS that is designed specifically for Apple, especially given how locked down they tend to be.

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[thePill]

That's a lot of American jobs to wish away.

So we are stuck between what's good for the customer and what's good for the workers. Which could be avoided if there was a decent product availible.

That's the first thing a corporation would do when quality is an issue. Hide behind the workers... Oh the jobs!!!

Let's not forget China manufactures those electronics, same as everyone else.

Unless you mean the developers in CA... They can work for Apple, Google, Sony America, ummm... Pretty much any software company.

I didn't give up after my job was gone... I changed paths.

 

[Wild Stang]

So we are stuck between what's good for the customer and what's good for the workers. Which could be avoided if there was a decent product availible.

That's the first thing a corporation would do when quality is an issue. Hide behind the workers... Oh the jobs!!!

Let's not forget China manufactures those electronics, same as everyone else.

Unless you mean the developers in CA... They can work for Apple, Google, Sony America, ummm... Pretty much any software company.

I didn't give up after my job was gone... I changed paths.

While I hesitate to wander further off topic, I have to question how the absence of Microsoft is good for the consumer. No Microsoft = less competition for Google, Apple, and several other corporations, and less competition is almost never good for the consumer. Microsoft puts out a totally different product from Google and Apple that many of us still prefer. Windows 7 is an excellent operating system. Windows XP was great, Vista stunk, 7 was great, and 8 stunk for desktops. I hold out hope that Windows 9 will follow the pattern and be a good one.

There are over 42,000 Microsoft employees in Washington State (72% of the U.S. total), so I'm not sure what you mean about California.

Sure they're old and bloated in many regards, but they're still innovative (despite what Apple fanboys say) and very important to the U.S. economy and consumer electronics...

 

[aspensilver]

Microsoft is 20th Century technology. Apple and Google are 21st Century technology. I'd rather have the latter than the former. Maybe the GNX software can include both iPhones and Android?

What a joke. Apple popularized touchscreens, but it was going to happen at some point. Apple doesn't have much new cool technology and now with Tim Cook they are...cooked

Apple was more innovative in the '80s.

 

[likeaboss]

If true I'm sad to see this. The problem isn't Microsoft as the current Mustang Touch-Screen system prior to MyFord Touch is rock solid and also a MS product.

The problem with MyFord Touch is that it's coded in a variant of Adobe flash on top of the MS operating system. Plus it's running on underpowered hardware. It took a lot of software optimization and bug fixing but the current revision of MyFord touch works well. However, it's hard to change two years of bad customer perception.

I hope that Ford uses current hardware running on Microsoft's next Windows Embedded for Automotive. There is no reason for the price we're paying Ford can't have hardware at least as fast as a Nexus 7 tablet.

 

[xlover]

Also hoping ford added some processor horsepower behind the dash to help smooth out mft

 

[Helios1234]

Also hoping ford added some processor horsepower behind the dash to help smooth out mft

Definitely! At the rate that computing power is growing and cost coming down, there shouldn't be any reason for Ford not to adopt the latest in mobile processing whether that be the latest Quadcomm SoC or Intel variant. If the latest phones can have this much compute power, Ford's Infotainment system should at least match them, especially if they are planning to use them over the long term. Using outdated hardware would be shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Hashbrownn]

I enjoy MyFord Touch in my wife's 2012 Edge. I was kinda looking forward to having it in the 2015 Mustang. I've realized that I am one of very few that actually like this system.

 

[JohnZiraldo]

It is not accurate to say that My Ford Touch (MFT) is being scrapped. MFT and Sync are applications that run on top of an Operating System (OS), currently Microsoft's, which in turn runs on a hardware platform. It is that middle layer, the OS that may be in the process of being replaced. If it is replaced, Ford could (possibly quite easily) modify their MFT and Sync applications to run on the new OS. An MFT user might not even see a difference other than improved responsiveness and reliability.

The OS being discussed is called QNX which was purchased by Blackberry for use in their phones. QNX is used extensively in other devices besides phones and is considered to be a great OS for real time applications that demand fast response. If Blackberry phones go away, that won't likely mean the end of QNX, until MS, Apple, or Google can produce an OS that is as reliable as QNX.

 

[HGFireHazard]

I'm now anxious to find out exactly what system the 2015 is getting.

As reported today http://jalopnik.com/the-us-is-getting-the-2015-ford-focus-with-a-1-0-liter-1529605935 the 2015 Focus (slated for release this Fall, just like the Mustang) is said to have the QNX Sync 2.0 system.

It would seem to me the Mustang SHOULD be getting this system as well but maybe the official reveal was too early to tell us exactly what was behind the updated system. I'm going to be extremely annoyed if the Mustang is getting an updated system of something Ford is ditching.

 

[Nate408]

Strange that they would be putting an EOL system in a brand new vehicle, even more weird that they have been touting the benefits of the system, making a big deal of all the APIs available, and showing off the features at the CES just to ditch the whole thing the next year. I hope they don't, but I won't be worried until we have real evidence.

 

[alterbrett]

I think MyFord Touch works pretty good the few times I have messed with it. All ford needs to do is add iOS in the car support to their system and all it's problems will be solved. Intuitive voice commands? Siri is the best. Simple system navigation/layout? iOS is known for its simplicity. Music playback/control? Really? Apple owns music. We could go back and forth on the merits of Microsoft, Apple, and Google. Truth is they are all great companies. iOS in the Car would be extremely easy for Ford to bake in and the ease of use of iOS is unrivaled. Which from what I've heard is the biggest complaint of MFT: complexity. I'm buying the car no matter what. Let's face it, 95% of the time you select your media when you first get in the car and you don't touch the dial for the rest of the drive. Hell, often times I go days without even touching the system.

 

[bigjohns97]

Jeesh... was about to blow a gasket when i read Blackberry but then they said QNX, which is found in Chrysler and Jeep and i have used that first hand and it's light years ahead of Ford electronics.

This is a good thing people! Maybe we can get an 8" screen as well

 

[Baz]

QNX is probably Ford's best choice to replace Microsoft, there will be tons of people who will say this is a horrible Idea it should be iOS or Android and that's the proof why Ford picked the best partner on this. Unlike Apple and Google, Blackberry has been making moves to become more device OS neutral, meaning their mobile management software options have grown to encompass not just BB devices but also those on Android and iOS devices, packages such as Mobile Fusion are become a forefront of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). QNX is extremely customizable, provides great performance from limited resources, and has proven industry success (its used in a lot of system on ISS). I've tried the MS system and felt that the response time was far too slow. I've been using a BlackBerry Z10 for a year now which runs BBOS10 built on QNX, and honestly if this new FMT is anything like my Z10 I can not wait to try it out, it'll definitely become a huge hit.

 

[likeaboss]

QNX is probably Ford's best choice to replace Microsoft, there will be tons of people who will say this is a horrible Idea it should be iOS or Android and that's the proof why Ford picked the best partner on this. Unlike Apple and Google, Blackberry has been making moves to become more device OS neutral, meaning their mobile management software options have grown to encompass not just BB devices but also those on Android and iOS devices, packages such as Mobile Fusion are become a forefront of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). QNX is extremely customizable, provides great performance from limited resources, and has proven industry success (its used in a lot of system on ISS). I've tried the MS system and felt that the response time was far too slow. I've been using a BlackBerry Z10 for a year now which runs BBOS10 built on QNX, and honestly if this new FMT is anything like my Z10 I can not wait to try it out, it'll definitely become a huge hit.

I wouldn't mind as long as its device natural and supports iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and say even the Firefox OS.

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