Obsolete hardware/software discussion

[Cobra Jet]

So just curious and I think this is a good discussion for not only now but future..

How is it that a vehicle bought in 2015 now has hardware/software systems that are essentially “obsolete”?

I’m referring specifically to SYNC and the APIM’s.

After reading the SYNC 3.3/3.4 threads - my own 2018 seems to now have “obsolete” SYNC software and hardware components AND the car isn’t even 3 years old...

Why do I as a new car owner have to be “hacking” into my SYNC system using tools like Forscan just to be able to get the most recent software version that everyone else can use in a 2018MY or 2019+? Or even have to think about having to upgrade the hardware just to stay current??

What about the 2015/17 owners going forward - at some point those systems will essentially be non-updatable at all, correct?

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[Phatpony]

Computer technology is like that. Buy a new laptop today and it's already obsolete. The question is why aren't they designing an easier way to update hardware?

 

[Gregs24]

You can't update Convers+ on the old Mondeo either!

Everything moves on and new features and designs demand different hardware. It isn't just cars, you wouldn't be able to run Windows 10 on an old Windows XP PC very well.

Ultimately the pre v3.2 Sync 3 is still supported (it was updated recently) but no new features will be added. There may be no more updates after this though other than bug fixes.

 

[Cobra Jet]

You can't update Convers+ on the old Mondeo either!

Everything moves on and new features and designs demand different hardware. It isn't just cars, you wouldn't be able to run Windows 10 on an old Windows XP PC very well.

Ultimately the pre v3.2 Sync 3 is still supported (it was updated recently) but no new features will be added. There may be no more updates after this though other than bug fixes.

But this is what the point is - sure tech keeps advancing, but when you buy a $35k, $55k, $65k+ vehicle and come to find out that the software (or hardware) won’t be getting any new features 1.5 yrs after buying that vehicle - that’s total BS.

A computer, phone, “mobile device”, etc is completely more disposable than a $35k-$65k vehicle...

I think Ford has an obligation to the Consumer to update both the software and hardware components for SYNC at least through the duration of either the 3/36 OR lump it into the 5/60...

I say that because people are buying these cars for the FEATURES being advertised and the FEATURES they wanted for options when they either built, ordered or searched for a car assembled as such.

The problem is, no one is speaking up about it - until someone files a Class Action.

I mean, why is it that I or others can’t have SYNC updates with the most available features past 3.2 in a vehicle that is only a 2018?

The only way for me or others to get any new SYNC updates in 2018’s with current features would be to “smart hack” the system with Forscan or replace the APIM as discussed in the other threads. Plus, with doing so - you all know for a fact that any such modification be it by Forscan or replacing hardware voids the warranty. If the car has any warranty repairs and has to go into Service for something that can be associated back to SYNC or the hardware that has been modified, the owner is left on the hook for the repair cost.

It’s total BS.

I mean, I or others with 2018’s are not in the worst position, because the 2015-2017 owners are pretty much screwed more so than us with these software revisions that are no longer being supported by Ford.

Not everyone is as capable as us on this forum to use Forscan or swap out APIM’s just in order to get and use the most version of SYNC.

IMO, maybe Ford needs to insert a clause in all their ads to notify future buyers that they will be F’d out of future Software updates less than 2yrs after the purchase of the vehicle... oh but wait, can’t do that, because THAT doesn’t sell cars....

 

[Gregs24]

I say that because people are buying these cars for the FEATURES being advertised and the FEATURES they wanted for options when they either built, ordered or searched for a car assembled as such.

.

Which is what you are getting. V3.4 has no new features of significance just a new look.

You bought a car with V3.0 (or earlier) which had the features advertised at the time which have changed very little since.

They all still work (if they break within warranty they will get replaced)

 

[Bikeman315]

OK, so the 2015 had Sync 2 with Microsoft My Touch. Ford went to Sync 3 with Blackberry code in 2016. Everyone agreed Sync 3 was superior and an entire micro industry was born to swap Sync 2 units for Sync 3. Automobile electronics are still evolving. PC's, Cellphones and tablets have pretty much peaked. There is literally nothing new in them. It's the same tech going around and around.

But this is what the point is - sure tech keeps advancing, but when you buy a $35k, $55k, $65k+ vehicle and come to find out that the software (or hardware) won’t be getting any new features 1.5 yrs after buying that vehicle - that’s total BS.

Sorry CJ, but it's not. It's world of computer electronics. It hasn't changes in over 20 years. Your just feeling it because automotive electronics are now where PC's were 20 years ago. The cost of your car has nothing to do with it.

think Ford has an obligation to the Consumer to update both the software and hardware components for SYNC at least through the duration of either the 3/36 OR lump it into the 5/60...
I say that because people are buying these cars for the FEATURES being advertised and the FEATURES they wanted for options when they either built, ordered or searched for a car assembled as such.

Your getting the features you paid for. As the product evolve there are just more of them. You want them fine, buy a new car with them. That's just the way it is.

I know the Mach-E (see you don't have to say the "M" word ) has everyone pissed at Ford but this is an industry issue. The class action would need to be for every car manufacturer on the planet. Don't think this is going to happen.

Lastly it is quite impossible for the engineers and programmers in 2016 to know what features are going to be invented in 2019. These new features required something in the APIM to be changed. That's why this happened. You really do not expect Ford, or any manufacturer to go back and start replacing APIM's under warranty.

If you think this is bad back in the day Intel and AMD used to update their chipsets 3 to 4 times a year. That new $2K desktop that you bought in July was obsolete in September. Just sayin'

 

[eddison]

It’s also important to remember that Ford is an automobile company at its core, not a tech startup. Yes, they have many software developers in staff, but their core focus is more than likely on making sure that the vehicles start, stop and go down the road.

Ford dropped MFT because it was a poor code base (or so I’ve read) that they knew could not keep up with market demands. The hardware itself could not support a new operating system, as it was designed for MFT and MFT only.

In the case of Sync 3 updates, it’s proven that internally Ford has made utilities that allow Sync 3 to be updated to the latest release, however the problematic factor with Ford releasing something like that is the same issue those in IT (myself included) battle on a daily basis - the end user/customer. In a world where computer illiterate people struggle with simple tasks (where is the power button, etc), there is no way that Ford could release a reformat utility and major update, and expect the majority of people to have any kind of success installing it. At that point, you are then driving traffic into the dealers when product updates fail and APIMs become bricked.

You also have to consider cost of the technology. Could Ford future proof and utilize top of the line components with extra storage space, RAM, and a bunch of CPU so that any form of updates would install? Sure, but that will drive up cost that the customer has to pay for, and still doesn’t factor in what the next “big thing” that requires new hardware to implement.

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