If you are planning on buying a new Ford, don't expect Apple CarPlay or Google Android Auto to be the main infotainment system in it. According to an interview given to Re/code, Ford CEO Mark Fields suggested they have no plans in giving up on their SYNC system in favor of the two hottest car infotainment commodities in the market right now.
"At the end of the day we don't want to end up as the handset business," Fields said Ford's research center in Palo Alto, California. Like handset makers that have struggled to make meaningful profits when shipping devices that run on a common operating system, automakers facing a similar fate would be devastating.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been well accepted for the most part, and it won't be long before people decide on which car to buy depending on the infotainment system. For example, if you own an Android smartphone, why would you buy a car that offers only Apple CarPlay?
Ford's SYNC system offers smartphone connectivity along with car controls and according to CTO Raj Nair "has been a significant draw in the showroom." The latest version of SYNC, which is expected to be unveiled this summer, will run on BlackBerry's QNX operating system instead of Microsoft's.
But Ford is not turning its back on Apple or Google, and are willing to work with the tech companies. It is quite possible that Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto, could be offered as a secondary infotainment system in addition to SYNC on upcoming car models.
You can read the rest of the details from the interview on Re/code's website.
Source: Re/code
Image source: Ford
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