“Ford Motor plans to unveil a deal with Microsoft in January that will put the software company’s technology into some of the automaker’s cars, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter,” Reuters reports.
“The system, to be called Sync, includes a hands-free Bluetooth wireless system and an in-vehicle operating system that eventually will be an option for the entire Ford brand lineup, the Journal said,” Reuters reports.
Reuters reports, “Sync is designed to enable hands-free mobile-phone communication and other wireless information transfers in the car, including e-mail and music downloads, the sources told the paper.”
Full article here.
“This year, Ford’s market share will decrease by 5.4 percent on a year-over-basis, according to Edmunds.com, an online source for automotive information. By comparison, Toyota and Honda Motor Co. will gain 5.1 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, on a year-over-year basis,” The Associated Press reports. “In the first nine months of 2006, Ford lost $7.2 billion.”
Full article here.
“Ford [also] plans to make auto jacks for Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod digital music players in more of its vehicles [in 2007],” Roger Park reports for iMedia Connection. Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: You know, for when Ford wants its customers to have access to technology that actually works reliably.
“Bluetooth in autos is nothing new. Acura, BMW, Lexus, Lincoln and Jeep are among the manufacturers that already equip vehicles with built-in Bluetooth. Chrysler was the first in North America to offer the technology. Ford is late to the wireless party,” Jennifer LeClaire reports for ECT News Network.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Ford+Microsoft. Mediocrity is Job One.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “norm e.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Top Windows developer dumps Microsoft’s ‘pile of crap’ for Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2006
PC World writer’s advice for Microsoft: ‘Stop making crap’ – July 27, 2006
“The real world don’t run on iLife, kids.”
Would you like a side order of ignorance with your smugness?
I love my mustang – Can I run a hacked OS X on my next one? Even that would be better than a LEGITIMATE windows integration.
From: Unsquirted
Dec 29, 06 – 04:01 pm
“some of you mac heads are living in some strange universe”
Yes, that’s true. Please don’t slam the black hole on your way out.”
—-
I use macs 100% of the time, being a professional Mac Tech.
However, it boggles my mind sometimes, the posts I see here.
No wonder the rest of the world has such a narrow and vindictive view
of the mac community, when its full of narrow and vindictive commoners.
If anyone for one second believes that the windows operating system
(or osx for that matter) would be in control of your motor vehicle in
anyway whatsoever then i applaud you. I applaud your ignorance.
cars are evil anyways, get a bike.
“google : singularity (an os by microsoft.)”
I Googled and I got
Singularity: an operating system research project by Microsoft
You don’t actually expect anything to come out of this little project, do you?
I would not want OSX driving my car either.
“Would you like a side order of ignorance with your smugness?”
No thanks, it came from the comments.
I don’t know about everyone else here, but I’ve had nothing but success with any Ford vehicles that I’ve owned. I don’t currently own one, but I had a 1995 F150 from 1997-2003 and it ran perfectly (including winters where -30ºC is not uncommon) for those six years without any maintenance except oil changes and a few tune-ups. I’ve driven a few brand-new Ford products, including a couple new F150s and the new Fusion, and they are both excellent vehicles, as far as I can tell.
For reference, our two vehicles now are both Daimler Chrysler. ’04 Dodge RAM and an ’03 BMW 3.
In no way would I compare Ford to Microsoft. They aren’t even in the same league.
–mAc
I can imagine the traffic jams.
Remember when the US Navy automated a “smart ship” entirely using Windows NT? The USS Yorktown froze under a Blue Screen of Death and was adrift for hours before being towed back to port.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Yorktown_(CG-48)
Well, if Apple wanted to do something about this, they could buy Harman Industries and gain control of the QNX real-time OS as well as a number of products that could fit quite nicely into the overall Apple experience.
For $6.5 billion, Apple would get a well-run, highly-regarded set of brands from JBL to Mark Levinson, and from Lexicon to Studer.
“When crap collides…”
LOL
“No wonder the rest of the world has such a narrow and vindictive view of the mac community, when its full of narrow and vindictive commoners.”
Exactly. MDN and its commentators are a prime example of why people are hesitant to purchase a Mac. They don’t want to join this community of Camry driving, Jesus sandal wearing, San Francisco liberal freaks. These nutcases who, instead of embracing Windows users to come along for a ride on the OS X train, choose to spit on their livelihood. Smug hippie bastards.
Steve Jobs is probably disgusted at the way you anuses represent his empire. You’re all like my ex-wife: a major turnoff.
RMN
Great, just when I thought “American” cars were becoming more reliable they add Microsoft to them. This will make the American built junk of the 1970s look reliable. I would NEVER buy a car with anything made by Microsoft in it! I can just imagine arriving late to work for the third day in a row and having to explain to my boss that I had to pull over and reboot my car.
Here’s what happened to the Navy when they tried it several years back… leaves me with little confidence in their combat ability.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/18007/18007.html
This gives
-“F”ound “O”n “R”oad “D”ead- and
-“F”ix “O”r “R”epair “D”aily- a whole new meaning!!
Richard M. Nixon,
MDN welcomes Windows users to Mac with open arms.
See how here.
No wonder Ford is laying off workers by the 1000’s. It’s really too bad to see a once good American company go to crap. This Microshaft deal just verifies Ford’s current direction. Oh well, maybe Zune will have one automaker to integrate with.
Guess what, ya’ll. Your brother, sister, mother and father are making those Ford cars. They are what we, in the US, do. If you’ve got a problem with Ford you’ve got a problem with yourself and with your country.
I can see the commericals now:
Car coming arounf the bend, a little Troll whispering, “Zune, Zune ZUNE!”
Catchy isn’t it.
I know, it’s gonna be Sync, but the Zune thing got stuck in my head. I’m not sure if I was in the dumps I’d place my hopes on a product that is so easy to ryhme with Sinks, Stinks, and so on.
I bought a ’93 Ranger new, ran it for 4 years in my business, sold it to my oldest son who covered it with “whiskey dents” and other abuse for five years, and then he sold it with 225,000 miles on it.
I also had a 93 Aerostar, new, put 115,000 miles on it, and then traded it in.
I had a 2002 Explorer, fully loaded, for work, I put 215,000 miles on it IN FOUR YEARS!
Not one of these vehicles EVER had a major problem.
At the same time, we have had 2 Nissans, 1 Chevy, 1 Hyundai. Only one of the Nissans had held up beter than the Fords.
The corporation I now work for owns a huge fleet of mostly Fords, many Chevies, and a few Dodges. The Fords are the cheapest to maintain.
Of course, I want an Acura TL…
“However, it boggles my mind sometimes, the posts I see here.
No wonder the rest of the world has such a narrow and vindictive view
of the mac community, when its full of narrow and vindictive commoners.”
Sir Jonathan Ive uses Macs, and he’s no commoner.
Can’t find a thing on the web about him being vindictive, either.
You have changed your tires and your battery, you have to buy new Windows license!
“I thought Microsoft was reserving the trademark “Sync” for when they partnered with boat manufacturers.”
Best today, th x for that.
“Laugh all you want but if you’re a professional pilot, pretty much all in-cockpit moving map programs & in-flight electronic chart software run on Windows; just fine I might add. Jeppesen.com
The real world don’t run on iLife, kids.”
Guess what pal: Loading a couple of Jepp charts into your GA plane is a far cry from what actually runs transport category FMS which is usually Honeywell, Collins, etc.
There was no Microsoft crap in the jets I am type rated in. Unless you are talking about JetBlue which for some stupid reason makes their pilots carry around a POS HP laptop to view plates.
And my iMac runs Windows just fine thank you very much. Try booting your Dell into OS X. Oh that’s right, you can’t.
Has anyone noticed that analyst at the bottom of the article that says Ford is late to the Bluetooth party? Doesn’t Ford make Lincolns?
News and analyses these days are so reliable!
“Sync is designed to enable hands-free mobile-phone communication and other wireless information transfers in the car, including e-mail and music downloads
Will these Fords be able to squirt songs at each other too?
What happens when freeway hackers figure out how to shut down these vehicles?
MS, when we say “killer app”, we don’t mean it literally!
Meanwhile, Toyota is pushing to halve the number of parts in their vehicles over the next several years. This includes a drastic reduction and simplification of their electronics. IOW, Toyota & MS are as polar opposite as you can get.