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Sync 3

Easy swap? I'll believe it when I see it. If it turns out that way I'll be very interested. Like I said in my previous post, it's not backward compatible with the existing SYNC 2 MFT system and will require quite a bit of work to make it so. It won't be a simple plug and play retrofit of new hardware replacing old. Like Tremor2014 said, a new cottage industry may spawn to convert vehicles to SYNC 3, and it won't be cheap.
As I mentioned in another thread, the screen will also have to be replaced since the current one may not work with the Sync 3 "pinch to zoom" program.

Peter
 



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That shouldn't be a big deal. The Sync 3 will be worth it.
 






Of Course both screen and APIM have to be replaced.
It was already discussed several times on this forum and SYNC 3 hardware IS just PLUG and PLAY! There is a thread on Taurus SHO forum about this being done.
I think it might be possible to order both screen and APIM directly from Ford but I expect it to have extreme price tag.
And configuring vehicle variables to make SYNC 3 work is another issue.
 






If it is so simple to get it to work then why did Ford scrap putting it in the 16 Explorer but have it in other vehicles. My educated guess is that they couldn't get things to 100 percent interface with the Explorer before it was time for production. I believe SGT1411 eluded to this. Just because it appears to function doesn't mean it is working properly. There is a lot of background stuff and settings that the user never realizes is going on.
 






Of Course both screen and APIM have to be replaced.
It was already discussed several times on this forum and SYNC 3 hardware IS just PLUG and PLAY! There is a thread on Taurus SHO forum about this being done.
I think it might be possible to order both screen and APIM directly from Ford but I expect it to have extreme price tag.
And configuring vehicle variables to make SYNC 3 work is another issue.
Good luck getting Ford to sell you the APIM. That's just not going to happen.

Peter
 












Can't that part be purchased from any parts dealer?

Very hard to do. They will request the VIN of the vehicle it is for and want the "bad" one returned.
 






If it is so simple to get it to work then why did Ford scrap putting it in the 16 Explorer but have it in other vehicles. My educated guess is that they couldn't get things to 100 percent interface with the Explorer before it was time for production. I believe SGT1411 eluded to this. Just because it appears to function doesn't mean it is working properly. There is a lot of background stuff and settings that the user never realizes is going on.

I dont think this is a problem.
Remember that those "other vehicles" actually just few so far... Even Focus did not get SYNC 3 yet, even though all the controls including HVAC can be controlled independently from touch screen.
 






Well, if Ford is not going to sell APIM then its another story... There are always ways to bypass system...
 






I dont think this is a problem.
Remember that those "other vehicles" actually just few so far... Even Focus did not get SYNC 3 yet, even though all the controls including HVAC can be controlled independently from touch screen.

Um, the 2016 focus does have SYNC 3.:scratch:
 






The problem is that Ford is not a high tech electronics company. They don't stick to standards and want to change the interface so that it makes it difficult for real electronics companies to compete. The infotainment and nav systems available from Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony and others blow away even the sync 3 capabilities. Ford and other auto manufactures design cars so far in advance that by the time they come out the electronics are just dated. And then they want to sell the inventory of the old units before they upgrade and that is what is happening with the new explorer's.
 






Doesn't matter

The problem is that Ford is not a high tech electronics company. They don't stick to standards and want to change the interface so that it makes it difficult for real electronics companies to compete. The infotainment and nav systems available from Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony and others blow away even the sync 3 capabilities. Ford and other auto manufactures design cars so far in advance that by the time they come out the electronics are just dated. And then they want to sell the inventory of the old units before they upgrade and that is what is happening with the new explorer's.

We drove a Platinum yesterday and it is one awesome machine. I enjoyed the drive so much that I never attempted to use the MFT. I have an iPhone so I'll probably never use the nav anyway. The rest of the MFT stuff is..just ok.

The new vehicle will be here in a week or two. Hope I didn't make a mistake.
 






The problem is that Ford is not a high tech electronics company.......... And then they want to sell the inventory of the old units before they upgrade and that is what is happening with the new explorer's.
Microsoft was responsible for Sync 2 and Blackberry QNX is developing Sync 3. I don't fully agree that they are attempting to clear out the Sync 2 'inventory' before bringing in Sync 3 in the Explorer. I'm guessing that each Ford product has a unique way in integrating the new Sync 3. As an article stated, Ford is in no hurry to bring Sync 3 to market;
http://motrolix.com/2015/01/ford-rushing-bring-sync-3-market/#ixzz3PTsVqak3
Unlike MFT which was a mass release, Ford is introducing Sync 3 in stages which is probably a very good idea. I'm guessing that this will allow them to evaluate the progress.

Peter
 






MFT was co-developed with Microsoft and came to market in 2011 and promised to revolutionize auto infotainment. However it was met with tones of complaints and finger pointing between MS and Ford. Ford worked with Microsoft to release several software updates but negative feedback remained overwhelming. Towards the end of 2014 Ford announced it was dumping the MFT in ALL of its vehicles and replacing it with the new Sync 3 system made by QNX which also makes infotainment systems for BMW, Audi, and GM. The new system provides an all-new “multi touch” touchscreen and a new user interface that incorporates a voice recognition system that really works well. The new system also provides the ability to provide an in-vehicle Wi-Fi network and the ability to use the I-phone auto and apps with Siri Eyes Free, as well as Google auto and apps for android users. SO as you can see it IS a huge improvement.
 






MFT was co-developed with Microsoft and came to market in 2011 and promised to revolutionize auto infotainment. However it was met with tones of complaints and finger pointing between MS and Ford. Ford worked with Microsoft to release several software updates but negative feedback remained overwhelming. Towards the end of 2014 Ford announced it was dumping the MFT in ALL of its vehicles and replacing it with the new Sync 3 system made by QNX which also makes infotainment systems for BMW, Audi, and GM. The new system provides an all-new “multi touch” touchscreen and a new user interface that incorporates a voice recognition system that really works well. The new system also provides the ability to provide an in-vehicle Wi-Fi network and the ability to use the I-phone auto and apps with Siri Eyes Free, as well as Google auto and apps for android users. SO as you can see it IS a huge improvement.

Considering it has taken Ford two years, at least, to bring Sync 3 to market I would think they could have offered it in the full line. By the way, I don't really dislike MFT software. I really hate the screen. It's poke and stab every time you use it. Ford could have at least updated the screens to be more like the smart phones. I wonder how Ford decided which vehicles would receive Sync 3?
 






Hello all,

I know that there is no right answer to this question, but I was hoping to get some advice from those of you with the experience and expertise.

I'm in the market for a new vehicle for my wife and she's decided on an Explorer. We love everything about it, except we are worried about Sync MFT, having heard all the horror stories. The thing we're wondering is whether we should buy a '16 or wait until next year.

I've read a lot about Sync 3, and although it'd be great to have the additional features, we're wondering whether it is truly worth waiting for. My main concern for my wife is safety, and she currently adores her hands free calling - but with the advances in phone technology, will she lose this ability in future years? Are there any other future technologies that will make MFT unusable down the road? We plan to own this car for a long time, and don't want to lose all usability while we still own the vehicle if all we had to do is wait until this spring to place the order rather than right now.

Like I said, I know that there's no answer to this, but for those of you with MFT, or those with a lot of knowledge on the subject, should we wait given our concerns?
 






Hello all,

I know that there is no right answer to this question, but I was hoping to get some advice from those of you with the experience and expertise.

I'm in the market for a new vehicle for my wife and she's decided on an Explorer. We love everything about it, except we are worried about Sync MFT, having heard all the horror stories. The thing we're wondering is whether we should buy a '16 or wait until next year.

I've read a lot about Sync 3, and although it'd be great to have the additional features, we're wondering whether it is truly worth waiting for. My main concern for my wife is safety, and she currently adores her hands free calling - but with the advances in phone technology, will she lose this ability in future years? Are there any other future technologies that will make MFT unusable down the road? We plan to own this car for a long time, and don't want to lose all usability while we still own the vehicle if all we had to do is wait until this spring to place the order rather than right now.

Like I said, I know that there's no answer to this, but for those of you with MFT, or those with a lot of knowledge on the subject, should we wait given our concerns?

With your phone connected through blue tooth you can make hands free calling without any difficulty. Most of the complaints have to do with the navigation and that won't improve until Sync 3. If that is important, I'd wait.

We just ordered a 16 Explorer after having complained forever about MFT but we now realize that the availability of smart phones pretty much makes MFT Nave worthless. The safety features are so so if you begin comparing Ford against some of the other brands. Just being in an Explorer affords rugged safety. Bigger is better.
 






Hey Sharin, thanks for your response. We actually planned on not opting for the navigation anyway, so I suppose thats not very important to us. We just felt that our phones are more than adequate in providing navigation. So I thank you for reinforcing that for us.

About the hands free, my question is more about the future of technologies like Bluetooth. If a new technology replaces it as the standard by which our phones pair with other devices, will MFT become useless? Same with newer cellular technologies like 5g, etc. I have no idea if these things are even real concerns, and I know that a loss in some functionality is inevitable, but in a handful of years, I'll be pretty upset if the only thing that my infotainment system can do is turn on my heated seats. I suppose this will be true of everything eventually, but does Sync 3 significantly future-proof me more than MFT?
 






Depending on how many Platinums your local dealerships are seeing (I would guess very few), you might want to consider just waiting a few months and ordering a 2017. That's basically what I'm looking at doing. Test driving a Platinum whenever I can finally find one and then ordering a 2017 if I like it.
 



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Depending on how many Platinums your local dealerships are seeing (I would guess very few), you might want to consider just waiting a few months and ordering a 2017. That's basically what I'm looking at doing. Test driving a Platinum whenever I can finally find one and then ordering a 2017 if I like it.

We're actually just thinking of getting an XLT. But yeah, we're just wondering whether waiting until the spring to order one would be best. We live in Michigan, so it'd be nice to finally have a 4WD vehicle, but to get the configuration we want, it looks like we'll have to order anyway. At that point, we'd likely only get the new car in December, so 6 months or so before a '17 would be delivered.

But the other issue is finances. The vehicle we will be replacing is more than 10 years old, and it will probably need around $1000, plus maybe new tires, to make it through the winter. The car is only worth a few thousand anyway, so I'd maybe be taking a little bit of a hit if I were to wait until next year. At that point, I guess Sync 3 has a bit steeper price tag.
 






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