Back in the day, choosing a car infotainment unit was basically just selecting which after-market brand you prefer. You had choices from Blaupunkt, Philips, Pioneer, and Alpine just to name a few. However fast forward to today, carmakers are starting to include their own infotainment units, and tech companies like Apple and Google want in on it as well.
For those who are planning on buying a new Ford car in the future, you might be interested to learn that Ford has announced that all 2017 vehicles that are Sync 3-equipped will come with baked-in support for both CarPlay and Android Auto. For those unfamiliar, the former will be Apple’s take on an infotainment system, and the latter is from Google.
According to Don Butler, Ford executive director, Connected Vehicle and Services, “SYNC allows customers to bring the smartphone technology they’re comfortable with into a vehicle and use it without hassle. With SYNC, we move at our customers’ pace – making it easy for them to maintain a connected lifestyle no matter their choice of smartphone, apps or services inside and outside their vehicle.”
Of course this isn’t to say that just because you have an older car you’ll miss out on the fun. Other manufacturers such as Pioneer and Kenwood have announced third-party systems, you drivers will still be able to get in on it.
Filed in . Read more about Android Auto, Carplay and Ford.