Ford, Microsoft team up on new dashboard OS

Ford Motor Company has announced that it will be offering a new digital dashboard control system on 12 of its 2008 vehicles and expanding that across their line as an option for the 2009 model year. The system, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show on Sunday, is called "Sync" and has been developed in partnership with Microsoft. The Redmond giant has developed the new music and mobile phone system for use by all automakers, but Ford is the first major American automaker to apparently sign on the dotted line. Bill Gates briefly mentioned Sync in his keynote address at CES.

At this stage in its life, Sync is a platform for managing mobile music players and mobile phones. Any Bluetooth phone will connect to the system, allowing for hands-free use. You can also hear and respond to SMS messages through the system, although responses are currently limited to a number of presets.

Ars Video

Sync also promises to integrate not only digital music players such as the iPod and Microsoft's new Zune, but also allow car owners to play music directly from USB memory sticks and from mobile phones via wireless Bluetooth connections. Drivers can select songs by using controls built into the steering wheel, or via voice commands. In addition to playing songs, the Sync system will allow the user to listen to streaming audio broadcast over the Internet.

Ford decided to partner with Microsoft to deliver the Sync system in the face of stiff competition from other auto manufacturers. General Motors has its OnStar navigation system, and DaimlerChrysler offers the MyGIG in-dash hard disk storage system. Sync is hoped to provide Ford with a significant selling point over its competitors, but Ford has not discussed its plans for pricing, and anyone who has been in a showroom recently knows that technology costs seem to inflate beyond reason when they get printed on a window sticker.

While at present it is mostly a music playing package, the software is designed to allow upgrades in the future to add additional functionality. This could include links to laptop computers, vehicle diagnostic equipment, or even devices not yet invented. Automatic synthesized voice reading of web sites is one possible function that could be added to the system—imagine driving to work while your car automatically reads the top stories from Ars Technica to you, for example.

Ford's Sync System

The Sync system was developed after discussions with Ford engineers, who noticed that the company had been caught completely off-guard by the rise of the iPod. Most other car companies rushed to offer iPod-compatible docks for their stereo systems, but Ford was late to the Pod Party, and even today some of its models do not offer iPod integration.

The system will be offered as an option by Ford dealers at a price point below $1,000 (any bets on $999?). Ford has a one-year exclusivity deal with Microsoft, after which the software company can sell the product to other car manufacturers.