bfukumoto Posted February 24, 2014 at 06:10 PM Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 at 06:10 PM http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304610404579403041411705368?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_business Ford To Swap BlackBerry For Microsoft BlackBerry's QNX Will Power Car Technology Software Beginning in 2016 by Mike Ramsey Updated Feb. 24, 2014 12:40 p.m. ET Ford Motor will begin using a Linux-based operating system, called QNX, to power its Sync mobile-phone multimedia software beginning in 2016, ending its use of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, an official with the car company said. The move will lower Ford's costs and give them a simple system that hardware makers and other software developers are comfortable using. Despite pioneering the move into in-car mobile technology, Ford has run into trouble with the Microsoft-based Sync in recent years as it integrated the phone-pairing system with a touch screen called MyFord Touch. Many of the bugs in the system weren't related to problems with Microsoft's platform, however. Ford considered using a Google Inc. Android-based system, as well as Microsoft's system before settling on QNX Software Systems, which is owned by BlackBerry Ltd. , according to this person. The system is used by other auto makers to run multimedia systems that connect phones to in-car technology, allowing for voice-activated calling and radio controls, and other applications. The decision to drop Microsoft and its Windows Embedded Automotive offering came primarily as a result of the expense of licensing the Redmond, Wash.-based company's operating system. Equipment suppliers also had a strong familiarity with the QNX system and preferred working with it, said the official, who declined to be named because the matter isn't public. Bloomberg News earlier reported the change. Honda Motor Co.'s Acura, General Motors Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Volkswagen AG's Audi and Porsche use QNX in their multimedia systems, according the company's website. QNX has about 50% market share among car makers. "QNX is the best system for this application from an objective standpoint," said Egil Juliussen, the principal analyst for IHS Automotive researching this area. "It's smaller, takes less memory, it's more flexible." Ford, along with Microsoft, was a leader in pushing in-car mobile phone integration. It launched Sync in 2007 on a few models as an option and now its system is standard on most of its vehicles in many regions of the world. Its Sync system is used on more than 7 million vehicles around the world and has become an important marketing tool for Ford. More recently, Ford has had quality problems with its MyFord Touch system, which is a touch-screen interface and Bluetooth-activated voice control system. MyFord Touch had problems with freezing, or failing to recognize voice controls early on. Ford has been upgrading the system to work out the bugs, but most of these issues had little to do with Microsoft, the official said. Microsoft's other major customers in the automotive industry are Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Nissan Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp, according to the company's website. A spokesman for the software company couldn't immediately be reached to comment. Mr. Juliussen estimated that about 50% of Microsoft's automotive business goes to Ford now. "As the provider of a standards-based software platform used throughout the auto industry, QNX has worked with Ford on technology that is available in vehicles on the road today," a BlackBerry spokesman said. "We can't comment or speculate on the plans of Ford or other auto makers, as a matter of policy." -Shira Ovide in San Francisco contributed to this article. Write to Mike Ramsey at michael.ramsey@wsj.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meyersnole Posted February 25, 2014 at 05:04 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 at 05:04 AM Thanks for posting this... I was just going to come in and post this as well. I hope Ford will continue to flush out the existing Sync system as it still needs a lot of help. My fear is that they will build the new system and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted February 25, 2014 at 10:58 AM Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 at 10:58 AM They could use existing owners on an optin basis to wring out the bugs in the new system. That is unless they also plan to change to different hardware (cpu,memory, etc) in which case we will be left behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaggy314 Posted February 25, 2014 at 07:03 PM Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 at 07:03 PM So don't look for any updates after 2015... :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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