malba2366

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Tesla doesn't make too many public statements, but when they do...
“It is economically, if not technologically, infeasible to expect that such components can or should be designed to last the vehicle’s entire useful life,” Tesla said in the letter.

Do you think Ford disagrees? I do.
Difference is that Tesla has offered an infotainment system (hardware) upgrade for a reasonable price. They charged $1500 for the older model s/x to upgrade to the latest systems. No other automaker to my knowledge- Ford included - offers this sort of upgrades.
 

Kamuelaflyer

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My main worry is that they will not be able to switch to AA and stop upgrading the current software sync4...other than that i don't mind..
Pretty much the same here.
Right now theres no guarantee we'll get past 3.
That's one thing that won't happen. Even if AA is entirely running the MME (which is not exactly what the announcement said), and there's no way to install the new OS, our cars are not turning into 3-year-old bricks. Look at what you see in the car in the fall of 2022. That's your worst-case scenario for new features. The odds of there never being another OTA push after that are also pretty low.
 

jhalkias

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Difference is that Tesla has offered an infotainment system (hardware) upgrade for a reasonable price. They charged $1500 for the older model s/x to upgrade to the latest systems. No other automaker to my knowledge- Ford included - offers this sort of upgrades.
Listen, I know that the Tesla "upgrade" enabled more features, but don't ignore the fact that without the "upgrade" the car would essentially be bricked. That's the issue.

Who wants a bet that doing the recall Tesla will install the new hardware but lock the new features that it can do, and offer those features to you unlocked for $1,500? ;)
 

Mach-E VLOG

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Listen, I know that the Tesla "upgrade" enabled more features, but don't ignore the fact that without the "upgrade" the car would essentially be bricked. That's the issue.

Who wants a bet that doing the recall Tesla will install the new hardware but lock the new features that it can do, and offer those features to you unlocked for $1,500? ;)
Plus, that "upgrade" was $2,500. I think the only reason they lowered the price is that they knew the recall would be coming so if they could lure some people into paying $1,500 now it would be better than having to do it for free later.
 


ab13

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Pretty much the same here.

That's one thing that won't happen. Even if AA is entirely running the MME (which is not exactly what the announcement said), and there's no way to install the new OS, our cars are not turning into 3-year-old bricks. Look at what you see in the car in the fall of 2022. That's your worst-case scenario for new features. The odds of there never being another OTA push after that are also pretty low.
If indeed the current system is based on Html5, then Ford would develop an Html "page" for each application, which would work in any system that renders Html5, regardless of OS. If that was part of the plan, then Ford features could be supported on any such system. The main difference here being an Android platform would support Android apps, while the other system would need native or Html applications. For example, there is already a native Netflix Android app, but Netflix also runs in Html (I assume it supports 5).
 

kdryden99

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Pretty much the same here.

That's one thing that won't happen. Even if AA is entirely running the MME (which is not exactly what the announcement said), and there's no way to install the new OS, our cars are not turning into 3-year-old bricks. Look at what you see in the car in the fall of 2022. That's your worst-case scenario for new features. The odds of there never being another OTA push after that are also pretty low.
How do we know this. You are assuming just like I am. At one point phoned were good 4 years, now it seems every year there's a new one. Manufacturers support the older phones 3 - 4 years and then thats it. What if your waze app after 4yrs stops working because it no longer meets the security requirements and the OS on the car is no longer supported? What is Fords software roadmap? Are these not questions that Ford needs to answer. Before the announcement we all assumed Sync 4a would be around for a while, and that it was going to be the IT system, are we still confident about this? Im not so sure since its replacement has just been announced and i dont even have the car yet.
 

spp

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Unless Ford does something radically different than the rest of the industry (they don't), you won't see the Android OS come in until a model is refreshed or a new model is released. This means you will see Sync 4A on new vehicles for at least 3-4 more years.
 

Kamuelaflyer

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How do we know this. You are assuming just like I am. At one point phoned were good 4 years, now it seems every year there's a new one. Manufacturers support the older phones 3 - 4 years and then thats it. What if your waze app after 4yrs stops working because it no longer meets the security requirements and the OS on the car is no longer supported? What is Fords software roadmap? Are these not questions that Ford needs to answer. Before the announcement we all assumed Sync 4a would be around for a while, and that it was going to be the IT system, are we still confident about this? Im not so sure since its replacement has just been announced and i dont even have the car yet.
Are you honestly claiming that our cars are in danger of turning into bricks in 2023? That's not going to happen. And how would that happen? Would the evil head wizard of Menlo Park California send out a spell to disable all pre-2023 Mach-e's?

There is no assumption about our cars not being bricked. None. Worst case scenario is software stops be developed for sync 4a at some future date and what you see on that date is all you'll get.
 

RonTCat

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How do we know this. You are assuming just like I am. At one point phoned were good 4 years, now it seems every year there's a new one. Manufacturers support the older phones 3 - 4 years and then thats it. What if your waze app after 4yrs stops working because it no longer meets the security requirements and the OS on the car is no longer supported? What is Fords software roadmap? Are these not questions that Ford needs to answer. Before the announcement we all assumed Sync 4a would be around for a while, and that it was going to be the IT system, are we still confident about this? Im not so sure since its replacement has just been announced and i dont even have the car yet.
Maybe a different angle on this. Is there ANY car that will satisfy your needs?
 

Chiefsfan

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Difference is that Tesla has offered an infotainment system (hardware) upgrade for a reasonable price. They charged $1500 for the older model s/x to upgrade to the latest systems. No other automaker to my knowledge- Ford included - offers this sort of upgrades.
That was not for compatibility reasons. It was for performance and reliability.
 

RonTCat

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Difference is that Tesla has offered an infotainment system (hardware) upgrade for a reasonable price. They charged $1500 for the older model s/x to upgrade to the latest systems. No other automaker to my knowledge- Ford included - offers this sort of upgrades.
Just so I understand:
1) You want Ford to intentionally design a short lifespan screen (like Tesla)
2) You want us to sell you an upgrade for $1500, hoping you buy it before the screen dies (like Tesla)
3) If you don't upgrade and your screen dies, you want Ford to issue a statement "Hey, nothing lasts the life of the car", and make you eat the cost of the repair. (like Tesla)
4) You want Ford to fight NHTSA to not force a recall of the screen (like Tesla)

I like Tesla, but sometimes you can't be like Tesla. I would prefer to copy all the great things Tesla does.
 
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Gimme_my_MME

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Just so I understand:
1) You want Ford to intentionally design a short lifespan screen (like Tesla)
2) You want us to sell you an upgrade for $1500, hoping you buy it before the screen dies (like Tesla)
3) If you don't upgrade and your screen dies, you want Ford to issue a statement "Hey, nothing lasts the life of the car", and make you eat the cost of the repair. (like Tesla)
4) You want Ford to fight NHTSA to not force a recall of the screen (like Tesla)

I like Tesla, but sometimes you can't be like Tesla. I would prefer to copy all the great things Tesla does.
I took their comment to more be pointing out that Tesla had an option to go to a new version where Ford offers no option for any price (okay fine, price of a full new vehicle) to upgrade to Sync 3 or now Sync 4. Could be wrong
 

RonTCat

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I took their comment to more be pointing out that Tesla had an option to go to a new version where Ford offers no option for any price (okay fine, price of a full new vehicle) to upgrade to Sync 3 or now Sync 4. Could be wrong
So did I, but you have to understand why Tesla has that option.

If you truly want this option, start a post. This forum is heard at the highest levels.
 

ToddH

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All of these comments about the infotainment screens are interesting and amusing.

Obsolete and bricks? I doubt it. At least not because of a switch to android.

At best, I have 20 years of driving left. I'd be 91 in 20 years if I'm still around then. I've seen enough 90+ year olds driving and they don't do very well. Maybe there's an exception but not many. I'll need to have a different means of getting around than driving.

I also have a 2013 Fusion Energi. The car works fine even without a vehicle health report. The radio works. The navigation works. It drives just fine. And the built in safety, like adaptive cruise control, lane assist, auto high beams, etc., still work great. It's not a brick. Particularly to the guy who saw it last summer and asked me to sell it to him when I'm ready to sell it. He called me last week to make sure I'll still sell it to him when my MME arrives. He's paying cash and exactly what I asked.

If it drives and works on the 2021 MME for the next 10 years like my 2013 FE, I don't care about the new sw on the 2023. I just want the best car I can get for me in 2021. I expect it to gradually be obsolete.

The question for me is not about software but about the battery!!! The battery in the MME will probably be obsolete in the next 1 to 5 years. Much better batteries are coming out that promise longer range and faster charging. Do I want to wait a couple of more years to get a much better battery? I decided "no". I'm fine with what Ford is offering now.

An obsolete infotainment system is minor. The CAR will be obsolete. And so will the ones built in 2023 and 2025 within a year or two after purchase. But that's what you should expect when you buy anything new today. Every company is looking to make things better so they can stay ahead of the competition.

I don't plan on using the options program to get my MME. I may or may not buy another car ever. I'm old enough to know that my driving skills are declining rapidly and I want a car that will move me with the best possible safety, for myself and others, that's possible at this time. I also want a car that allows me to power it with the solar on my roof (since 2009) or when doing long distances, electricity from whatever electric power source I can find. I want my satellite radio and navigation to work. I'll buy the 2021 MME. It checks all the boxes. If it didn't check all the boxes, I'd look for something that does or keep my 2013 FE.
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