BORG Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Ah crap! I know you guys hate Apple (or just hate me), but this is bad news for my future plans with Ford. http://www.autoblog....-activate-siri/ Edited June 12, 2012 by BORG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 It was bound to happen. MS based systems will upgrade and compete. AFAIC, Siri and SYNC vox are pretty much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmalonehunter Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 It is really hard for me to believe that a person would base a decision on buying a car on something so trivial, but I guess it's that important to some people. I doubt a single person I know would care enough to not buy a car based on not being able to control a phone app. And that is all Siri is, a fancy app. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 It is really hard for me to believe that a person would base a decision on buying a car on something so trivial, but I guess it's that important to some people. I doubt a single person I know would care enough to not buy a car based on not being able to control a phone app. And that is all Siri is, a fancy app. I agree. I love my Apple devices (iPhone & iPad) but it's not going to be the basis for my next car buying decisions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I wont buy a car if it has red instrumentation lol So yes, it can be trivial, but I can use SIRI without the button, so this is more like "no Siri button? well F U, I'm still going to use it anyways"...it doesnt bother me much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Two things: 1) Also missing from the list are Hyundai/Kia. 2) Hat's off to Ford for not doing this. I mean, let's look at what this really is: - This is a button that will be utterly useless for a majority of smart phone users - This is a button that Apple is not paying for, which will have to work to Apple's closed and proprietary specs (which means it can't be repurposed for anything else), and will be subject to Apple's whims. If, for instance, Apple chooses to drop support for this button, the backlash will impact car manufacturers who have absolutely no control over what the button does or whether it works or not. ---------- Apple would never consent to the installation of such a button on any of their devices, so it's pathetic for them to insist that this is anything but bad news for other car companies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 And, to reiterate, you have no idea how pleased I am that Ford has refused to participate in this bit of Apple fealty. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTwannabe Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 It is really hard for me to believe that a person would base a decision on buying a car on something so trivial, but I guess it's that important to some people. I doubt a single person I know would care enough to not buy a car based on not being able to control a phone app. And that is all Siri is, a fancy app. My mother bought a Neon instead of a Focus because she didn't like the triangular headlights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JShrave Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Or maybe it is just this http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/17/apple-granted-patent-for-steering-wheel-controls-to-curb-distrac/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) I'm glad the people at Ford aren't tying themselves (down) to Apple. I prefer Android, anyway. (the VHS alternative to Apple's Betamax) Eventually, I see them all going in a direction where the basic functions are handled by a core software, with the ability to alter the interface or "skins" (or possibly add more functions) by the end user. Edited June 12, 2012 by RangerM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fou_bleu Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Meh, not as if we'd see it here in Australia for... 10 years? (Haven't even got basic SYNC yet -_-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 The only thing I do wish that Ford would incorporate into Sync is a way to run iTunes Genius on my iPod. It selects far better lists than the "Similar Music" button built in to Sync, which does nothing but choose songs based on the genre that is in the file tag. A somewhat trivial complaint, since I could just create playlists from Genius and play them that way, but ah well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Siri in itself isn't a big deal, but voice commands are. It's just a chatter of time before "talking to your car" to do everything becomes the primary way you interact with your vehicle. Siri is one way to do it, I'm sure other companies will develop their own voice recognition software. BTW, Apple didn't invent Siri, they just bought the company that developed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 And, to reiterate, you have no idea how pleased I am that Ford has refused to participate in this bit of Apple fealty. +1 (times 10^100) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Siri in itself isn't a big deal, but voice commands are. It's just a chatter of time before "talking to your car" to do everything becomes the primary way you interact with your vehicle. Siri is one way to do it, I'm sure other companies will develop their own voice recognition software. BTW, Apple didn't invent Siri, they just bought the company that developed it. Doesn't Siri require a data link to operate though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 If you already have an iphone you can just push the button on the iphone to get Siri. OTOH if you don't have an iphone this button will be totally worthless. Sync voice control will work with any device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT-Keith Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) ???? Fords (with Sync) already have similar functionality and so does Hyundai, ironically the two that are missing. This is extremely trivial and only shows how big of an Apple apologist you are. Seriously, your car buying decision rests on a button. Does this Siri button give you better MPGs? Edited June 12, 2012 by GT-Keith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Siri does something fairly important that Sync doesn't, and that's speak and read text messages without looking at the phone. Not to mention other hands free voice control options that don't exist in any car system. Right now, if you press the Siri button on the phone, it will come through the cars system, but it doesn't work well and you have to handle your phone to do it. And I don't need to explain that Ford's voice control system is extremely poor next to Siri, S-Voice, Google Voice, etc... All the button is doing is letting Siri work with the iPhone's voice control system, how that is implemented doesn't require significant changes to the existing system other than recognizing that an iPhone is connected and I want to use Siri. As for the importance of the feature, I would say it's critical to me and I don't expect everybody to understand why having the latest and greatest tech is paramount to my buying decision. Which is fine, Ford doesn't have to appeal to all consumers. Ironically, the reason I stayed with Ford is because they had the latest and greatest tech. But in the end, Ford has proven to be a very bad software developer and I just want to bypass the system to get to my phone, their integration isn't working well. And just so you know, although iOS is my weapon of choice, I carry MANY Android devices in my arsenal, including the new Samsung Galaxy S III. But I have no expectation that Android voice systems will make it to cars due to fragmentation. Edited June 12, 2012 by BORG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I thought that the Ford system does read texts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I thought that the Ford system does read texts? Of course it does if the phone supports it. But that doesn't help his case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I thought that the Ford system does read texts? As long as the phone utilizes the MAP bluetooth profile, which most phones don't. I thought this was going to be a big deal for me when shopping for a new phone after getting my Edge, but in the end, do we need our car reading text messages to us while we drive? I can wait until I'm stopped somewhere to check my text messages. Everybody else should too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Of course it does if the phone supports it. But that doesn't help his case. It doesn't work with Android or iOS. And while people shouldn't text while driving (and I don't), it still doesn't stop them. It's like saying we don't need safety features if people just drive my carefully. With Siri, especially if I'm on a long drive, I don't have to touch my phone at all to take care of texts. Edited June 12, 2012 by BORG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 It doesn't work with Android or iOS. There are Android phones on the market that support MAP. Just not any of the ones I liked. I believe the Droid Razr does. And while people shouldn't text while driving (and I don't), it still doesn't stop them. It's like saying we don't need safety features if people just drive my carefully. With Siri, especially if I'm on a long drive, I don't have to touch my phone at all to take care of texts. Features shouldn't encourage bad behavior though. Seatbelts don't make me want to drive more recklessly just because I feel safer wearing one. :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 And I don't need to explain that Ford's voice control system is extremely poor next to Siri, S-Voice, Google Voice, etc... For being all high and mighty about Siri, you don't seem like you have a clue as to how it works...of course its going to work better then the Sync system because it has access to a bank of servers that can decifper what your saying! All the button is doing is letting Siri work with the iPhone's voice control system, how that is implemented doesn't require significant changes to the existing system other than recognizing that an iPhone is connected and I want to use Siri. So basically the button is nothing special...at the most it is a remote that could be implemented for less then $25 bucks? So tell me whats so special about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) It doesn't work with Android or iOS. And while people shouldn't text while driving (and I don't), it still doesn't stop them. It's like saying we don't need safety features if people just drive my carefully. With Siri, especially if I'm on a long drive, I don't have to touch my phone at all to take care of texts. If texts were that important, wouldn't they be calls? Wouldn't it be better for iOS to support MAP (a standard) instead of adding proprietary buttons to multiple makes of cars? It just doesn't make sense to add a button to a car for a specific phone. I'm glad Ford opted out of this one. PS: My Samsung Focus Flash (Windows 7.5 Mango OS) will read my texts over BT, and even let me compose new ones. I haven't tried it with Sync yet, but it works fine with my old (6-7 years old) Plantronics Voyager head set. ...So tell me whats so special about this? It's Apple-specific?? Edited June 12, 2012 by fordmantpw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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