Ford's SYNC system is winning friends left and right, with CNET giving it the nod as Coolest New Car Tech and The Detroit News calling it "the best $395 option of 2007". Sales of the Ford Focus, in which the system debuted, are up 22.5% this year, despite the car's iffy redesign. According to Ford, consumers are choosing to add SYNC to their cars two to one over those who skip it, and Microsoft, which supplies the software to run SYNC, has noticed this popularity. The software giant from Redmond has pretty big plans for its Automotive Business Unit beyond supporting Ford's SYNC system, and hopes to give its software system "daily relevance" within five years by networking infotainment systems with each other. A local search function, for instance, could offer multiple possible routes based on up-to-the-minute information gathered from the network.
All of these upgrades need to be paid for somehow, and Martin Thall, the General Manager of Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit, has suggested that they may integrate advertisements into the infotainment system as opposed to charging subscription fees like General Motors does with its OnStar service. After all, you hear ads on your radio and pass by billboards every time you get in your car, right? Would serving up advertisements or coupons to Starbucks while you're driving be a distraction, though? They better think this through carefully.
[Source: CNET]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Oluseyi @ Mar 7th 2008 4:46PM
It totally depends on execution, but I've shifted to a pretty anti-advertising philosophy, so I think it's a bad idea.
It could work if the ads are unobtrusive - a muted note indicating that a nearby store has a promotion, for instance, accompanied by the store's logo appearing on the navigation system. If I'm not using the navigation, though, and am listening to my music, DON'T YOU DARE interrupt it for advertising.
If I don't use any functions and the SYNC is just sitting in the car, then I shouldn't have to listen to or see any ads - will there be support for this? I can see the idea leading to horrible execution, so I say, "no, thanks." If I want upt-to-date content, I'll pay for it in a subscription.
(How about an option for SYNC using my bluetooth-enabled phone as a modem?)
cowboy bob @ Mar 8th 2008 11:28AM
This makes me wish for the good old days when you could order your car with the "radio delete" option. Now I want the "Bullsh*t delete" option.
PAT @ Mar 7th 2008 4:52PM
I would never buy a car that has advertising built in! That is ridiculous! People who pay extra for the SYNC system would pay a subscription fee. Example, I woudn't buy an XM receiver (pay for the SYNC option) if I still had to listen to horrible long radio commercials. Yes, they better be VERY careful with this decision.
Dave in MI @ Mar 7th 2008 5:06PM
You must not listen to ESPN radio on XM. If you did, you would be familiar with the 'man groomer' or any number of the other terrible, overun advertising.
geo.stewart @ Mar 7th 2008 6:08PM
dude,
sat radio ceased being commercial free after about the 1st minute. whether product, service, or otehr channels, i dont see much difference from FM other than on FM the commercials are more relevant.
hh @ Mar 7th 2008 6:37PM
hopefully my next car runs on GNU/LINUX.
Gardiner Westbound @ Mar 7th 2008 5:00PM
Unless it has an "off" switch that doesn't interfere with other functions there is no way I would consider purchasing a car with this system.
GOT @ Mar 7th 2008 11:39PM
AMEN!
No off switch, no sale!
sw @ Mar 7th 2008 5:01PM
hahaha, NO. Any manufacturer considering this is building the edsel of automotive feature, and I can only think that either desperate or retarted executives would allow this.
bigrig @ Mar 7th 2008 5:01PM
Something else needed to distract the daily driver, I have enough to worry about with people in cars that can't manage to get out of their driveways without near missing someone or something.Besides, people get nervous when they see a blinking light, forget a streaming ad through their cars......
TriShield @ Mar 7th 2008 5:03PM
Now I know not to spring for this option in the future.
joe @ Mar 7th 2008 5:04PM
if they followed the old opera browser model of having a pay for no advertisements or don't pay with advertisements, I could see that working, as I would pay for no advertisements and cheap people could be stuck with the ads. however, I would certainly factor that into the equation when buying a car. i like being able to turn off a navigation unit at night and having no bright lights in the car. i would be irate if they messed with that.
slim @ Mar 7th 2008 11:10PM
the mangroomer rocks and has totally changed my life.
ChrisL @ Mar 7th 2008 5:23PM
Ok, that is one nasty bad idea.
I'm driving along and the radio is 'selling at me', the billboards are 'sellling at me', the bus stop bench is 'selling at me', my cell phone rings and it's a telemarketter 'selling at me'...and just when I have two seconds without adverts, my car is going to do it too?
ARE YOU LISTENING FORD, I'LL KICK THAT NEW FIESTA OFF MY LIST IF IT TRIES 'SELLING AT ME' IN ANY WAY, AT ANY TIME.
Did I type that loud enough? You know how loud ads are.
psarhjinian @ Mar 7th 2008 5:26PM
Microsoft really has no restraint. They absolutely, positively, have wring every last cent of value they can out of something. This isn't a bad thing per se, especially if you're a shareholder, but it's relentless and, in some cases, obnoxious.
It's really worth searching for "If Microsoft Invente Google" or "If Microsoft Invented the iPod" for a satiric--but funny--take on this.
Caterham7 @ Mar 7th 2008 5:26PM
Not in a million years. Yes, I pay for Sirius, but only listen to the non-commercial channels. Even the brief DJ chatter is too much. There's got to be some limits on the bombardment of commercial cr*p we're subjected to.
Do we even want to start talking about the diminishing-returns concept of all this "modern" technology in our cars...?
Matt @ Mar 7th 2008 5:31PM
"All aboard the FAIL BOAT!"
accord745 @ Mar 7th 2008 5:43PM
Another reason not to buy a Ford...
sitruc @ Mar 7th 2008 5:51PM
We still don't know how the execution would take place. It could be an unobtrusive ad like google text ads or suggesting a restaurant above others. Regardless, SYNC won't be exclusive to Ford soon. The other manufacturers will want SYNC.
//Wasn't this on Engadget?
mk @ Mar 7th 2008 5:54PM
And people think I am crazy when I want very little in terms of technology entertainment that is BUILT IN to my car.
Connection allowances, fine. But nothing much more than a radio receiver and maybe a CD player built in.
That way, if I want a music media player, navigation device, or a phone, or a video system for kids in the back, I can add them myself, and I can make damn sure of the content.