Ford and Microsoft today announced the pricing information and other details for Ford Sync, an in-car connectivity solution jointly developed by the two companies. Sync could finally signal a home run for Microsoft’s efforts with automotive software, as Ford seems perpared to deploy Sync across its entire product line:
Sync will be standard on Lincoln vehicles and widely available on Ford and Mercury vehicles. In most cases, Sync will be included as standard equipment on high-series models from Ford and Mercury – the Ford Edge Limited or Ford Focus SES, for example. On models where Sync is optional, it will be priced at $395.
Sync is based on Microsoft software, and enables the use of voice commands to control digital media players and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones inside your vehicle. A few weeks ago we featured Microsoft Automotive in our list of the software giant’s digital lifestyle flops, citing a lack of tangible products as the main reason for making the list.
Sync is certainly a tangible product however, with wide deployment by Ford and a relatively consumer friendly price of just $395. Sync could turn out to be the pivotal automotive product that Microsoft has been searching for.
Ford expects to have Sync available on almost all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury products within two years. The technology will be available on twelve new 2008 model-year vehicles to be launched by the end of the year, including the popular Ford Taurus, the Ford Explorer, and the new Ford Edge.
