Gear
MyFord Touch Upgraded with 2X Performance, Free for Current Owners
Ford has updated the MyFord Touch infotainment system for 2013, with a number of performance improvements, and a cleaner interface.
Best of all, this update is entirely based on software, so that means all MyFord Touch owners can enjoy the new system in the near future.
The MyFord Touch system is an in-dash touch screen that controls your phone, navigation, entertainment and climate controls. We showed you how Ford used four corners and colors to help ease navigation while on the road, but for 2013, Ford is going further.
The new version of MyFord Touch has more in common with the Apple iOS updates than it does with in-car features. The performance upgrade for MyFord Touch delivers a 2X responsive touch screen experience, and shows off a more refined look. Ford also tells us there is broader support for tablets.
The new MyFord Touch for 2013
MyFord Touch 2013 Improvements
Last week I had a chance to see the new for 2013 MyFord Touch system in use at Ford’s Dearborn campus. The new system looks similar to last year’s but thanks to a number of enhancements it was noticeably more responsive. The system could still be a bit snappier at times, but the new software felt much better, and transitions between screens were smoother and less jarring.
In addition to the performance upgrades you’ll feel, Ford has cleaned up the interface. Instead of cluttering up the corners with extra information, Ford engineers have pared the experience down to the information you need to see.
The new MyFord Touch Update Delivers a More Responsive and Tuned Experience.
We also get treated to larger icons for the most important things on screen, and bolder and bigger fonts for items like navigation. During my brief time with the new system, the refinements were a nice touch, and looked much better than the old system next to it. We’ll be testing out the system on the road, where it really matters, as soon as Ford rolls out the 2013 models.
You can see a number of improvements on all of the screens. In the galler below, you can see a number of changes to each layout form button placement to LED indicators. The primary functions are now easier to get to, and secondary buttons and actions are moved towards the passenger side of the vehicle. The Entertainment screen below shows this in action.
The Entertainment screen is optimized for the driver.
One of the new areas is the Navigation screen, which has also added LED style indicators for buttons with multiple options, additional 3D landmarks and clearer street names. Ford also calls out the new guidance bar, which shows your next turn in an easy to read fashion.
The MyFord Touch Navigation screen gains more 3D landmarks and new Navigation guidance.
Stay tuned for a more in depth look at the new system, including the ability to connect to more tablets and other improvements, when Ford drops by with a new 2013 vehicle.
MyFord Touch 2013 Demo
You can get a look at the new MyFord Touch system in the promotional video below, which shows the system in a 2013 Ford.
MyFord Touch Update for 2012 Owners
The MyFord Touch update will be coming to existing MyFord Touch vehicles in 2013. The new system will be sent to all MyFord Touch owners free of charge on a USB stick. Owners can plug this in and update at home in about 30 to 45 minutes, or take their car into the local dealership for help. Ford is also rolling out online and in dealer training to help users understand the new system.
This is an important step for consumers, which have traditionally had to put up with slow and expensive updates to in vehicle systems. Ford is taking a page out of the Apple playbook to deliver this update. Ford has been calling itself a technology company, and if it keeps up actions like this, consumers might start to come to the same conclusion.
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- The new MyFord Touch Update Delivers a More Responsive and Tuned Experience.
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- The MyFord Touch Navigation screen gains more 3D landmarks and new Navigation guidance.
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- The Entertainment screen is optimized for the driver.
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- The new MyFord Touch for 2013
jkavanagh58
11/07/2011 at 10:27 am
Funny how quick the 2010 Ford Sync was left out in the cold
EdgeDriver
11/12/2011 at 8:55 am
When will it be available? The MyFord Touch on my 2011 Edge is a disaster even after multiple updates… It’s interesting to see their focus on improving the poor user interface, but the fact that the system hangs and crashes so often makes me hope they addressed the stability issues as well – it is so unstable that it is the only navigation system that I’ve enter had that make me wish I brought a map.
HFord57
12/14/2011 at 2:05 pm
Ford’s Performance Upgrade Plan is in the works
Ford dealers received information today expanding on the
plans Ford is making to assist customers who own vehicles with the MyFord Touch
and MyLincoln Touch systems found in the new Explorer, Edge and some Focus
models.
Some owners have had difficulty with the advanced in-vehicle
technology system and some media critics have panned the MyFord Touch system
while others have praised it.
The key elements of the performance upgrade plan will focus
on improved quality through better system stability, improved voice recognition
and software updates. The upgrade will improve performance and usability with
improved screen refresh rates, improved response to touch, new simplified
screens and easier phone pairing. New features will include ability to handle
audible (book) files, better message access profile (voice to text conversion),
better tablet compatibility and new map data.
In this past week about 1,000 MyFord and MyLincoln Touch
owners (Red Carpet lessees) were randomly selected to conduct an extensive Beta
Test. The testing will put the new software through a variety of tests and
engineers will have the opportunity to make any adjustments before the release
of the final upgrade. According a representative from Ford’s In-Vehicle
Technology support center, the upgrade is scheduled for release in first
quarter 2012. An exact date has not been set pending results from the Beta
Test.
Ford said the performance upgrade plans to date include an
offer to the customer to receive USB flash drives or SD cards (if their vehicle
is nav equipped) along with instructions that will be mailed to them so they
can install the software themselves.
The customers may request their dealer execute the
Performance Upgrade. If they make that choice, they will be asked to bring in
the USB or SD card they received in the mail so the dealer can make the
installation. An additional 1-year warranty extension will be offer to all
customers receiving the Performance Upgrade.
Joseph B. White, with the Wall Street Journal, said of the
upgrade, “Ford’s upgrade move illustrates the benefit of digital technology:
The look and feel of a digital dashboard can be changed in a few minutes by
changing software.”
Doug Newcome, with Edmund’s Inside Line, adds, “Let’s hope
that other automakers follow Ford’s lead in making systems like MyFord Touch as
easy to update as your smartphone or other electronic devices.”
Mcshady
01/23/2012 at 10:52 am
i can confirm the update is very nice….everything is simpler, faster, and more responsive. i would say the only complaint i have so far is that they removed the outside temp from the main screen and they force you to choose between seeing the date or seeing the time….i would like to see all 3 across the top in the same large font as the new clock.
Jdenbesten
03/19/2012 at 4:58 pm
Do you really have to leave the engine running for one hour during install of the upgrade?
mmontekio
03/28/2012 at 11:29 am
Yes 50 minutes aprox.�
mmontekio
03/28/2012 at 11:32 am
I miss the temp too, but is in the small display also. Mine is not allowing me to set the date and is always one day before today. I tried to set the date for about one and a half hours. No success. Some help apreciated because even the sales people doesn�t know how.