Ford Monday announced itself as the first automaker in the world to open up app development to any software programmer seeking to create a Ford Sync app.
However, on the same day General Motors made a similar announcement.
“The automobile is now open for business,” said Ford’s Julius Marchwicki a a press event on the eve of CES.
It’s no longer enough to voice control your music, as in the original Sync, Marchwicki said. With the growth of the smartphone, people now expect to use apps in the car.
The aim is to quickly generate relevant apps for the car and to tap ingenuity that lies outside the company. Also, the program should help Ford offer apps in different regions that are suited to the local culture. ”
“The car presents an all-new opportunity for developers, especially the millennial market, and we’re looking forward to seeing what results,” said Ford’s Hau Thai-Tang.
Ford has been running a beta test with developers already and has more than 3 dozen apps available for its AppLink system for iOS and Android.
It said its developers kit is now “mature enough that Ford engineers are ready to let the vast ecosystem of developers try it out.”
Ford apps are controlled by voice for driver safety. Some new app partners include The Wall Street Journal Live, now with live, on-demand radio programming, and USA Today. There’s an app called Kaliki, where radio talent reads aloud articles from various magazines. Other new apps for Ford’s AppLink include Glympse, Aha, Amazon, and Rhapsody.
Ford, of course, does not approve all apps, and will not accept apps that show video to the driver, or a lot of text of video games.
AllThingsDigital reports that 2013 will be the year that apps in the automobile move beyond a few popular pioneers like Pandora.
General Motors also announced it will open up its APIs to developers and it held a hackathon this weekend where about 20 projects were developed.
On the aftermarket site, Pioneer Electronics held a hackathon at the SEMA Show in early November.
Developers can get more information at Developer.ford.com.
Source: Ford
