LAS VEGAS — Ford unveiled its new Ford Developer Program at CES 2013 on Monday.
The program will give app developers access to its SYNC system alongside its AppLink API.
For the last three years, Ford has allowed developers to access various portions of its API, and has offered a host of AppLink apps. But the barrier to entry to gain access to the APIs was still fairly high. On Monday, Ford changed that by opening its Ford Developer Program to developers at large.
This will give developers of all sizes the ability to add commands that enable hands-free voice control over their smartphone. It will also let developers access in-car controls and the display from within the app.
Of course, some types of apps — including video and photo sharing — won't work with AppLink, and developers will still need to submit their apps to Ford for approval.
For now, the AppLink SDK supports iOS and Android.
Ford is already partnering with lots of developers — including Glympse — to bring AppLink support to their apps.
Other new apps that will soon make their way to AppLink include:
Amazon CloudPlayer
Rhapsody
USA Today
Aha Radio
BeCouply
Ford has more than 5 million SYNC vehicles, and it predicts that figure will reach 14 million by 2015.
Making Apps Smarter
The new race for connectivity in cars has inevitably turned to apps. Automakers such as Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and GM are all working on making it easier for existing apps to talk to cars.
In the next 12 months, I fully expect to see many of the biggest location-based, audio and news-based apps to adopt connected-car features. It just makes sense.
The idea of the connected car was born before smartphone were the norm. As great as it is to have apps built into a car's dashboard, it makes even more sense for smartphones — and even tablets — to communicate with the car itself.
What do you think of the way cars and apps are working together? Let us know in the comments below.
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