In-car infotainment technology is the newest point of contention between two of Detroit's Big Three automakers.
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In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ford (F) -) CEO Jim Farley doubled down on the blue oval's commitment to including Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto software within the infotainment systems of its cars and trucks.
"Ford customers love the features because they help keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel," Farley said on social media. "We work closely with Apple & Google to create a very high-quality experience for customers. And I think we have the best experience out there with SYNC 4A."
The announcement by the Ford CEO comes as General Motors digs further in its months-long process of phasing out CarPlay and Android Auto in future models in favor of GM's proprietary Ultifi infotainment software.
GM's (GM) -) head of product for infotainment Tim Babbit told MotorTrend magazine that the decision was because the company is concerned about distracted driving, noting that CarPlay and Android Auto have stability issues that present itself as "bad connections, poor rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections," which according to him, would result in "drivers pick up their phones again, taking their eyes off the road and totally defeating the purpose of these phone-mirroring programs."
Alongside Farley, netizens are skeptical and have some of their own opinions regarding GM's decision. On a post sharing the MotorTrend article on the Reddit r/cars subreddit, many enthusiasts sounded off with doubts and questions as to why the decision was made.
Reddit user u/Maleficent_String606 asked "How many months before [General Motors] revert the changes and beg the customers to come back?"
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Meanwhile, user u/jovite, a self-reported person "in the automotive industry" said they "cannot count the amount of sales that have been lost cause Apple/Android isn’t standard," and predicted that "GM is going to lose huge on this."
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