Ford looks to go the Android route with its Sync AppLink system, offers it to other automakers

Ford used CES to announce its new AppLink developer program to foster more in-car app development, but it looks like it has even grander plans than that. The company tells Wired that it's willing to give the system that Sync AppLink is based on to any other automaker that wants it -- and at no cost and with no restrictions, no less. Or as Wired puts it, it's looking to be the "Android of automotive app architectures." To that end, Ford says that it's not even looking for other automakers to incorporate Ford branding if they use the system, and that it sees AppLink as being platform agnostic. It's not offering a ton of specifics beyond that just yet, but one clear advantage of the move (if it winds up being widely accepted) is that it would likely increase app development, which would certainly benefit Ford even if it doesn't directly benefit from others using the system.

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Source: Wired