Since its release last year, MyFord Touch has taken a fair amount of criticism from both consumers and critics for its cluttered user interface and capacitive controls for the climate control system. A far too complex system with a number of occasional glitches triggered negative publicity for the sophisticated and ambitious system. Ford is now planning to rectify some of these issues with an updated system for 2013 models, with existing Ford owners benefiting from the changes as well.

To begin with, Ford has expanded the features of MyFord Touch to include Apple iPad connectivity and access to Audible.com audiobooks through either voice commands or the touchscreen. A range of improvements are also being implemented for better Bluetooth telephone connectivity and an updated map experience from TeleNav and Navteq will also take shape.

The most obvious change will take place on the user interface. Ford claims to have created a system that is simpler, faster and more user friendly. Ford has done so by redesisnging the interface with bolder and larger fonts, larger icons of the most important elements such as battery life, signal strength and navigation and placing labels on each of the four corners of the screen so the driver can see exactly which section he or she is in. The navigation section is also much richer and the upcoming turn graphic is now more prominent on the screen than before. In the climate control system, buttons have been logically grouped and both passenger and driver controls appear on the same screen.

source: autoblog