Seeking to Establish Developer Network--It's Ford's Turn Now

During the last three months, we have seen many striving to establish developer networks. Microsoft established and nurtured the developer network to make Windows succeed but could not parlay its competencies in the mobile domain. Apple failed to make its Macintosh OS open but used its developer network to make mobile phones succeed. SAP, Oracle and many others rely on complementors to make their software appeal to the end-users. We also saw attempts by RIM (Blackberry), Palm, Google and others to orchestrate developer networks around mobile devices and netbooks. When Apple announced its iPad, Amazon announced Kindle Development Kit (KDK) to enhance the value of Kindle through third-party applications. 

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Now, Ford is trying to do the same by launching SYNC mobile developer network. Its CEO is serious about it. Is this where GM OnStar missed the boat?  What insights can we offer Ford Sync?