These pictures will highlight the differences between the F and X Series.

The changes are mostly software, however there are a few hardware changes.

All software updates will be available to F Series owners with the 3.0 Update and will basically turn your F into a X.

The update product numbers are:

CNSD-100FM for the In Dash F Series (F700/F900/F90)

CNSD-150FM for the AVIC-F500BT Map

The update should be available around July. It's an SD Card Update ONLY. There will be an introductory price of about $70.

Wow, thank for taking the time to show the difference between the two.

Wow, those improvements looks great. I may have to get the 3.0 update before I jump to the Z110. If I can get my F booting up a good bit faster I may hold on to it after all, though not likely. Good to see the improvements nontheless.

Question for ya Jason. While you were at the show, did you get a chance to mess with that knob on the X series much? if so did it have a better feel to it? from the pic it seems a bit more flimsy on the X.

Question for ya Jason. While you were at the show, did you get a chance to mess with that knob on the X series much? if so did it have a better feel to it? form the pic it seems a bit more flimsy.

Thanks Jason! Very cool comparison of the changes. Looking forward to 3.0!

Wow, thank for taking the time to show the difference between the two.

I just posted it, thank Pioneer for giving it to me!

From the bootup video posted, boot time for the new X/3.0 is about 20 or so seconds which is pretty good. Though, it looked like that was the time to boot to regular FM radio. Will the boot time be similar if booting directly to iPod? It looks like the only hardware changes were cosmetic/the new Apple chip. Nothing in the way of memory/cpu upgrades. I can't see Pioneer releasing the X series as their midrange navigation AGAIN with the same slowness of the F series. They must have done a full tear down and rebuild of the code to get this going.

They must have done a full tear down and rebuild of the code to get this going.

They did. According to the people I talked to, the 1.0/2.0 were done by some 3rd party. 3.0 was done completely in house and "is much more efficient".

They must have done a full tear down and rebuild of the code to get this going.

They did. According to the people I talked to, the 1.0/2.0 were done by some 3rd party. 3.0 was done completely in house and "is much more efficient".

That is awesome to hear. I will definitely buy 3.0 before I make a final decision of the Z. Thanks for answering our many questions! Can't wait to see the test drive video tomorrow.

nice comparison, can't wait til the 3 comes out

i have to say it looks pretty good, does anyone know if with the 3.0 update it is possible to switch between FM radio presets with the knob

There is still no knob like Thoms knob though!

Is there going to be a comparison like this for the Z series as well?

Is there going to be a comparison like this for the Z series as well?

Yep! viewtopic.php?f=45&t=25042

Yeah so you pretty much RULE.

Hi Jason

Im a little confuse here... so with the new 3.0 upgrade, would our F series have a display like the X's?? like having SIGN BOARD display? also would the 3.0 upgrade change the font like the new X's ( cuz your topic said that the upgrade would turn the F into the X). Thank you for the clarification

Hi Jason

Im a little confuse here... so with the new 3.0 upgrade, would our F series have a display like the X's?? like having SIGN BOARD display? also would the 3.0 upgrade change the font like the new X's ( cuz your topic said that the upgrade would turn the F into the X). Thank you for the clarification

The F series will become identical to the X series software wise. The only differences after the 3.0 update between F and X will be the faceplate/knob and the new Apple authentication chip from what I understand.

How about the TTS? Have they improve it?

What is the Apple Authentication Chip for?

What is the Apple Authentication Chip for?

In the current F series (that doesn't have the chip), when you plug in your iPhone it states that it's not a compatible accessory and asks you if you want to place your phone in airplane mode. It's more of a slight annoyance really. If you answer "no" the iPhone (both 1G and 3G) work fine. Well... aside from needing a 3rd party dongle to properly charge the 3G.

So if I buy the 3.0 it'll be the same thing as having bought the Xseries? (besides the apple chip and face.)

Is this 100% given by Pioneer or is this what people are expecting to happen?

Also, if the software bypass is done pre-3.0, does this mean that the bypass won't work after i install the 3.0?

And if we can't re-hack with the 3.0 then the only way would be hardware bypass right?

I'm just scared about the hardware bypass because I if something happens where i have to return the avic with the warranty will they accept it with a hardware bypass done to it? Or can i just send the unit itself without the cables?

What is the Apple Authentication Chip for?

 

In the current F series (that doesn't have the chip), when you plug in your iPhone it states that it's not a compatible accessory and asks you if you want to place your phone in airplane mode. It's more of a slight annoyance really. If you answer "no" the iPhone (both 1G and 3G) work fine. Well... aside from needing a 3rd party dongle to properly charge the 3G.

So if you don't have an iPhone, you won't take advantage of that feature right?

So if you don't have an iPhone, you won't take advantage of that feature right?

Right. The only purpose the Apple authentication chip is for iPhones/iPods to recognize the head units as officially sanctioned accessories. Short of that new chip and the aesthetic/hardware changes on the front.... with Firmware 3.0 there is apparently little to no difference between the F series and the new X series. With the exception of the Z110BT. That thing apparently has a kick ass CPU/RAM/GPU upgrade.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/Accessories/NavigationUpgrades/CNSD-100FM

Apparently this map/FW update is going to cost $130, not $70.