Either people didn't connect, or investors didn't connect. I always wonder how much influence their investors have into shaping products, and influencing their ultimate release.
The Evos tech was a experimental version of Sync. I just had a rental 2014 Taurus Limited with Sync, and I was happy to be rid of it. Totally agree with you there, it being a letdown and all. However, I won't blame Microsoft on that one, 100%.. Ford has their hands in that pie, and until recently, the tech in their cars hasn't been on the up. Makes you wonder how much Ford asks Microsoft's SYNC team to dumb down the tech, featureset, UI, etc. The UX guys at SYNC must be in constant battle with Fords people.
I think Microsoft is slowly moving towards catering to business and enterprise clientele, while making some of those products "consumer friendly"... like Windows Phone (ofc, saying Windows Phone in any way/shape/form is "enterprise ready" is like saying we have the technology to fold space). There is just an unfortunate disconnect between the hardware and software teams (who work in production, not just r&d).
As far as the Nest mounted to my wall right now, it's disconnected from WiFi. To be double sure it's not just "saying that", I changed the password on my network.