I keep trying to think why don't they make a smart band? Look at the market Fitbit has with them? They could kill it with a great design and give it the ability to run those watch apps. Expand a bit. Gees it took them years and years and years to finally make a bigger phone. And this year they offer a watch that looks exactly the same as last year, wheres the imagination? The Mac Pro trash can was a fabulous design, despite the lack of upgradability, but why did they flaunt it being so innovative and then ignore it totally for over three years now?
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Apple Abandons Car Plans 'For Now,' Sets Late 2017 Deadline to Decide Fate of Self-Driving System
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Are you comfortable with Apple trying to become Google or Microsoft and just licensing software? Do you think that will provide the best experience? I would argue no. I would also question the feasibility of developing autonomous or driverless car software independent of building a car. This article said Apple will decide the fate of project titan by laye 2017. By that point most, if not all, car makers will already be well on their way with their own platforms. They don't need Apple.
Steve Jobs would have killed this crap well before it ever got to the starting line. This endeavor has been a huge, misplaced, waste of capital. Fire Tim Cook.
This was a terrible right from the beginning. I'm guessing that someone at Apple "always wanted to build a car" and didn't realize what is involved (and how risky it is). Plus, honestly, there was a point I would have trusted Apple to build a decent car, maybe something with some real innovation behind it, even if I thought the entire idea was a bit loopy. Now? The only company I would trust *less* than Apple to build a good car would be Microsoft...
Looks like it's going to be Christmas Eve for a long, long, long time...
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/26/tim-cook-apple-car-christmas-eve-for-a-while/
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/26/tim-cook-apple-car-christmas-eve-for-a-while/
And what happened to Apple TV? They were talking about that four years ago. How much was wasted on that and they couldn't pull the trigger while Sling and PlayStation VUE are taking off. They should have bought Disney (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc.) a couple of years ago and showed the rest of the industry how content could be delivered over Apple TV. Isn't Laurene still the largest shareholder there? Why couldn't they get this deal done?
Proposedly there was too much hiss at Board Level around Titan priorities:
In addition to proposed online sales via Amazon, Angela was preparing AppleCar boutiques at Macy's with a Design Your Own Car facility. However, the fur steering wheel covers she had designed by Burberry's got denied as the steering wheel itself was abandoned.
Despite Eddy Cue's negotiations with car equipment OEM's, Phil Schiller also wanted to abandon wheels (as they were too much 1900) and was busy implementing waterproof speakers to implement various tyre noise and petrol engine sound effects.
Chief Design Ive decided that the machine didn't fit a SIMcard slot for overweight reasons, that a GPS was too much burden for the battery. He then conducted tests with cardboxes (to protect the sapphire car windows) that would either crush or disappointingly not fit the Fedex delivery system. Also, he furiously insisted on keeping his own Bentley with private driver.
Lead commissioner Eddy Cue was unable to establish contracts with oil companies for the proposed plug-in AppleCar, as the monopolization of the entire car industry that they where repeatedly hinted at, didn't fit their slightest interest (neither did the Hawaiian T-shirts they were rewarded as a gift)
Cook found it amazing that hardware vet Mansfield preserved a Titanic software project, calling it the most inspiring CarPlay extension ever. He was awarded 6000 Indian sw engineers that could fill up the empty car plants, outsourced under Irish fiscal regulations for diversity reasons.
Wallstreet was baffeled with the most disruptive transformation of the entire CarPlay industry. People were crying on the streets.
Everybody got a raise and selfies from Tim and Bob.
In addition to proposed online sales via Amazon, Angela was preparing AppleCar boutiques at Macy's with a Design Your Own Car facility. However, the fur steering wheel covers she had designed by Burberry's got denied as the steering wheel itself was abandoned.
Despite Eddy Cue's negotiations with car equipment OEM's, Phil Schiller also wanted to abandon wheels (as they were too much 1900) and was busy implementing waterproof speakers to implement various tyre noise and petrol engine sound effects.
Chief Design Ive decided that the machine didn't fit a SIMcard slot for overweight reasons, that a GPS was too much burden for the battery. He then conducted tests with cardboxes (to protect the sapphire car windows) that would either crush or disappointingly not fit the Fedex delivery system. Also, he furiously insisted on keeping his own Bentley with private driver.
Lead commissioner Eddy Cue was unable to establish contracts with oil companies for the proposed plug-in AppleCar, as the monopolization of the entire car industry that they where repeatedly hinted at, didn't fit their slightest interest (neither did the Hawaiian T-shirts they were rewarded as a gift)
Cook found it amazing that hardware vet Mansfield preserved a Titanic software project, calling it the most inspiring CarPlay extension ever. He was awarded 6000 Indian sw engineers that could fill up the empty car plants, outsourced under Irish fiscal regulations for diversity reasons.
Wallstreet was baffeled with the most disruptive transformation of the entire CarPlay industry. People were crying on the streets.
Everybody got a raise and selfies from Tim and Bob.
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Maybe now Apple can get back to building some high-end Macs and peripherals for creators, developers, artists, etc.
Yep, it's pretty sad when a 30-yr Apple evangelist (me) is seriously starting to consider an exit strategy.
It's funny (not), that Apple has piece-by-piece broken nearly everything that attracted me to them, as well as most of the software that held me into the eco-system. Once I've replaced them all, what's to keep me here? Simply that the other side isn't yet quite as good in terms of software? Maybe?
The braking is done by the regenerative aspect of the electric motors, right? Or, do they still have conventional brakes? At any rate, you're correct that IF the sensors detect the problem, and IF the software is properly programmed to respond appropriately, the AI car will respond much more quickly than a human. If not, it will merrily continue on to any number of horrific outcomes.
No, not at all. I was just saying that Apple now, isn't what it was under Jobs. The priorities are completely different, hence what we'd expect from them (based on the past) isn't likely to be accurate now.
Well, yes, they are 'driving' at < 20mph around a very well mapped area, with a crazy amount of sensor technology, with someone ready to take control should they screw up, in perfect weather conditions.
Let me pick a location and time, and we'll see how autonomous they are. (Hint: you'll want to be far, far away.)
Sci-fantasy
I'm sure there will be another revision or two, but I think Tim is pretty committed to moving us all to iDevices. That's where the masses are, so that's where Apple's going.
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I doubt it. That isn't mass-market enough for Apple any more.
Good. Apple should focus on their traditional product lines.
....and maybe a mission to Mars!
....and maybe a mission to Mars!
Apple doesn't even have a computer monitor to sell and you want Tim Crook to sell you a TV ?
Uh-huh. That's a preproduction test vehicle, so you can't tell a thing.
The Tesla might show up in 2017, more likely 2018.
I meant a TV service offered on the ATV4. I just got a 4K Amazon Fire TV and I'm ready to dump by ATV4. How could Apple release a device in 2015 without support for 4K? Go to Costco now and almost all of their TVs are 4K. It really seems that Apple releases devices based strictly on profit margins.
I kind of wish they'd put most of Apple current upper management on a ship to Mars!
The Bolt is definitely not ten years later than it could have been. The batteries were far too expensive then, as well you should know. They were too expense two years ago, in fact, which is why the competition at this point is still offering EVs with less than half the range of the Bolt. They will have to redesign their cars from the ground up to accommodate at least 60Kwh of batteries if they want to hit that 200+ range mark without subtracting precious passenger or cargo space.
As far as "finally" is concerned, the Bolt is being delivered on schedule (much to the surprise of many). I find it ironic that you are so critical of GM when they've done at least as much in the EV market as any company and produced what they promised when they promised. That's a lot more than you can say for some other companies we could mention. Like I said, I am about as far from being a GM loyalist as anyone, but I am impressed by what they've accomplished with the Bolt. It might not be sexy, but it's real.
Oh, and it's got CarPlay.
Exactly. While I'm no fan of GM, EVs simply haven't been feasible until VERY recently. That's why Teslas cost $100k. The tech is *just* coming within reach. The whole thing about some conspiracy to stop electric vehicles is pretty much conspiracy theory, as it was the actual tech that was stopping it.
I understand that we're talking steaks versus hamburgers, but I'd rather be in the business that gets me 13m of actual sales at 40-45% margins in a single opening weekend (6S in 2015) than 400K $1000 deposits over a sales quarter. Being lazy, I just did a back-of-the-envelope comparison of that weekend, assuming 45% margin on a $500 ASP, and a 100% sell-through of those Model 3 deposits, assuming $50K option median and a generous 15% margin: $2.93B versus $3B. Again, that's the first weekend of iPhone sales—without the capex of charging stations, service centers, and battery factories.
Don't get me wrong, I like Elon and think he has a bright future ahead, but when you're a startup without a mature product pipeline, YoY growth should be viewed skeptically.
Only this evening I was driving along the M25 (speed limit 70mph) where workmen were going about their duties (temporary limit 50mph).
And I could find numerous stories of pedestrians on motorways.
Until humans are also automated, your argument has no ground.
With all the recent whining about Macs, I am starting to wish that Apple would just discontinue the Mac altogether as a middle finger to this group of people and shut them up permanently.
Your numbers are pretty accurate and Apple's business model is the envy of the world. But the smartphone market is maturing while the EV market is ready to take off. It's at 1% of the overall automobile market and growing high double digits. Not unlike Apple in 2007.
It won't be as easy as the smartphone market but in a few years, Apple will be envious of Tesla's position.
swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
I never saw this happening because I don't think Apple has the competency to make something as complicated as a car work. So many parts of a car have to work for basic human safety. But Apple is used to being able to ship products where a certain percentage of users are completely unable to use the product (such as an OS upgrade bricking a phone), and they'll either replace it or update the software. That mentality doesn't work with cars. Maybe cars aren't as elegant or advanced as Apple thinks they could be, but they do generally "just work." Or if they don't, in my experience, it's not been a software issue and not an out-of-the-gate issue.
They're struggling with basic networking on the Mac. Look at the disaster that was discoveryd.
Even with their cash cow, the iPhone, they couldn't ship "Bokeh," a flagship feature.
As I've said many times on here, Maps still believes my closest emergency room is a veterinary hospital—and I've contacted Apple many times to have that fixed. Any Apple car would presumably use Apple Maps to a large extent, but it's hard to deny that Google Maps is a superior product.
They can't get these small things right. A car is comprised of thousands of small things. I just never saw it happening.
They're struggling with basic networking on the Mac. Look at the disaster that was discoveryd.
Even with their cash cow, the iPhone, they couldn't ship "Bokeh," a flagship feature.
As I've said many times on here, Maps still believes my closest emergency room is a veterinary hospital—and I've contacted Apple many times to have that fixed. Any Apple car would presumably use Apple Maps to a large extent, but it's hard to deny that Google Maps is a superior product.
They can't get these small things right. A car is comprised of thousands of small things. I just never saw it happening.
No doubt. Have you ever watched the Tesla 'Autopilot' videos of a P85D rocketing up the empty lane along side nearly stopped traffic (and how nervous the 'driver' seems). An AI car would just go the programmed speed limit in a construction zone, unless it got data in that that stretch of highway was under construction.
Even the most daft human would recognize they were in a construction zone. Whether their uneducated and egotistical brains actually act on that knowledge and slow down, is another story. But, again, the solution is that those dolts shouldn't be driving. That's pretty easy to fix.