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I bet the grown-ups (senior VPs and Tim) are wishing they knew how to operate Steve's Reality Distortion Field so the car team could commit to and attain impossible deadlines, and the car team is also wishing they knew how to operate said RDF, so they could show the grown-ups what a bang-up job they're doing.

This made me laugh pretty hard. Apple is learning that automotive engineers won't tolerate ridiculous deadlines like software engineers.
 
Jony realized the Apple stores cant handle iPhone appointments at the Genius Bar let alone people driving their Apple Cars into the stores. Its already too crowded in there! I wonder if they will glue down the battery and all the components in the car too. And will all the cables fray? Will accidental damage be covered? What about liquid damage? Or will they say "youre driving it wrong?"
 
This really strikes me as a big sign that Apple needs to get back to basics. They've lost their way. They don't need to take over the world - they already did. But they did it because of Steve Jobs' extreme focus. Apple is not doomed, but they need to remember their origins. They also need to remember their core customer base because their smart phone dominance might not last forever. If they would just allocate sufficient resources to pro equipment and apps, they could indefinitely retain a sustainable market. I never thought I'd see a corporation suffer from such delusions of grandeur. And the money men behind many of the decisions they're making are ruining the company.

It always astounded me that Jobs somehow managed to keep the money men at bay. They would normally remove anyone who opposes them. You can tell that Tim Cook is now under extreme pressure, and it's got to be coming from the financiers who are trying to pull his strings. Apple has become a cash cow the size of which the world has never seen - it's comparable in magnitude to America itself - which was also hijacked in 1913 with the creation of the Federal Reserve.

Monopoly Men try to take over everything and when they manage to do so they ruin it one way or another.
 
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I hope Jony Ive doesn't collapse from a heart attack or stroke. He truly seems like he has assumed Steve Jobs's old role in a lot of ways -- whether he wanted to or not.

For Apple's sake, I hope they have a succession in place when Ive finally decides he's ready to retire or work on something other than Apple products.
 
I saw this coming from a mile...It is a good thing they stopped now
Making a car is not a joke, making an electric one is even harder, especially when you are a consumer electronic designer, software maker...you just don't have the expertise to make it from Zero,
They should have bought a start up in the field, or partnered with a real car company
 



Steve-Zadesky-Apple-Car.jpg
Following the departure of Steve Zadesky, hiring for Apple's "Project Titan" Apple Car is reportedly on hold as Apple executives are not happy with the progress being made on the development of the vehicle, reports AppleInsider.

Citing a "previously reliable source" with knowledge of what's going on at Apple, the report suggests a hiring freeze for Project Titan was implemented after a recent progress review conducted by Apple's Chief of Design, Jony Ive. Executives are said to be unhappy with the project's direction, with Jony Ive having "expressed his displeasure."

AppleInsider's information is in line with a report from The Wall Street Journal that covered the departure of Steve Zadesky, Apple's VP of Product Design. Zadesky was rumored to be in leading the development of Apple's rumored electric vehicle, hiring hundreds of employees to work on the project.

While Zadesky's departure is said to be due to personal reasons, The Wall Street Journal suggested there's tension on the Apple Car team, leading to difficulties establishing clear goals for the project. Apple executives have reportedly urged the team to try to meet ambitious deadlines, which some employees feel are unattainable.

Apple has hired hundreds of employees to work on its rumored electric car project, recruiting talent from companies like Ford, Tesla, GM, Samsung, and NVIDIA. Apple may be aiming to hold off on making additional hires until a new leader for the project can be established.

Rumors have suggested Apple is aiming to have its final engineering specifications for the Apple Car completed by 2019 or 2020, but its internal issues could potentially result in delays.

Article Link: Apple Car Development Reportedly Stalls as Apple Implements Hiring Freeze


My bet would be that Apple isn't making progress on development of almost any significant new products (for example, an updated MacPro) because Tim Cook has many of Apple's development resources dedicated to making quantum leaps in other more important projects, like an Apple Watch 2.0 for those who find it challenging to pull their iPhone out of a pocket and or those who can't live without a new fashion watch band option.
 
apple went from a company that was creating things that simplified our life (ipod, itunes, iphone, ipad) to things that might look pretty but most don't actually need (apple tv, watch, car). this brand has lost its core focus and it's a shame. anyhoo, let's hope we see new macbook pro's soon. due for an update.
Apple has to diversify. It's pretty frightening just how much Apple is dependent on one item. Standing pat on the i-Line of products doesn't seem like the best business decision ever made. Not everything introduced will be a hit, but every little bit helps mitigate the dependence on the iPhone. ATV's, watches, cars(?), Macs, and whatever else they have in the pipeline all contribute to making a more complete company. Right now, from a financial perspective, they're a 1 trick pony.
 
I saw this coming from a mile...It is a good thing they stopped now
Making a car is not a joke, making an electric one is even harder, especially when you are a consumer electronic designer, software maker...you just don't have the expertise to make it from Zero,
They should have bought a start up in the field, or partnered with a real car company
Even Tesla could stand to partner with or buy an auto manufacturer to keep up with demand and ensure quality.
 
Since when was Jony Ive running the car project? Not enough sourced information in this story to make it credible IMO.
 
apple went from a company that was creating things that simplified our life (ipod, itunes, iphone, ipad) to things that might look pretty but most don't actually need (apple tv, watch, car). this brand has lost its core focus and it's a shame. anyhoo, let's hope we see new macbook pro's soon. due for an update.
That's what happens when a company's genius CEO, who never hired anyone who challenged him, dies. He made his company wildly successful, but didn't set it up for future success. It's all documented in Good to Great: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-So...8&sr=8-1&keywords=jim+collins+-+good+to+great

There might not be anyone who can save Apple. But it is even worse than that! 99% of the tech industry is currently based on COPYING Apple, so if they fall, so does the rest of the industry!
 
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This really strikes me as a big sign that Apple needs to get back to basics. They've lost their way. They don't need to take over the world - they already did. But they did it because of Steve Jobs' extreme focus. Apple is not doomed, but they need to remember their origins. They also need to remember their core customer base because their smart phone dominance might not last forever. If they would just allocate sufficient resources to pro equipment and apps, they could indefinitely retain a sustainable market. I never thought I'd see a corporation suffer from such delusions of grandeur. And the money men behind many of the decisions they're making are ruining the company.

I'm not sure what Steve Jobs would do right now, but not investing in new markets is not an option.

One inevitable situation for every public company is that they need to keep growing. If they don't keep growing eventually they fade away, because people don't like investing in companies that don't grow.

Apple under Steve Jobs was able to come with three products (besides the original Mac) that saved the company and made it grow, the iPod (2001), the iPhone (2007) and the iPad (2010).

The iPod has been in decline for a long time. The iPad was/is extremely popular, but the market is not growing any more. The iPhone is the only product Apple has that keeps growing constantly, but one day this is expected to change.

When the iPhone growth ends, Apple will need another market. There is no way the PC/Apps Market can in any way replace their iPhone current profits.
 
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Sounds like the project was mismanaged. If so, it's good they are willing to boot the one responsible.
 
I really doubt apple will enter a low margin industry where people keep their product (cars) for an extended amount of time.

Rather see that money go as dividends to shareholders instead of wasting it on R&D.

It could be insight of apples saturation of iPhone sales. We'll see tomorrows results and how they're doing. However, if revenues are under 77 billion, that's very bad news and expect the stock to get hit.
 
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Just make sure you buy the AppleCar+.
But you'll never be able to get an appointment! Now they currently are trying to send people to Best Buy cause they cant handle the volume. Soon Best buy will be the place to get anything "serviced". Apple stores will soon only depot your unit and mail it to you so stores can be emptied out.
 
Apple TV is not needed?! We'd have to mass sopukku without one. We had people over for dinner the other day and they were amazed by it. They were all like, 'wtf is that?!'

I would agree that Apple Watch is more optional in its current gen.1 capability. But I can definitely see it growing into an essential device with more integration and compatibility.
 
If memory and not so recent articles serve me, didn't Apple partner with BMW to
create their own car.

Don't get me wrong, I use and like Apple products (phone, desktop, laptop) but
I wonder how much of it is Apple not being realistic?

The car industry is very different from consumer electronics. Because safety
and many regulations are involved, car companies tend to be very conservative
about their features.

Even Tesla's autopilot comes with the disclaimer that the operator must have
his or her hands at or near the steering wheel and that it must not be used
in heavily congested or urban environments.
 
I'm not sure what Steve Jobs would do right now, but not investing in new markets is not an option.

One inevitable situation for every public company is that they need to keep growing. If they don't keep growing eventually they fade away, because people don't like investing in companies that don't grow.

Apple under Steve Jobs was able to come with three products (besides the original Mac) that saved the company and made it grow, the iPod (2001), the iPhone (2007) and the iPad (2010).

The iPod has been in decline for a long time. The iPad was/is extremely popular, but the market is not growing any more. The iPhone is the only product Apple has that keeps growing constantly, but one day this is expected to change.

When the iPhone growth ends, Apple will need another market. There is no way the PC/Apps Market can in any way replace their iPhone current profits.


People don't invest in apple for growth any more. That's why it's valued at a discount compared to its competitors within its industry.

Investors will pay a 3 times premium for one Google share compared to an apple share. This is due to investors seeing higher growth possibilities and will pay more for that growth.

Apples is now a value stock. They just need to maintain their revenue and increase dividends.
 
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