Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
In January 2020, a man who identified himself as an Apple parts manager informed Japanese auto supplier Sanden that Apple wanted to make electric vehicles, and presented schematics of an electric vehicle and air conditioner parts,
The scheme sounds like a failed palindrome: A man, a plan, in Japan, Apple!
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeithBN
Even Tesla is not really making a "dent" in car sales in the US really ... if you only count luxury cars, yes ...
yes, Tesla is the EV leader, but the traditional car manufacturers are in catch-up mode and they will make EVs affordable
“exponential growth my dear Watson“ Tony Seba predicts a 13 year transition based in part on the time it took for on horses and carts in cities being replaced by ICE.
 
Increasingly the big differentiators in the EV market will be aesthetics and infotainment/connectivity. Currently, it‘s mostly about performance and range, but these will cease to be a factor over time, as motors and batteries improve. I’m about to swap my I-Pace for an i4 M50, not because of of better range, but because BMW’s tech is way better than Jag’s. (Personally I think autonomous, fully self-driving cars are still years away, thanks to laws, regulations, insurance etc etc.)
Full autonomous is years away because the boundary cases are incredibly difficult to solve. If and when they are solved, the laws will accept them.
 
Japanese auto companies are far behind Tesla when it comes to quality. Tesla innovated with the octovalve, gigapresses and various other manufacturing techniques that the Japanese can't hope to compete against.

If Apple does go with Japanese suppliers, the Apple Car will be inferior to Teslas. Hopefully the Japanese don't create another Takata disaster that kills people.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Tagbert
Japanese auto companies are far behind Tesla when it comes to quality. Tesla innovated with the octovalve, gigapresses and various other manufacturing techniques that the Japanese can't hope to compete against.

If Apple does go with Japanese suppliers, the Apple Car will be inferior to Teslas. Hopefully the Japanese don't create another Takata disaster that kills people.
I agree! Well, we all know Tesla is going to be Apple’s biggest competitor.
 
I wonder what Apple would have to do to get me to consider them as a viable vehicle option? Of course it depends greatly upon what they ultimately reveal and price but even then I’d be very wary.

For all the hype Tesla still doesn’t strike me as reliable enough and ergonomic enough for my preferences. Getting closer but the enthusiasm for the Tesla seems to be outpacing the reality.
Totally agree. Apple's declining software quality control would prevent me from wanting an Apple car any time soon. And Tesla has some weird ideas that don't work well. The major car companies will catch up with the tech soon enough, and take over BEV dominance. That's if the Chinese car manufacturers don't leave everyone in their dust before then, they are ramping up big time.
 
I used to have a hard time imagining how a car could ever feel modern, the way Apple products do. Cars, to me, always seem to be stuck in the last generation of design language.

But I now see it in vehicles like Rivian. I’m excited for what Apple does — if it happens.
It will be inferior to Tesla.

The smartphone market is different, because manufacturers and OEMs are usually separate, and even in cases where the manufacturer is the OEM like in Samsung's case, the parts division is separate from the smartphone division, so the display division of Samsung freely works with Apple.

The problem with Apple is that the best auto manufacturer is Tesla and they are unwilling to share its tech with Apple, meaning that Apple is stuck with whatever garbage parts supplier are in Japan or wherever. Remember, Apple doesn't actually develop the tech they use; they just buy it in bulk. The Apple Car will reveal the fraud of Apple's "custom design" marketing.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Tagbert
The recent Engineering defections told me everything I need to know about the possibility of an Apple Car happening anytime soon.

And, I don't think any of their Apple Car leads have ANY hands-on experience, in ICEs or otherwise !

Apple would have been wise to make an Apple Race Car first, so they could learn what it takes !

I hear you bro...

I was shocked to learn that engineers in Silicon Valley tech companies from time to time actually leave those companies to work for other Silicon Valley tech companies.

Apple is certainly doomed as a result! Everything I need to know.
 
It’s going to be the Apple software Eco system. That might be sufficient enough for you to get it. You know we are talking no keys required, use Face ID to start the vehicle, privacy, security, the long lasting battery maybe the Ceramic Shield window display. List goes on…
The problem with the Apple software ecosystem is that Apple software is Apple's achilles heel. The software division has a big problem with quality control, and it appears to be getting worse, not better. The hardware division has been smashing it out of the park though. And I've got one word to sum up the chances of any attempt by Apple for full autonomous driving to work well - Siri.
 
You can’t compare phone industry to the auto industry. They don’t even go together. The auto-industry has been out in this world for over 100+ years.
Just look how long it took Apple to push car makers to get CarPlay in the vehicles, and even longer wireless CarPlay.

Automakers don't like others pushing into their space.

If I were Apple, I would partner up with a premium automaker and make an "Apple Edition" trim level, where the interior would be in a style by Apple and so would the infotainment and UI design, and some subtle exterior changes.

But leave the engineering, manufacturing expertise, to the guys that have been doing it for 100+ years like you said.

Remember, Apple does not manufacture ANYTHING. A car is not a phone or a computer.
 
The recent Engineering defections told me everything I need to know about the possibility of an Apple Car happening anytime soon.

And, I don't think any of their Apple Car leads have ANY hands-on experience, in ICEs or otherwise !

Apple would have been wise to make an Apple Race Car first, so they could learn what it takes !
It's no surprise.

Tesla is the best auto manufacturer, and they're not going to share their tech with anyone. Apple is stuck with 2nd and 3rd rate manufacturers and suppliers in Japan or elsewhere, meaning they will always be inferior to a Tesla. "Custom design" marketing doesn't work when your manufacturers/suppliers aren't the best at what they do.
 
All these one-off EV vehicles will struggle with one aspect not many are considering, long term support. The cost, the second largest a consumer will make. And as such, support will be a significant factor. Not like A customer could drop off a car at the Apple Genius Counter. Where todays car manufacturers with huge dealerships have a significant advantage. My first question before purchase, how does one get this repaired? FYI Tesla support convoluted if one does not live close to a support center. A huge failure. Apple greatest challenge, supporting a car for twenty years. Do not see it happening.
 
Last edited:
Just look how long it took Apple to push car makers to get CarPlay in the vehicles, and even longer wireless CarPlay.

Automakers don't like others pushing into their space.

If I were Apple, I would partner up with a premium automaker and make an "Apple Edition" trim level, where the interior would be in a style by Apple and so would the infotainment and UI design, and some subtle exterior changes.

But leave the engineering, manufacturing expertise, to the guys that have been doing it for 100+ years like you said.

Remember, Apple does not manufacture ANYTHING. A car is not a phone or a computer.
Very good point! Well said, 👏 agree with you 100%.

Having that being said, Apple has enough cash to also invest/collaborate and make the car, best in the world.
 
The problem with the Apple software ecosystem is that Apple software is Apple's achilles heel. The software division has a big problem with quality control, and it appears to be getting worse, not better. The hardware division has been smashing it out of the park though. And I've got one word to sum up the chances of any attempt by Apple for full autonomous driving to work well - Siri.
Apple's hardware division isn't good. They just have lots of volume so they can buy high quality parts for cheap. Most of the real work is done by manufacturers like ASML, TSMC and Samsung. "Custom design" is just a marketing gimmick. Manufacturing process is the most important part of hardware development.

"Prototypes (Designs) are easy. Manufacturing is hard" - Elon Musk
 
Very good point! Well said, ? agree with you 100%.

Having that being said, Apple has enough cash to also invest/collaborate and make the car, best in the world.
The problem is that Tesla has an insurmountable manufacturing lead. No one is even close.
Apple can't "custom design" their way out of having 3rd rate Japanese suppliers who build exploding airbags that kill people.
 
Awhile back I was considering a car brands optional accident avoidance sensors, until I heard of a incident that caused the car to slowdown dramatically when it shouldn't and car was rear ended. Tesla autopilot accidents have occurred and have been in the news for some time mostly by people thinking they really are auto pilot operational.
You are clearly an intelligent, logical, man, and thus capable of understanding the basic principles of how the accident avoidance tech of your car works, and thus in which boundary situations it is likely to fail, and thus you can override. For example, my Golf has adaptive cruise control, which is simply a radar that detects moving objects in front of the car, and calculates the direction, velocity, and acceleration of the object. So when I have it on, I can set my cruise control at, say 60, and when I am following a car that is driving slower, the radar detects that speed and slows down to match it, until the car speeds up past 60. It is brilliant at this, and reacts fast. If the car in front slams on the brakes, my car will react faster than I can, and brake in a shorter distance than I could manually if required. If the car in front brakes gently, my car reacts instantly and brakes gently also. If the road has a curve in it, the algorithm deals with this well, and assumes I am also following the same curve, even though it can't actually detect the road lines. If I catch up to a very slow moving car, my car detects it and slows down accordingly and early enough.

The boundary cases you have to be aware of are things like:
- It does NOT detect stationary cars, so if you are coming up to cars stopped at the lights, you have to manually brake.
- If the road you are on has a curve to the left, but there is also a turning lane on the right that turns off the road, and you are following a car that then goes to turn to the right, when you want to continue curving to the left, the radar can't see the road lines, so doesn't know the road continues curving to the left, so assumes you are following the car that is slowing down in the right turning lane, so my car will start to slow down too, even though I don't want it to. However, since I am aware of this case, all I have to do is lightly press my foot on the accelerator until I have passed the car, and my car will ignore the radar until I remove my foot off the accelerator.
- Sometimes a motorbike can change lanes into the lane in front of me, and won't be immediately detected, and when it does, my car realises there is a vehicle in front of me that is too close, so will suddenly brake harder than I'd like. So when this happens, I lightly touch the brakes, which turns off the cruise control, and manually pull back for the bike, and then turn the cruise control back on.

Thus, it is a brilliant system, and super safe, as long as you understand how it works and it's limitations. For me, it results in stress free driving, and I use it constantly in city and country. I still have to steer, so still have to constantly be aware of the traffic, and thus can see every boundary case as it happens, and also don't get bored and stop paying attention. I can't recommend it more highly.
 
It’s almost laughable to picture Apple as a car manufacturer, but to me at least the car market in 2022 looks a lot like the cellphone market in 2007.

A huge opportunity for the “computer guys”.
The car market in 2022 looks a lot like the car market in 2007.
 
I firmly believer the most CCS charging cars destined to fail because CCS chargers seem to hate colder States! What the heck Electrify America/Canada why oh why still on CCS charging vehicle travel along route 80 or 90 across the country? Then in Canada others are stepping up to fill the gap on Ma0ps ob highway across Canada!
 
  • Like
Reactions: LonestarOne
Do you really think when an engineer leaves the company, Apple would just sit and do nothing? Lol, of course they would hire more engineers.
Exactly. People change jobs all the time. Developing something as complex as a car is a team effort. Employees come and go on any project. But this is MacDoomsayer — “If it bleeds, it leads”, so every time someone leaves Apple, people treat it like the end of the company.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
“exponential growth my dear Watson“ Tony Seba predicts a 13 year transition based in part on the time it took for on horses and carts in cities being replaced by ICE.
Whatever people predict…
EVs today are struggling cause
consumers have range anxiety
Besides Tesla, charging infrastructure sucks
People are used to DIY on cars
Bring it to a dealership if they can’t fix it
There’s is a HUGE behavioral change that is required with EVs and no-one is addressing that…
Personally, I have 2 plug-ins and my next car will be an EV (no later than next year), so I am rather aware of what’s going on
 
Any time someone says “Timmy” and “bean counter” I know everything i need to know.
Yeah, I don't like the guy. If you only pay attention to what people say who have the same beliefs as you do, then you are living in a bubble, and miss so much of the world.

I also don't like you very much, but some of the things you say are very informative.

I also appreciate some of the great things little Timmy has done at Apple, regardless that I think he is a worm.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.