Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Fell Apart Over Leadership Issues, iCloud

[8281]

I don't get it. If all Daimler or BMW are doing is manufacturing, why would they care about iCloud or whatever technology is behind Apple Car?

I call BS, but if the article does have some truth to it, I suspect it's more of a partnership than Apple's own car.

I imagine the rationale is close to why Apple doesn't license OS X or iOS to any other manufacturer. BMW and Mercedes want to protect their brand. If an Apple Car built by one of them is a total failure, then it damages their image. Why take that chance with a company that has no experience building, marketing, selling, and maintaining cars?
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Aren't all those problems related to the internal combustion powertrain though? The Apple car is expected to be fully electric. There's no high pressure fuel pump to fail.

BMW's reputation for chassis, suspension, fit, and finish are all stellar.

I guess it's moot because BMW isn't making it.

The proof is in the pudding.
When I was selling used cars the extended service plan on a premium German car
was 2x-3x as expensive as on a premium Japanese car.

Probably because people were willing to pay more for the brand name.
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With the exception of Toyota, none of the manufacturers you mentioned manufacture luxury cars. BMW or GM have superior battery tech. BMW has superior ancillary automotive systems, as well as longer experience making tech-laden cars (see E32, E31 et al.)

They simply want the best, highest quality partner.

Edit: Acura is not a luxury manufacturer. Their best selling car is a better-looking Pilot.

Tata motors owns Jaguar and Land Rover.

 

[DakotaGuy]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/b/1df875df-fb0c-4020-bec7-e1f36cf299e3

Well, it's not like the two companies haven't talked yet.
[doublepost=1461190416][/doublepost]
Apple's cash reserves and industrial design expertise.

The only problem with Apple's "industrial design expertise" is the car would be so thin you'd have to stay permanently reclined in it.

 

[2010mini]

When bmw cars usually breaks down after third year...it would be wise not to deal with them.

Interesting.... My 25 year old Bimmer is still going strong.

 

[pat500000]

Interesting.... My 25 year old Bimmer is still going strong.

I can't say for all to be honest; but, that's why I said usually. According to consumer affair, people are complaining about BMW issues. I had repetitive issues with my cars...and it wasn't worth paying for similar problems.

Since you mentioned 25 year old BWM...that's the retro type, right? I noticed older models functioned lot better than current....at least that's what I've observed.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I can't say for all to be honest; but, that's why I said usually. According to consumer affair, people are complaining about BMW issues. I had repetitive issues with my cars...and it wasn't worth paying for similar problems.

Since you mentioned 25 year old BWM...that's the retro type, right? I noticed older models functioned lot better than current....at least that's what I've observed.

That's because consumer affairs is a website essentially designed for the sole purpose of an outlet for people complaining and ranting and looking for confirmation.

Brand - Stars/5 (#votes)
Acura - 1.3 (94)
Audi - 1.4 (64)
BMW - 1.5 (81)
Chevy - 1.6 (53)
Honda - 1.4 (60)
Hyundai - 1.2 (136)
Ford - 1.3 (75)
GMC - 1.9 (36)
Kia - 1.2 (154)
Toyota - 1.5 (113)
Lexus - 1.5 (51)
Mercedes - 1.6 (71)
Land Rover - 1.4 (31)
Jaguar - 1.7 (69)

According to biased information. In this case Lexus are bad and just as bad as BMW.

 

[joueboy]

Kind of remind me of Motorola prior to iPhone. Apple has used them as a prop with the ROKR phone. Then obviously the next big step, somehow Motorola like Nokia they just got so comfortable. Thinking that they own the market and it won't hurt them a bit. I'm tired of car industry they are very comfortable of taking advantage of their customers. If I buy a car right now and want a GPS NAV and entertainment system that is almost around 3 to 5 grand added features. The last time I heard the price of a keyfob is almost the same price of an iPhone. Imagine if this is an iCar all of these features is a standard. The only possible options they can offer us is hard drive capacity. Maybe every iCar has a standard capacity of 16GB for all your entertainment needs from iTunes. Of course the iCar comes with the built-in dash cam so if you want to record 4K videos, the 16GB may not be enough for you but don't worry that's where the iCloud comes in. The only other options I could think of is a premium leather seats and iCar which is a coupe and iCar Plus which is a 4 seater sedan. One more thing the Apple Car Edition which is the luxury edition.

 

[pat500000]

That's because consumer affairs is a website essentially designed for the sole purpose of an outlet for people complaining and ranting and looking for confirmation.

Brand - Stars/5 (#votes)
Acura - 1.3 (94)
Audi - 1.4 (64)
BMW - 1.5 (81)
Chevy - 1.6 (53)
Honda - 1.4 (60)
Hyundai - 1.2 (136)
Ford - 1.3 (75)
GMC - 1.9 (36)
Kia - 1.2 (154)
Toyota - 1.5 (113)
Lexus - 1.5 (51)
Mercedes - 1.6 (71)
Land Rover - 1.4 (31)
Jaguar - 1.7 (69)

According to biased information. In this case Lexus are bad and just as bad as BMW.

They have car issues, don't they?

 

[Karma*Police]

Uhhhh...i cringe when people point to the Apple Watch like it's some embarrassment in apple's lineup as if it's not the thing that captured a majority of the smart watch market successfully and made millions actually want to wear a watch again. But yeah...forget that it's a first gen product that's the most successful first gen product.

Anyway, I agree and disagree. I don't think the Apple car will necessarily be successful just because it's Apple but at the same time, I remember when the idea of Apple entering the phone market was downright hilarious. "They don't know anything about phones! This thing is gonna bomb hard". Then they came out with a paradigm shifting product that changed the world as we know it.

So will the Apple car be a big thing? Meh. Maybe. Maybe not. But because it's Apple, people tend to be more optimistic since they seem to put a lot of thought into things.

People hold Apple to seriously unrealistic expectations because they expect every new Apple product to be as revolutionary as the iPhone. Anyone who expects Apple Car, or any upcoming Apple product for that matter, to be that disruptive is in for a disappointment.

Your comment about Apple Watch is spot on. Most people forget that it took several years before the iPhone took off, yet Apple Watch is considered a failure even though even the most conservative sales figures would suggest it would be a Fortune 500 company right now if it were its own business.

 

[A.Goldberg]

They have car issues, don't they?

You can see these numbers don't really correlate to anything though? Based on your logic all these cars manufactured are pretty much horrible. I would expect Acuras better reliabely reputation to certainly rank better than Jaguar or Land Rover, would you not? If anything you could correlate the number of complaints to the number of vehicles on the road... But then then you're dealing with an insignificant sample size. A few dozen complaints to thousands upon upon thousands of cars. That's why anectodotal and biased information has no relevance in the big picture.

I'll also add "stars" are subjective data, not objective. Someone's door lock breaks after 80,000 miles - 1 STAR. Someone's head gasket blows after 100,000 miles - 2 STARS. There's no systematic rating system to standardize negative assessments.

To accuse other members of non-concrete thinking when shown professionally and systematically collected and statistically analyzed data is mind boggling.

This is honestly such unbelievable unproductive of a conversation I don't even know why I'm wasting my time spouting common sense. Case closed.

 

[ILikeAllOS]

while the German carmakers have made customer data protection a key element of their future strategy.

They don't really think that Apple is lax when it comes to security and privacy do they?
The same company who has their own government after them because the iPhone is too secure?

 

[dampfnudel]

We're supposed to believe that BMW cares more about privacy than Apple? I'm not saying it's impossible, it just seems unlikely. That's not to say that BMW doesn't care about privacy, but Apple certainly has a strong record.

Privacy is taken very seriously in Germany as some US companies have discovered. Frankly speaking, it would probably be in our best interest and the best interest of our children/future children if we took our privacy as seriously as they do. Because Apple is a US company, it has been somewhat tainted by the actions of other American companies like Google and Facebook, not to mention the US government.

 

[developer13245]

Apple's arrogant "Our way or the highway" attitude isn't working well in their dealings with car companies. Being car companies, they can just drive off

 

[spiffers]

Well, Magna Steyr is a great partner, so I really hope Apple would use them. They make the Mercedes G-class (Mercedes Geländewagen), and have done so for over 35 years now, they make Some of the BMW Mini models, and a lot of small batch productions for other brands, and also assisting in development of new cars.

 

[Substance90]

Are Apple Eurocentrists or racists? What about Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hundei, Deawoo? Tata? Lots of people make cars, even high end cars. Lots of people have battery experience.

Are you a racist for using an iPhone instead of a Samsung or a (God forbid) Huawei?

 

[theheadguy]

We're supposed to believe that BMW cares more about privacy than Apple? I'm not saying it's impossible, it just seems unlikely. That's not to say that BMW doesn't care about privacy, but Apple certainly has a strong record.

You don't have to believe it. You can stay ignorant.

 

[diipii]

Apple has been unable to establish a deal with Daimler and BMW over a possible manufacturing deal for the Apple Car, reports German news site Handelsblatt. Apple is said to be seeking a partner that could potentially help it produce the Apple Car, as Apple has no experience with vehicle production.

Talks with Daimler and BMW reportedly ended because there were questions over who would lead the project and which company would have ownership over data. Apple is said to be holding out for deep iCloud integration.

A Magna Steyr conceptual vehicle from 2012​

Rumors last year suggested Apple was considering using the BMW i3 as the basis for its electric car project, but as was mentioned today and in past rumors, Apple's talks with BMW fell apart after just a few months. Additional rumors have speculated Apple and BMW could resume talks at a later date, and Apple is also said to be in talks with Magna Steyr. Apple executives have visited Austria to speak with Magna Steyr and there's not yet any indication that those talks have come to an end. Today's report suggests Magna Steyr is the frontrunner to work with Apple on manufacturing the so-called Apple Car.

Apple's car project is focused on creating an electric car, which may or may not include self-driving capabilities. Such a vehicle will likely interface with the iPhone and other Apple services, but beyond the fact that a car is in development, little is known about the project.

Hundreds of employees are working on the car, at secret locations rumored to be located in Sunnyvale, California and Berlin, Germany. Apple is said to be aiming to complete work on the car in 2019 or 2020.

Article Link: Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Fell Apart Over Leadership Issues, iCloud

Apple can't understand that they are not all-important.
Meanwhile their range of proper computers, which was the world's best, has gone to pot.

 

[Tech198]

Apple has no experience with music streaming either, and look how that turned out. mix results, bt it is getting better somewhat do a degree, just didn't exactly take a short time though.

Expect the same to go with the Apple car.. if Apple integrates iCloud into this thing, then i fail to see it be a success if they can't even get icloud right for the consumer at home. How do u think it will be on the move?

 

[MH01]

An apple car made by Mercedes or BMW.... + Apple tax, I doubt many will be able to afford one.

Given the current shenenigans with the FBI and privacy, I'm really not keen on my car tracking and holding my personal data. If I want to connect , I'll use my iPhone.

 

[SvenSvenson]

We're supposed to believe that BMW cares more about privacy than Apple? I'm not saying it's impossible, it just seems unlikely. That's not to say that BMW doesn't care about privacy, but Apple certainly has a strong record.

The article didn't say that BMW care more or less than Apple about customer data; it just implied that BMW wouldn't want to not own the data collected.

 

[monstruo]

With the mass resources and capital Apple has, they might succeed.

I kinda wish steve is around for this project, he personally has a passion for well-engineered automotive. As for Tim, I really not sure if he has what it takes to inspire the team to create a vehicle which will change the way like ipod & iphone did.

 

[Simon R.]

Apple being arrogant as usual. They want it their way, and someone says no to them. Boohoo! They walk away crying like babies. That is so deserved. Perhaps if they acted a little more humble, they would see more succes trying to do this. Same with cable networks and Apple TV.

 

[n8mac]

With the exception of Toyota, none of the manufacturers you mentioned manufacture luxury cars. BMW or GM have superior battery tech. BMW has superior ancillary automotive systems, as well as longer experience making tech-laden cars (see E32, E31 et al.)

They simply want the best, highest quality partner.

Edit: Acura is not a luxury manufacturer. Their best selling car is a better-looking Pilot.

Um, okay. Gotta check your facts first, because they are little off...

Toyota - Lexus
Honda - Acura
Nissan - Infiniti

 

[Lemon Mac]

Wheels Fall Off Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Over Leadership Issues, iCloud

 

[Sandstorm]

True innovators (like Tesla) build stuff themselves and invest in massive new state of the art factories. Beancounters care only about the maximum profits and rely on others to do the "dirty work". Germans were probably just too well regulated and expensive for Tim, better find some suicide-netted child slave factory in China.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Apple has no experience with music streaming either, and look how that turned out. mix results, bt it is getting better somewhat do a degree, just didn't exactly take a short time though.

Expect the same to go with the Apple car.. if Apple integrates iCloud into this thing, then i fail to see it be a success if they can't even get icloud right for the consumer at home. How do u think it will be on the move?

It's a long way from music streaming to super complication of automobile manufacturing, but beside that it's incorrect that Apple has no experience in music streaming (before Apple Music I'm assuming you mean). Apple has been working with streaming technology since the 90s with both audio & video sources. True it never offered a music subscription service before Apple Music but it worked with streaming tech in QT & other shells which was applied in OS 8 & 9, OSX, iOS, iTunes Store, Final Cut Pro, etc. Apple Music is the work of decades of experience, not months or even years.
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Um, okay. Gotta check your facts first, because they are little off...

Toyota - Lexus
Honda - Acura
Nissan - Infiniti

I would argue that of those 3 only Lexus is a true competitor to German lux brands. Acura and Infiniti are mostly souped up versions of their respective mainline brand, nothing more, with exception to the Acura NSX. They are certainly not view as luxury cars though.