Apple Has Dozens of Engineers Working on Car Operating System in Canada

[MacRumors]

At an Apple research and development facility in Kanata, Canada, Apple has two dozen former BlackBerry QNX employees helping develop a car operating system, reports Bloomberg.

The operating system is described as the "software core" of a future car platform, similar to iOS or macOS Sierra. It would be the base used to power other software, such as a self-driving car program that's being developed by a separate Apple team or a rumored heads-up display feature.

The autonomous software was only one of many features once planned to run on the car operating system. For example, Apple engineers envisioned a heads-up display showing apps such as maps that could be manipulated by the company's voice-based digital assistant Siri, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The BlackBerry employees, who work with dozens of other software engineers at the Canadian location, formerly developed the BlackBerry QNX platform, which powers many in-car infotainment systems. Among those employees is Dan Dodge, who ran BlackBerry's automotive software division and developed QNX before he joined Apple in July. Dodge is said to have a key role overseeing the development of the software project.

While the Canadian team is developing Apple's in-car software platform, several other "Project Titan" teams are working on other features. A self-driving platform simulation group, which includes VR expert Doug Bowman, has created simulators that use virtual reality to test Apple's self-driving software, for example.

Over the course of the last few months, Apple's car project has shifted focus from building a vehicle to developing a self-driving car system. Apple is said to have shelved its car plans "for now," and is instead working on a software platform that could allow it to partner with existing carmakers or return to developing its own car in the future.

Hundreds of employees on the car team have been reassigned, laid off, or have left the company since August, just a few months after longtime Apple executive Bob Mansfield took over the project. Apple has continued hiring for new software-related positions, however, and executives have given the automotive team until late 2017 to "prove the feasibility" of a self-driving car platform.

Article Link: Apple Has Dozens of Engineers Working on Car Operating System in Canada

 

[navaira]

If there's no car but they are working on the OS, what are they testing it on? Teslas?

 

[Rogifan]

For who? Automakers don't need Apple to build this for them. If Apple isn't building this for their own hardware it's DOA IMO.

 

[44267547]

So basically, late 2017 we will know more if this 'Project' is even slated to move forward. Aside from from all these mystery projects Apple is working on.

 

[Bonte]

Porsche has 10.000 engineers working for them, to develop a complete car Apple would need thousands.

 

[kdarling]

For who? Automakers don't need Apple to build this for them. If Apple isn't building this for their own hardware it's DOA IMO.

Yep, at least if the target is to make an actual car OS, not just an entertainment center OS. Apple has zero rep as a hard real time OS source, and you need 100% reliability if you want to design autonomous driving code. Not to mention long term support and legal liability.

However, if it's just entertainment and/or visuals, then those ex-BB QNX guys could no doubt give Microsoft's Sync a real run for its money.

No matter what, I just hope there's a lot less emphasis on touchscreen controls. Vehicles need physical buttons and knobs that you can use without having to look.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

I loved working in QNX. Used it on semiconductor manufacturing equipment, where timing of gas flows was everything.

 

[citysnaps]

Apple's announcement a month or two ago about cutting back on their car project was a smokescreen diversion. With Bob Mansfield heading up the project I imagine it's all pretty well-focused and very interesting.

 

[tkukoc]

I feel like this project will go the way of Apple TV.. not the Apple TV we know now but the actual TV set that was rumored for so long. Apple is working on a Car... later we find out it's really just add on equipment that works for anyone's car that can do blah.. blah and blah.. I just can't see them making an actual car at this point.

 

[Floris]

Pretty awesome that an OS is being made to interface with a car
This certainly isn't ms-dos / unix CLI anymore

 

[pike908]

Sorry fanboys and dreamers. The Apple Car is DEAD. There is no way any car company wants to pay a royalty to Apple.

The only way an Apple car will appear is if Apple purchases an existing manufacturer.

 

[stevet]

Wow, more and more evidence of the lack of vision, leadership, and focus.

 

[Floris]

Sorry fanboys and dreamers. The Apple Car is DEAD. There is no way any car company wants to pay a royalty to Apple.

The only way an Apple car will appear is if Apple purchases an existing manufacturer.

Kinda how the smartphone market was dead in 2006 and apple was too late to the feature phone market?

 

[TheIntruder]

Without a car, or an OEM partner, this project will have a difficult time going anywhere (pun not intended).

The established OEMs are already leery of the tech companies making them "dumb" carriers, and are developing their own systems. Unless Apple can leapfrog what some like Google has already been working on for the past decade or so. Given a similar lead, we all saw how Google Maps compared to Apple Maps.

Apple is either going to have to develop their own car, buy a manufacturer/startup, or partner with a minor manufacturer from somewhere like China.

And, considering much of Apple's success has come from making the whole widget, what will the result be if they don't? Their track record in that regard hasn't been good.

 

[Shookster]

If Apple wants to get into the automotive world they would be better off creating their own version of Uber. Partner with a self-driving manufacturer, have an Apple-designed interior and branding and make the whole process (including all in-car electronics) tightly integrated with iOS. I'd definitely sign up for that.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Best just waiting at this point. Truth is no one knows what to believe. My guess is the Apple Car project hasn't stopped. Within a year or two we'll perhaps hear a story confirming the project has been ongoing. Apple is and has always been a vertically integrated hardware and software company. Apple wouldn't in a million years make an OS to give to other manufactures. Apple has many car engineers working there, the kind of engineers who designed and made new cars for existing car companies. Many Tesla employees and so on. Apple has the confidence, the talent and the money to make their own car. Just a few speed bumps along the way. All paths to a new product are windy.

 

[kingpushup]

Sure I've many serious projects too, but you wouldn't know them - they are in Canada too.

Wasn't this in a movie way back? Heheh!

 

[newdeal]

yeah this is going to be vapourware at its finest. I can't think of a market where Apple could use this and make a 40% margin

 

[sirdir]

Kinda how the smartphone market was dead in 2006 and apple was too late to the feature phone market?

And, did they develop their iOS to run on other manufacturers hardware? This sounds so un-Apple. I don't believe it.

 

[CarpalMac]

For who? Automakers don't need Apple to build this for them. If Apple isn't building this for their own hardware it's DOA IMO.

I disagree assuming that all Apple is actually doing is working on car systems and UI. I used to know a guy who worked on the infotainment system for a prestigious manufacturer and they were investing huge resources into it and yet by his own admission, the user experience was still horrible. Slow, clunky unintuitive UI that was functional but with low amounts of form.

Apple could really help manufacturers to deliver great, simple user experiences based on their surely mammoth amounts of knowledge and research.

If it is indeed to do with autonomous driving though, then I personally think they're out of their depth.

 

[Darshizzle]

With the present failures of iCloud, imagine how people will feel when their auto electronics from Apple, start failing?

 

[Z400Racer37]

... Does this mean I have to JailBreak my car now too? #FirstWorldProblems

 

[daftpunker909]

Kinda how the smartphone market was dead in 2006 and apple was too late to the feature phone market?

Are you actually responding to this message? All he is saying is that no car mfr will be willing to put the car os in their cars - he's not saying that the automotive market is dead.

 

[thekeyring]

As with all Apple products, there will be benefits and technology developed for this and used in other products. For example, glass multi-touch trackpads on MacBooks thanks to the iPhone.

Siri controlled apps coming to the iPad or iPhone sound like one of those.
[doublepost=1477428767][/doublepost]

Best just waiting at this point. Truth is no one knows what to believe. My guess is the Apple Car project hasn't stopped. Within a year or two we'll perhaps hear a story confirming the project has been ongoing. Apple is and has always been a vertically integrated hardware and software company. Apple wouldn't in a million years make an OS to give to other manufactures. Apple has many car engineers working there, the kind of engineers who designed and made new cars for existing car companies. Many Tesla employees and so on. Apple has the confidence, the talent and the money to make their own car. Just a few speed bumps along the way. All paths to a new product are windy.

Completely agree. If they really have scrapped their car hardware efforts, all I can think is they'll develop software (UI and self-driving tech) then buy an electric car company.

 

[zigmund555]

Apple sees foreign countries as growth targets. Particularly India and China.
Apple works on a car OS.
Apple invests a billion dollars into DiDi Chuxing.
China is the most populated country in the world.

Open your eyes.