Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple should join http://www.charinev.org/ if they want to have any hope of changing the horrible SAE CCS Combo plug. Tesla SC, chademo, and J1772 are all electrically compatible. We just need a non crappy plug. I think Teslas is the best of the three.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dainin
I sure hope that if it pans out that Apple really is building an electric car, it goes better for them the Apple Maps has to date. Apple decided to reinvent the wheel with Apple Maps and here we are -- several years later -- and it is still substantially behind Google Maps in terms of practical functionality.

If the same thing happens with Apple's electric car and they're never able to catch up to Tesla, I hope they finally learn their lesson about reinventing the wheel unnecessarily.

Apple dropped Google Maps for good reason. On early iPhones, Google maps was just an app, off by itself. Once it became clear that maps would be deeply integrated in both the hardware and the software, they had to drop Google. Did they go over some bumps getting up to speed? Sure. They're doing pretty well now, though, the only thing I ever use GOogle maps for is 'street view,' which is a lookup function that doesn't require integration into other functions. The result of this is that Apple doesn't have to check in with Google to be able to write their OS, and Apple can sell a GPS mapping-enabled device that isn't being used as a tool for Google to serve you advertising. The same goes with any upcoming Apple car. They can build mapping into the thing without asking permission from a competitor, and still not create a product that's used as a means for Google to serve you advertising.
 
  • Like
Reactions: citysnaps
My point was why not wait and see? The charging connector could turn out to be the automotive equivalent of USB Type C. And the wheels (assuming it uses wheels) will probably be a standard size, and round.

Okay, fair enough. It was just that your response seemed a little harsh, especially since I put a 'grin' emoji at the end of my comment.
 
Music players and Cell Phones are not very different types of industries from Apples core business.

I think all tech companies getting into the car business are a little foolish. The manufacturing of this and legalities of even producing ONE car is huge. I only see Apple, Google, being successful in this business if they are on the software end for developing self driving cars (mapping, IT Infrastructure).. the car itself would be a huge headache to manufacture.

I do however think its good that Apple and Google are getting into this.. I just don't want to see them pursue it as a hardware thing (Cars). The oil companies are SO in bed with the car companies that efficiency is undermined by a petroleum engine. Gas engines are dinosaurs compared to what an electric motor could do, even a hybrid - but we kept getting internal combustion engines shoved down our throats.

I think its a good move for tech companies to get involved if they are investing for software purposes.. hardware on the other hand is so out of the realm of the business model for both Apple and Google. Seriously, the amount of time it takes to get things DOT certified and then even on the road and all of the laws is so immense.

Talk about Apple and sticking to its core business, one thing that has remained consistent from the beginning that has been key to their success is that they don't function as a software developer. They are a hardware company that writes its own customized, integrated software. Apple is not going to write software to run somebody else's car.
 
From reading your posts, I thought you were saying that Apple wasn't going to be successful at entering the automotive industry. Sorry if I read you wrong.

I made no predictions, beyond the high degree of difficulty and risk of what they appear to be attempting, and some of the many complex issues they are likely to encounter. In order to overcome these obstacles they will have to do a lot more than hire a bunch of people who've worked in the automotive industry. It's naive to think they can assemble an internal team that can completely blank-slate a car and bring it to market successfully in just a few years, without partnering with any number of experienced subsystems manufacturers and an existing automotive manufacturer with the available expertise, tooling, assembly lines, and supply chains. Even so it would be the most difficult product Apple has ever attempted and by no means right in their wheelhouse. They aren't calling it Project Titan for nothing.
 
One thing about charging stations. As electric vehicles become more prevalent, we will see a stunningly fast rollout of charging infrastructure, whether proprietary, following a standard, or likely in some combination, especially early on.

Consider the current fossil fuels infrastructure. Ever consider how gas gets to your car? Millions of miles of underground pipelines had to be build to push fuel from refineries to regional tank farms, where fuel trucks go to make the short-haul trips to your local gas station. It's a massive and massively expensive infrastructure.

For charging stations, most of it is already there. Power generation and the distribution grid already exists. Since that industry is already under threat from increases in consumer-end solar and wind power generation, they will clamor to accommodate the need for vehicle charging stations everywhere. It will be the power companies' saving grace.
 
I made no predictions, beyond the high degree of difficulty and risk of what they appear to be attempting, and some of the many complex issues they are likely to encounter. In order to overcome these obstacles they will have to do a lot more than hire a bunch of people who've worked in the automotive industry. It's naive to think they can assemble an internal team that can completely blank-slate a car and bring it to market successfully in just a few years, without partnering with any number of experienced subsystems manufacturers and an existing automotive manufacturer with the available expertise, tooling, assembly lines, and supply chains. Even so it would be the most difficult product Apple has ever attempted and by no means right in their wheelhouse. They aren't calling it Project Titan for nothing.
We will see. I don't expect Apple to reinvent every aspect of this car from scratch. Nor do I expect them to build it from raw materials. It's an open question whether they will outsource the assembly, though we'll know the answer long before the first production unit rolls off the line. We'll also know which suppliers are providing certain key parts like motors and windshields (just as we currently know who makes the screen and processor for the iPhone).

If all you're saying is that it will be hard, then I agree. I couldn't do it. Raising four kids (under 4yo) is hard enough for me. But Apple has more resources than I do.
 
I made no predictions, beyond the high degree of difficulty and risk of what they appear to be attempting, and some of the many complex issues they are likely to encounter. In order to overcome these obstacles they will have to do a lot more than hire a bunch of people who've worked in the automotive industry. It's naive to think they can assemble an internal team that can completely blank-slate a car and bring it to market successfully in just a few years, without partnering with any number of experienced subsystems manufacturers and an existing automotive manufacturer with the available expertise, tooling, assembly lines, and supply chains. Even so it would be the most difficult product Apple has ever attempted and by no means right in their wheelhouse. They aren't calling it Project Titan for nothing.

Most of the automotive manufacturing that would be completely foreign to Apple at this point would be related to internal combustion powertrains, which is pretty much a moot point for any sort of Apple car. Also, despite all the piling on of Tim Cook that happens on these forums, one thing that is unarguably in his wheelhouse is supply chains. I think the whole point of making an Apple car is not about building a better Ford, it's about making an Apple car. They'll develop whatever network of suppliers is necessary, but they're not going to be sticking an Apple logo on a Chevrolet.
 
We will see. I don't expect Apple to reinvent every aspect of this car from scratch. Nor do I expect them to build it from raw materials. It's an open question whether they will outsource the assembly, though we'll know the answer long before the first production unit rolls off the line. We'll also know which suppliers are providing certain key parts like motors and windshields (just as we currently know who makes the screen and processor for the iPhone).

If all you're saying is that it will be hard, then I agree. I couldn't do it. Raising four kids (under 4yo) is hard enough for me. But Apple has more resources than I do.

I mean hard, beyond anything Apple has attempted before. Hard to the tenth power. If this project is real then I would say outsourcing the manufacturing is a virtual necessity, probably to factories in Asia. They do almost none of their own manufacturing of consumer electronics as it stands and they seem to have little interest in taking that part of their business in-house. It would take years to create the infrastructure to build cars on their own. Another order a magnitude of difficultly. We will know more when we know it, but until then I am keeping my skeptics hat on.
[doublepost=1464214278][/doublepost]
Most of the automotive manufacturing that would be completely foreign to Apple at this point would be related to internal combustion powertrains, which is pretty much a moot point for any sort of Apple car. Also, despite all the piling on of Tim Cook that happens on these forums, one thing that is unarguably in his wheelhouse is supply chains. I think the whole point of making an Apple car is not about building a better Ford, it's about making an Apple car. They'll develop whatever network of suppliers is necessary, but they're not going to be sticking an Apple logo on a Chevrolet.

Don't know about that. Recent rumors pointed to Apple making overtures to BMW to use one of their platforms, though apparently without success. This tells me they aren't stuck in Not Invented Here mode and would take on a partner to get it done.
 
That's a darn good thing too. I think Tesla and Apple together would make a horrible clash of personalities. Apple's all about secrecy and Tesla is pretty open. Besides, I like that Elon has a clear goal for Tesla. Whether he achieves it or not remains to be seen. Let Apple do their thing, Tesla do it's thing, and have competition drive someone to do something better.


I agree about competition, but it would be good if they used the same type of plug in! I could see Apple trying to force people to charge that their stations, using their electricity :p
 
If the Apple car is like other Apple products

You'll hop in the car one morning and see a battery symbol with an X across it...and Apple won't replace it because you charged it too many times.
 
Will they use Magsafe connections?

No, Lightning Pro Plus connector. :)
[doublepost=1464218719][/doublepost]
Battery? Change it on arrival and store-forward charge it so it can be charged 100% not 70%. Battery tech is improving, but vendors are pulling an Apple and delivering good enough capacity, and ludicrous speed performance, instead of long range and slow to go speed. We live in traffic jams and speed limits!

Dispense with the ego!

I proposed a real growth business to Apple and the response was crickets.

Wait for the third party 100,000 mAH portable USB batteries...
 
as a Volt owner in San Francisco - charging spots are a premium. The charging apps are not very good
they list private spots, spots not accessible to the public and spots where there no spots. Then you get the Tesla owners who use the charging sports as parking spots and not charging their cars!
I have a chargepoint member but I only use the free spots - these are usually (not always) in parking garages where you are going to a premium for parking. I am not going to pay $1.00 to $2.00 per hour to charge on top of the $5.00/ hr parking fees. Most malls don't have charging spots. Most restraunts don't have charge spots. There is real market if companies put in solar chargers and charge normal rates.
I looked at EVGO they want you pay a monthly fee and have very few spots where I live.
The upside is that my wife works for lets he charge at work for free. There needs to be a lot more spots and the infrastructure is going to take years to build out. The big problem is these companies ( in the pay spots ) want to charge 300%-400% higher that I can charge at home.
 
I mean hard, beyond anything Apple has attempted before. Hard to the tenth power.
It's a good thing Apple is ten times as big as they were when they were working on the iPhone.

Tesla has proved it can be done. Apple doesn't have to copy Tesla, but at least they know it's possible with the will and the funding.
 
Tesla has proved it can be done. Apple doesn't have to copy Tesla, but at least they know it's possible with the will and the funding.

Wrong, Nissan has proven it can be done - to some extent. On the other hand, Tesla lives off government loans and promises of grandeur. Those of you who work in the financial sector know exactly what I'm talking about. Free money always makes things easier.
 
No matter what your electric brand of choice, having the biggest company in the world start putting chargers everywhere has to be a good thing for the industry! Hope that happens.
Why? They'll probably use propriety electricity that only works with an Apple car.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.