Apple May Have Considered Purchasing Tesla, Researching Audio to Predict Heart Attacks

[heysoymilk]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet.. Elon Musk also founded PayPal and SpaceX. While I don't think Apple plans to buy a spaceship or even an electric car company, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if their meeting was centered around paypal and mobile payments.

Another possible point of discussion (although probably less likely given the size and power-output of batteries for electric cars versus portable electronics) would be Tesla's battery technology. Tesla has done some pretty innovative stuff with Lithium-ion batteries.

 

[AppleScruff1]

The iWatch will be just as big as the iPod iPad or iPhone. I've said it before, anyone too stupid to understand the possibilities should not comment, but of course they do anyway.

P.S. People have been researching how to prevent heart attacks, and prevention methods are vast, and well known now. Apple could be the next step in this long list of prevention methods, and I knew the iWatch would be amazing.

Of course you knew the iWatch would be amazing.

 

[rmatthewware]

I've thought before that Elon Musk is the most natural successor to Steve Jobs in terms of creativity and making things happen. Apple should buy Tesla just to bring him to the team, though I don't know how well he would be able to focus.

 

[SusanK]

And people have been looking into preventing heart attacks and a multitude of other diseases and conditions for hundreds of years. Now all of a sudden it's a big deal because Apple is rumored to be doing so?

Apple will fire the Heart Team and turn that responsibility over to maintenance crew. Revolutionary!

 

[ateslik]

Once you've driven a Tesla there's no going back to internal combustion engines...

I can't agree with this more. I went to test drive one a few months back. Remember the feeling when the iphone first came out? Remember how it instantly made every other phone at the time instantly look and feel archaic and outdated. You knew it was the future. You instantly realized just how bad your existing phone was and saw everything a phone could be. Same exact feeling after the Tesla. Every other car on the road instantly looks awful, poorly made, and ridiculous.

No, I don't own a Tesla. But when my gas car poops out I will definitely see what I can do to get into one of these things.

Tesla's too expensive but there are some other promising alternatives. Byd is a bit cheaper and although completely dismissed by Musk as a joke just a couple of years ago, is catching up fast.

The attention to detail is extremely underwhelming. If you can't even bother to translate a paragraph correctly I'm not driving your car. LOL

 

[RedGemini]

I don't believe they met to talk about iOS integration because if that was the case then Tesla would have got it working by now. As it is today (Tesla firmware version 5.8.7) you can't plug in an iOS device through USB to play music...

I hope they fix this with the pending version 6.0

You do realize the Tesla's infotainment system is run on a special build of Android, right? Don't hold your breath on any great iOS integration.

 

[Renzatic]

...Every other car on the road instantly looks awful, poorly made, and ridiculous.

Except for the Lotus Elise, or as I call them, Gas Teslas.

 

[britboyj]

Except for the Lotus Elise, or as I call them, Gas Teslas.

Except the Elise has nothing to do with the Model S or Model X?

The drivetrain and battery in the Model S is a whole different beast than that in Roadster, which was limited production and basically designed as proof-of-concept.

 

[Renzatic]

Except the Elise has nothing to do with the Model S or Model X?

At least as far as looks and style are concerned, they're remarkably close. Lotus designed the body for the Roadster, and the end result does look quite a bit like an Elise.

 

[mactree]

That is crazy cool. Trying to figure out how to predict a heart attack using sound? Go Apple!

 

[iBug2]

That is crazy cool. Trying to figure out how to predict a heart attack using sound? Go Apple!

I hope they don't patent this tech if it really exists. It's a feature that should be on every smartwatch type gear.

 

[josh995]

The ignorance is high here. A lot of people commenting on Tesla clearly have NO idea what they're talking about and are commenting based on something other than facts.

 

[acslater017]

IDK if I would like it or not if Apple bought Tesla... I feel like a merged company would lose focus and not do anything particularly well anymore. I'd definitely be interested in seeing them work on integrating their products together.

Yea, it's an Apple fan fantasy more than a practical business reality. Once you start making computers AND cars, you've become a Samsung-type corporation with no direction.

Having said that, I wouldn't object to a tight - perhaps exclusive - partnership between the two companies. They would be a good cultural match, Tesla being more Silicon Valley than Detroit. Apple could design all the user interface, smartphone integration, cell network tech, navigation eek, etc. Though I bet Jony Ive would have a hard time not giving his two cents into the design process.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Apple could also simply buy a stake in Tesla to get access to technology and engineering expertise to help Apple in it efforts to integrate iOS into automobiles. That would give Apple a testbed to determine how best to integrate iOS as well a show to build the associated diagnostic equipment using Apple products. Tesla is small enough and less likely to take a NIH approach as well as being a high profile showcase for technology to be an attractive partner.

In a much more speculative vein, Apple stores could become Tesla dealerships in select locations; circumventing existing manufacturers' dealerships efforts to keep tesla out of their home markets.

This is quality thinking; it gets Apple a toehold in automotive tech with a lot less risk than becoming an automobile manufacturer.

 

[Solomani]

Oh Boy.. How much will cost an Apple branded PRODUCT RED Tesla ???

The amount of money raised from that sale would be enough to eradicate AIDS forever.

 

[AnalyzeThis]

Every other car on the road instantly looks awful, poorly made, and ridiculous.

It looks like you were making very bad choices your entire life when it comes to car purchases.
I am also sure you had to say same thing about every car you bought before and after. And, you would probably say same thing about Tesla when you ride in other car in the future.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Biotech has nothing to do with Biometrics

Biotech companies make drugs

Lol that's just funny and sad... They hired numerous people for these projects.

I think you both might have missed the point. Biometric devices require FDA certification, which takes a long time, and of course the devices have to be accurate and reliable to be approved. A few new hires doesn't make Apple expert in this area, it just barely gets their foot into the door.

 

[AnalyzeThis]

Are you being serious? Tesla has not exhausted the US market any more than Apple has. Sure, the market for $100k cars is not the same as that for $20k cars, but Tesla is working to close the gap with a $40k car. I'd argue that GM has more to worry about than Tesla, by not moving forward and pushing consumers forward. That old mentality of doing business is not going to cut it in the near future.

Tesla have no "real" plans for #40K car, it is just big time BS Musk is selling to investors for years, but it will get old soon. BTW: GM , Porsche, Audi, BMW and bla, bla have same full electric ($)$$,$$$ cars in production this year.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Though I bet Jony Ive would have a hard time not giving his two cents into the design process.

Do you think he would actually change anything? I've never seen him attempt to design a car before...

Here's the car he drives:

It doesn't look dissimilar to the Tesla, to my eye.

 

[Bonte]

Tesla back in 2013 was valued at 4 billion, now its 24 billion. At this point Apple would better buy Ford or Nissan, better yet Fisker at a bargain for less than a billion.

http://www.industryweek.com/finance/electric-car-maker-fisker-files-bankruptcy

 

[IJ Reilly]

Of course you knew the iWatch would be amazing.

A drivable watch? Why didn't we think of that before?

 

[iChrist]

I've always said that if Apple made a car, it'd be a Tesla.

IDK if I would like it or not if Apple bought Tesla... I feel like a merged company would lose focus and not do anything particularly well anymore. I'd definitely be interested in seeing them work on integrating their products together.

I've never heard you say that before, until you read an analyst state it first.

I doubt Apple could have even come close to doing as good of a job as Musk has in developing Tesla. Not just the engineering but the experience. It's all very well thought out and planned for the long term. Those are qualities fast disappearing from the new Apple.

Tesla is much better off without Apple.

 

[alfonsog]

I've had a 2 hybrids and a diesel since 2006. My next car will be electric; Tesla might be an option

 

[Renzatic]

Tesla have no "real" plans for #40K car, it is just big time BS Musk is selling to investors for years.

Between the Roadster and the Model S, Tesla has managed to shave a good $30,000 off the price of their vehicles without sacrificing much of anything besides a little sportiness. The Model X is supposed to be $10,000 less than the S, give or take.

It might take another 2-3 years of research and technology maturation to get there, but a $40,000 Tesla is hardly a pipe dream.

 

[carlgo]

It may be that now with Tesla quite clearly showing the way, Musk might feel his work is done here and might sell out to a company that he trusts to do it right.

He may have no interest in the day-to-day operational details of running it and might want to go onto other projects.

Teslas, BTW, probably are the least expensive cars to own. Evidently they are worth more used than new now and the fuel is almost free. If you can afford to buy in, you are set.