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Apple Met With Electric Vehicle Startup Canoo in Early 2020, But Talks Fell Apart
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It’s modular, so of course Apple is not interested. Everything must be glued or screwed in with no user accessible parts.
Agree. Imo Apple could make more a difference from this angle rather than trying to make the whole car. It’s similar to the TV rumors in the past where people were claiming that Apple would make an actual TV. Fast forward, it’s about the services.
Despite Apple’s claim, proliferation of CarPlay imo seems stagnant, and the slower cycle of the automotive industry could wreck havoc on Apple’s port less iPhone. If Apple can go in from the electronics side, hey can also ensure those car manufacturers to have better integration with iPhones.
I love it. I would totally drive one... or have it drive me... whatever. That or a cybertruck.So who else isn't surprised Apple was lusting over their autonomous car being a frickin "future" VW Bus?!?!
The beauty of a self driving car that has front/rear symmetry is that it doesn't matter. You can face the seats inward if you want or have them swivel. It also gives you 4 wheel steering for smother lane changes and tighter turning radius.
It’s modular, so of course Apple is not interested. Everything must be glued or screwed in with no user accessible parts.
Snap!
As long as we can’t get these hoverboards, please don’t mention that movie.
In theory. Wether or not everyone will make them this way or if folks actually want that, guess we’ll have to see.
One of the reasons why Tesla cars are successful is they look like a good looking normal cars. All these other electric car companies try and make them look "futuristic" rather than follow design fashion trends. The result are fugly prototypes that nobody wants to buy. Teslas Cybercar may buck that trend only because it has the brand recognition FIRST.
I love art and design and taste and opinion. And how what can move one person repulses the next. It's fascinating.
On an island alone, I happen to find Canoo's design interesting and, honestly... Fast forward a decade, and if this was the image of Apple's foray into the market, I would have totally believed it. I like the utilitarian vibe. Like if the Honda Element was rebooted. I know you laugh, but that is one under appreciated vehicle.
IMHO, electric is the best thing to happen to the auto industry since we moved from horse and buggy. Our idea of what a car looks like, structurally, has been relatively unchanged for 100 years. Needs to be shook, the F, up. As more automakers jump in the game, I welcome any reimagining of what an automobile can be.
On an island alone, I happen to find Canoo's design interesting and, honestly... Fast forward a decade, and if this was the image of Apple's foray into the market, I would have totally believed it. I like the utilitarian vibe. Like if the Honda Element was rebooted. I know you laugh, but that is one under appreciated vehicle.
IMHO, electric is the best thing to happen to the auto industry since we moved from horse and buggy. Our idea of what a car looks like, structurally, has been relatively unchanged for 100 years. Needs to be shook, the F, up. As more automakers jump in the game, I welcome any reimagining of what an automobile can be.
I wonder what the former execs at GM think about their decision to bin their own electric car more than 20 years ago when they see Tesla rise and see EVs becoming more and more popular. Where would they be today had they pursued the effort with full force over a longer period of time?
Hmm. Battery-Electric is not the best solution to be honest. I know it's hyped, but it's not the best option from an ecological nor electric grid perspective. A Hydrogen-Electric solution is by far more ecological and by far more friendly to the electric grid. It would even be nicer to "charge" etc.
Unfortunately (out here at least) the politicians are betting the farm on battery powered solutions. In a large part because they _really_ do not understand how an electric grid works, and only want to look at locally produced pollution (and even then only in bigger cities) and not and the big planet-wide picture.
I know it's the VHS vs. Betamax thing all over where the worse solution is winning once again.
Never heard of them. Every idiot can have an 'EV startup' these days. There's no magic in that. Much easier to build than an ICE vehicle. What Apple needs is not 'EV tech'. They can do that very well themselves.
What Apple needs is car manufacturing capability. Something Tesla still hasn't mastered properly in ten years.
What Apple needs is car manufacturing capability. Something Tesla still hasn't mastered properly in ten years.
I seriously agree with your stance. The only thing has my head scratching is how to solve the complete top to bottom integration that gives Apple an edge... the M1 macs have proven to be something that only Apple, at least at this time, can do (i.e, Intel trying to play catch up with the bigLITTLE cores mindset will be met with a lot of friction because for example windows x86 isn’t made to take advantage of that power management yet).
Maybe that’s why they could be aiming persistently to at least a partnership. But MAYBE this is one thing that doesn’t really need it, however the slow rolling in regards to CarPlay sets a precedent in my mind.
One factor in Prius' success was that it didn't look like a normal car; it's design was essentially virtue signaling.
That works at the bottom end of the car spectrum. At the high middle market they just want a stylish car. And of course at the high end it's just a car with an electric power train, period. Could be a v16, v8, electric, who cares.
As long as electric doesn't require too many compromises people will buy it.
The best app for EVs would be one that allowed people to measure how far they actually drive on a tank of gas, and show them how their life would change with an EV.
They could build the entire "brain" of the car, including the entertainment system, all the cameras , all the radar sensors, all the lidar sensors, all the parking sensors, ... including the WiFi Access point, including the 5G modems, the Qi/magsafe charger, ... and do things like updates to the car's software centrally from Apple.
That way they can still work with the car maker to let them pick where they want what buttons, where they want what screens (HUD, instrument, entertainment in the rear, ...) yet give all cars up to date maps, let them play apple music, get your games in the rear, etc. While updating the car's "smart" part like Tesla does.
The car maker then still has all the other luxury the leather, the wood, the engine's power, the looks of it all so they still can differentiate even outside of what options they enable together with Apple.
I obviously can see that car makers are not eager to give up too much control, but they all are hurting badly (making cars is not that hugely profitable - not by Apple's standards), some are trying insanely big mergers (PSA/FCA e.g.) to merely survive. So offering them not to have to develop the self-driving aspects might be a big selling point. As it's a huge money drain to develop it for many, many years before you can get the first returns.
No deep pockets and you can forget developing it. As even Mercedes-Benz can't (or won't) afford doing it ... just imagine being a smaller player.
The same goes for Apple too: they're used to high margin products only. Cars that are high margin ... that's the very top of the market - it's not what people out here buy. And those are bought by people who're not easy to part from their palaces on wheels. Moreover the car itself (body/suspension/engine/etc.) has a huge cost to develop be it a battery-electric or more conventional system. Most car makers outside of the very top models can only do so by using platforms that share the same basis outside of the aesthetics in order to get enough volume to pay back the development costs. Unless anybody around Tim wants a repeat of the solid gold Apple Watch "S0" Edition (the 10K US$ one) they'd better think twice how to avoid making a car nobody but a very few will ever consider buying full price.
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