Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple R&D Spending on Track to Top Record $10 Billion Amid Electric Vehicle Rumors
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
R&D spending to a bean counter is a different animal compared to the way an entrepreneur or engineer might see it. Apple today is run by bean counters, thousands of people who actively manage the company's enormous pile of cash and debt.
Does this big increase in R&D spending equal innovation? Does NASA have a snowballs chance in hell of going back to the Moon?
Does this big increase in R&D spending equal innovation? Does NASA have a snowballs chance in hell of going back to the Moon?
Tesla has been working hard for 10 years and just now hitting their stride with the Model 3. Apple has a big uphill battle ahead of them in this market at this point. Between Tesla hitting mainstream next year and Chevy releasing their longer range EV this year, Apple will be a bit late to the game.
What I'd prefer would be Apple making head units for CarPlay instead of letting other manufacturers implement it. I bought a HU for my wife's car for Christmas. It wasn't a cheap one either and took a lot of reading reviews to choose one, since none of them are "Apple quality"
The interface is great and it has a lot of potential (and much better than the stock nav head unit), but it's like using an early android phone vs an iPhone. A laggy, clunky interface and the touchscreen, while being one of the best choices according to reviews, is still not fluid like an iPad. Give minimum hardware specs and provide it as a full deal with SDK, not a limited access like the old Apple TV.
I've also gotten some homekit products and they mostly work well, especially the August, but again, not like using an Apple product. I'd love to see Apple put some focus on improving all this, and their existing products, than build a car. I've already got my Model 3 preordered.
What I'd prefer would be Apple making head units for CarPlay instead of letting other manufacturers implement it. I bought a HU for my wife's car for Christmas. It wasn't a cheap one either and took a lot of reading reviews to choose one, since none of them are "Apple quality"
The interface is great and it has a lot of potential (and much better than the stock nav head unit), but it's like using an early android phone vs an iPhone. A laggy, clunky interface and the touchscreen, while being one of the best choices according to reviews, is still not fluid like an iPad. Give minimum hardware specs and provide it as a full deal with SDK, not a limited access like the old Apple TV.
I've also gotten some homekit products and they mostly work well, especially the August, but again, not like using an Apple product. I'd love to see Apple put some focus on improving all this, and their existing products, than build a car. I've already got my Model 3 preordered.
That's my idea also; they're trying to develop the best computer for cars, in term of both car control and entertainment.
The car industry is changing so much that all the current manufacturers are also bakers trying to make jet engines. It is the perfect time for new entrants in the industry, and Apple have the money to do it. Apple also have experience in areas that future cars will need such as batteries and computing.
There are the issues of having the company structure in place to manage the diversity, and keeping pace in their existing markets. They are solvable problems that hopefully Apple will sort.
Does this big increase in R&D spending equal innovation? Does NASA have a snowballs chance in hell of going back to the Moon?
Well, actually yes... SLS is on a good track, first launch is in 2018, and Orion has been tested already going on a farther orbit than anything else since the Apollo missions. But I get what you're saying.
Apple has lost focus a long time ago it seems. Where was Apple at NAB? SONY produce for end-users, make content and do the back-end. Huge booth of course, as SONY has a large marked in the professional video, television and film world. But where are Apple today? They used to be significant as well, not with cameras, but with their portfolio of hardware and software. They still have iTunes, but have completly obligated their standing in content creation.
It's fine that they do a car, but not at the same time as they are alienating the company's pilar: Creativity, content creation, education...
Without a focus on makers and creators, Apple is just a stupid life-style brand. Ala Trump, but with phones and pads. You can already get them in gold.
It's fine that they do a car, but not at the same time as they are alienating the company's pilar: Creativity, content creation, education...
Without a focus on makers and creators, Apple is just a stupid life-style brand. Ala Trump, but with phones and pads. You can already get them in gold.
The market for mp3 players and phones wasn't really wide open either... As for tablets, well nobody had seen that coming!
Now we know why there is no new Mac mini. It costs $20B to research how to put a current-generation processor into an existing computer, and Apple is only spending $10B on R&D.
That's why they removed "Computer" from their name what... 5 years ago? There's no rule in the book that says they have to stick to computers, especially when computers are becoming more mobile and more integrated into our lives. Your perception of what a computer is, is becoming antiquated in comparison to Apple's worldview.
I'm half convinced that Ive was annoyed that his Watch co-designer Newson (who did all the cool stuff like the bands) also did a car design, and this is his (and Cook's) way of trying to make their own non-computer-device mark
Nice ones.
I'll add nanobots that chase down cancer cells.
I hope they are going to have a whole fleet of electric autonomous cars that can be hailed from your iPhone. That's the next huge innovation in transportation, and Apple would be silly to not be investing heavily in it. Given the R&D spending, it appears they are not silly.
They removed because in the mind of most consumers "Computer" has a specific form factor and function. Most people wouldn't consider an iPhone a computer. It's branding, not philosophy.
They will have to comply with federal regulations just like everyone else.
Apple Maps will be a key component of any self driving car. How else would the machine find its destination. This if they even do self driving, I'm convinced I will be as popular as some seem to think. Frankly this for the same reason that sometimes being a passenger in a car is so difficult, not being in control makes for very uncomfortable experiences.Just Air conditioning, radio/sat-nav on a huge monitor (Siri?, hopefully not with Apple Maps
In the end Apple can't command margins any greater than the rest of the industry. Beyond that cars are very personal devices, people will not buy an Apple car because the Apple logo is slapped on it.
We will see in a couple of years if the price will be the same
If so, the amount of crappy components will be extremely high. You can barely assembly a Golf GTI for that price. It would be the usual, american car...good only for drag races on 5-lane roads. But yes, electric and starting from 35K -_-.However, until 2018, Tesla goes from more than 60K to more than 120K. Definitely not cheap.
Many of those would be very helpful in building a world-changing car. An electric car that (a) isn't weighed down by batteries, that (b) knows where you want to go and how you want to get there, and (c) lets you know the route, that is (d) safer from outside hacking, that is (e) instantly aware of any known hazards ahead, and (f) operates as an extension of your body.
Good automotive ideas.
Not just federal. They would have to comply with the different regulations from each and every country they plan to sell the car to. And they have to manufacture the cars customized according to those regulations. It takes a lot of time and resources to do that.
Computers are a mature and saturated market - Windows 8 and stale MacBook Pros might cause short-term glitches but, long term, the days of people buying a new computer every 2 years have come to an end. Phones and tablets are rapidly going the same way, and some of their success comes from cannibalising the PC market. There's no growth potential there.
I don't think we're going to see any dramatic developments from anybody in the personal computer field anytime soon.
Cars... well, we could be nearing the tipping point where large numbers of people start replacing their gas-burners with electric cars. Ditto with self-driving (although that's going to face a steeper entry ramp). GM and co aren't being very creative and have half an eye on preserving their existing ICE business. There's an opportunity for a decade or so of huge growth there... If Apple could come up with something tangible by the time those Tesla Model 3 preorders have to be finalised then they might have a plan (& Tesla will probably be going cheap when the stories about '50% of pre-orders cancelled" hit the press, so Apple could buy them out on the way..).
Apple are big and rich enough to sustain a car project without pulling all the staff off Mac and iPhone development - unless the management have adopted an "if it isn't growing exponentially we're not going to invest" attitude, in which case they're finished.
The last year or so has seen a drought as far as Mac developments go - but longer term they haven't done so badly in leading the industry in the adoption of retina-class displays, high-speed SSDs and haptic touchpads. The "drought" could be down to Intel's delays and Apple waiting for the right CPUs for the job rather than building new systems around what was available. That reason is wearing thin - Tim needs to stand up at WWDC and announce an all-new MacBook Pro line, if not USB-C/TB3 iMacs as well. If its more watch straps and a new font in OS X then we have a problem.
I wish I had small cheap experiments like that making me BILLIONS.
As for Tim Cook I agree that he does not have the Steve Jobs vision. For that matter he was hired as a financial guy and marketing etc. thus is not his qualification. I actually think it is unfair to make him the Apple spokesperson, however he has to, as he is the money man.
He is however smart enough to know. So, most likely there are creative people hired. They just don't enjoy spotlights at presentations.
To call the Apple watch is a failure is too soon, especially without knowing exact sales numbers.
I do agree that it is not ripe for prime time, however good enough to sell.
Typical Apple , they release and then patch it and patch it until it is really good.
iTunes and services were a mess under Steve. Don't know why they can't see this, let alone fix it.
As for new markets, we'll see. Nothing was ever accomplished without trying.
Even if Apple just generates new patents for all to use in their quest to develop a car (Which BTW is not totally clear), they would make licensing money and we'd all get some good products to use.
Going as far back as the first homo sapiens, if they had shied away from taking risks, fire or the wheel, steam etc. (Who need's that stuff) we would not be where we are today.