The way cars are going, they're becoming more like computers. Who are the ones making the biggest strides in self-driving cars, which is the future? Google and Apple. Tesla a hybrid of a car and a computer.
A smart phone is a hybrid of a cell phone and a computer.
Apple is apparently better at seeing the future than you are.
A car contains computers, however the process of designing a car is not as simple as designing a computer or smartphone.
A couple of reasons:
(1) An iphone and macbook serve the same function: displaying information which can be reprogrammed or edited to deliver a desired result. That cannot be said for a car.
(2) If a unit or component fails in a mac or iphone, then your whole product fails:
- the cpu fails, well goodbye iphone or macbook,
- the hard disk fails, up to the repair shop,
- the gpu fails, too bad, get a new one.
Thats because all units are installed in serie.
That is completely different with a car. A car is build as such that when one component fails, another component will take over the assignment. Such systems are designed in parallel and proper insight is required (safety, product specs, environmental issues, etc.).
If not properly designed, consequences can be disastrous (deaths).
(3) then there are the legal implications especially considering self-driven cars. Who is to blame for an accident (the car / or the passenger). This debate is ongoing.
I applaud apple for taking this risk, but if all their efforts are put into this project,....
Making an analogy between cars and iphone/macbooks/etc. is wrong, and just proves how much jibber-jabber is written on this forum.
As an endnote: The rumours of designing a car was well before they started hiring professionals of GM, Tesla etc at a speed. Its pretty obvious that this is a cry for help.