Sure, but you are assuming Apple is looking to work with the standard car companies like Ford, GMC, etc. Apple may be building an autonomous system for a very specific purpose and not trying to startup with shoe horning their software into a traditional mass produced car.
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Apple 'Reboots' Self-Driving Car Initiative Amid Project Layoffs and Closures
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Just returned from a road safety conference in Australia where autonomous vehicles were debated. I think Apple is wise putting its efforts into software and not hardware (yet another odd looking car). Half the cost of a new fighter jet goes into software development to cope with a dozen or so hostiles and friendlies. As a recent Scientific American article pointed out, coping with a typical road environment, and particularly crazy human drivers, will involve much greater complexity.
I did come up with an idea after listening to the difficulty of getting vehicles to talk to other vehicles and roadside infrastructure. Why not have a system where iPhones won't collide with iPhones (when they are linked to cars through CarPlay). It started out as a joke but then made me think...
I did come up with an idea after listening to the difficulty of getting vehicles to talk to other vehicles and roadside infrastructure. Why not have a system where iPhones won't collide with iPhones (when they are linked to cars through CarPlay). It started out as a joke but then made me think...
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oh good. Put the new macbook on the shelf for another 4 years. Bump it for a tablet, then watch, now a fricking car.
I'm sorry for the folks that are getting let go, that is traumatic and rough - especially when you were expecting firm backing for the ride.
But, thank goodness they're cutting their losses early (smart) and going for a focused technology development program. Love Apple, but did not want to see them going into the tar pit that is auto development and loosing focus of their core business.
Do look forward to seeing what their vision pictures of a car were like though, you know they had some at this point. ;-)
But, thank goodness they're cutting their losses early (smart) and going for a focused technology development program. Love Apple, but did not want to see them going into the tar pit that is auto development and loosing focus of their core business.
Do look forward to seeing what their vision pictures of a car were like though, you know they had some at this point. ;-)
And who's going to buy Apple's tech? I'm sure most of the big automakers are way ahead of Apple in this space anyway. Even Uber is already testing vehicles. They don't need anything from Apple. The point of Apple getting in this space would be to re-think the automobile not just make Apple's version of a Tesla. Also Apple's strength is owning the whole widget not being a part in somebody else's widget. If they can't do that they should focus on something else.
Building cars is not an easy task. Just look at Tesla, which is considered a highly successful company. They only produced 50 000 cars for 2015 and they have been in the business for over a decade.
As a comparison, BMW produced 2 million, 40 times as much. Volkswagen around 10 millon, 200 times as much.
As a comparison, BMW produced 2 million, 40 times as much. Volkswagen around 10 millon, 200 times as much.
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Disappointing, but it sounds like they started a car project without knowing why they should make a car. Seems like the same thing that happened with the Watch. In Mansfield we trust.
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Totally agree. Today's bit of misinformation reminds me of Jobs saying in the mid 2000s that Apple would not be making a tablet. Even laying out reasons why tablets were a bad idea.
Computer hardware is a commodity. How long of you think Apple can stay on top by just incrementally improving on smartphones? There's a reason major tech companies are moving into autonomous driving. Apple needs to be more than just a hardware company or it'll fall into oblivion in the next decade.
Not to pat myself on the back too much, but I've been saying this last year: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-automotive-team.1911873/page-3#post-21769947
Apple is more interested in developing some underlying autonomous driving tech and licensing it in the future as some CarPlay2 API, rather than making an actual car.
Apple is more interested in developing some underlying autonomous driving tech and licensing it in the future as some CarPlay2 API, rather than making an actual car.
I love the Apple car and we are very committed to it.
Stay tuned,
Tim Courage
Stay tuned,
Tim Courage
But most of the companies moving into this space aren't hardware companies, aren't controlling the whole widget product companies. I'm skeptical that Apple can become a company that designs and builds technology to fit inside of other people's products. And even if they could would they ever be as good as Google or Amazon or Microsoft?
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How do you do that without working hand-in-hand with car companies? It's not like you can just plug and play autonomous driving technology. Right now CarPlay isn't much more than projected UI from an iPhone. And aren't car companies already far down the road with this stuff? What exactly do they need from Apple?
tech would be better the a full autonomous.. There is stil so much it needs to know about.
The only problem with this is you gotta watch out for birds rather than airplanes, but there would be less traffic at that level.
The only problem with this is you gotta watch out for birds rather than airplanes, but there would be less traffic at that level.
I don't understand how you can have self driving cars on the same roads as everyone else. Maybe a dedicated highway lane would work ok. But if anyone thinks they can get into a car and let it drive them to work...that sounds like a fantasy.
What's a Crapple Watch? If your referring to the Apple Watch, I'm loving mine and so are many others.
I don't trust apple maps, I certainly wouldn't trust a self driving car powered by apple.
Apple is best left at the dumbed down consumer market.
Apple suck at enterprise software, they aren't ready for something as serious as self driving vehicle software.
Apple is best left at the dumbed down consumer market.
Apple suck at enterprise software, they aren't ready for something as serious as self driving vehicle software.
I've always said that Apple getting into the automotive business was a bad idea. They've strayed too far from their core.
There are so many other areas that they're already in and not in that they could be dominant if they would only focus their efforts. The Apple TV is marginally "good". The iWatch is just "ok". iCloud is "marginal". iTunes/Apple Music is ... a mess. The list goes on and on. Can you imagine if they put more resources into Pages, Numbers, etc?
To say Steve Jobs was "Apple" is an understatement now. Without his leadership, this ship is adrift.
There are so many other areas that they're already in and not in that they could be dominant if they would only focus their efforts. The Apple TV is marginally "good". The iWatch is just "ok". iCloud is "marginal". iTunes/Apple Music is ... a mess. The list goes on and on. Can you imagine if they put more resources into Pages, Numbers, etc?
To say Steve Jobs was "Apple" is an understatement now. Without his leadership, this ship is adrift.
The auto-industry is already a tough market that would require testing and approval via differing national regulations and legalities. It's more logical to develop communication and autonomous driving technologies that auto manufacturers can utilize. Further advancements in medical systems such as non-invasive blood glucose monitoring in wearables would be a more suited (and easier) fit.
Apple needs Jobs' post-Sculley "focus" as product lines are becoming quickly fragmented. Jobs, Cook, and Ive were a great trio that worked well; Jobs was the visionary perfectionist, Cook ran the business, and Ive (and the many engineers and designers) brought Jobs' idea's to life. Cook is pushing too quickly into new markets (China, India, with eyes on South America) with results falling short of conservative estimates and should heed the warnings of former GAP CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler, who branched out GAP, Banana Republic, and Old Navy too quickly in the late-90's and almost bankrupted the company. Cook is a great CEO but even the best need a cohesive road map and vision.
With Cook and Ive, it's the "Pirates of the Caribbean" without Jack Sparrow - the Cupertino Pearl has run ashore and there aren't enough to dig it out.
Apple needs Jobs' post-Sculley "focus" as product lines are becoming quickly fragmented. Jobs, Cook, and Ive were a great trio that worked well; Jobs was the visionary perfectionist, Cook ran the business, and Ive (and the many engineers and designers) brought Jobs' idea's to life. Cook is pushing too quickly into new markets (China, India, with eyes on South America) with results falling short of conservative estimates and should heed the warnings of former GAP CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler, who branched out GAP, Banana Republic, and Old Navy too quickly in the late-90's and almost bankrupted the company. Cook is a great CEO but even the best need a cohesive road map and vision.
With Cook and Ive, it's the "Pirates of the Caribbean" without Jack Sparrow - the Cupertino Pearl has run ashore and there aren't enough to dig it out.
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Cars are commodities, too -- and hard as hell to make money on.