If the central criticism against a world with FSD and Fusion, is that the timeline is an open question, then I'd say that's a win for the future.
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 Working Toward Fully Autonomous Car With No Steering Wheel or Pedals, Aiming to Launch in 2025
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just because something claims to be 'the future' doesn't mean it's good. Newer is NOT always better. I know I've repaired enough EZGO RXVs that had a bad motor brake (why they went away from drum brakes escapes me). They literally have a brake disc on the motor shaft, and it wears out quite often. The cart will literally toss you off it when it fails as it locks the motor up. Or worse, the brake disc self-destructs and the cart has zero brakes.
I just don't accept something because it's 'the future'.
I just don't accept something because it's 'the future'.
That‘s not correct. I guess most of us will see autonomous vehicles within their lifetime - the prerequisites (physics) are there. For teleporting and replicators they are not
Last edited:
I can’t imagine what the liability insurance would cost! Tesla has proved that even with a steering wheel and pedals, people can’t control the car properly,
And yet you expect an AI would fare better? At the least there should be a manual override. Imagine if it wanted to do a software update at the worst possible time? Our work truck tends to want to shut down the SYNC system to do updates whenever it feels like while on the road, which thankfully just kills the radio or navigation for a few minutes.
There's a reason many sci-fi shows and movies depict reliance on AI too much with a horrible outcome, be it GLaDOS, HAL 9000, SAL (Oblivion), Bomb 20 (Dark Star), Skynet (Terminator)
There's a reason many sci-fi shows and movies depict reliance on AI too much with a horrible outcome, be it GLaDOS, HAL 9000, SAL (Oblivion), Bomb 20 (Dark Star), Skynet (Terminator)
Bloomberg? You mean the people who did the fake story on Apple and other companies having motherboards that have components that spy on users? When proven to be completely false, they double down and refused to admit they had a fake story on their hands? That Bloomberg?
What fool thinks anybody would buy a car without a steering wheel or pedals? That's a caricature of the worst kind about Apple being an out of touch company that does things willy nilly without any concern for whether it works or not.
Tesla has been over-promising autonomous cars for years, and willingly putting faulty software into their cars, and people have died. And even they wouldn't be crazy enough to make a car at this point that has no steering wheel or pedals.
Chance this is true? Zero.
What fool thinks anybody would buy a car without a steering wheel or pedals? That's a caricature of the worst kind about Apple being an out of touch company that does things willy nilly without any concern for whether it works or not.
Tesla has been over-promising autonomous cars for years, and willingly putting faulty software into their cars, and people have died. And even they wouldn't be crazy enough to make a car at this point that has no steering wheel or pedals.
Chance this is true? Zero.
As we all can see, there is a steering device there that George is obviously using to control their flying car.
Hey, George! Eyes on the road!
I've watched the Jetson's (both the 60's as well as the 80's series) and they don't have autopilot one bit. They got video calls, oddly, but someone's always holding what appears to be a control stick.
They got FaceTime down, at least:
They got FaceTime down, at least:
As to the timeline, this is Bloomberg’s announcement, not Apple’s. Any expected date is pure speculation. This cycle has gone on and off for years. If, and when, a partnership is announced, perhaps a timeline could start to materialize.
Ok, while I love Apple products, I can't say they've been great at developing AI. I would never trust the R&D behind Siri to ensure my safety on the road. No way.
Apple invested in China's ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing, this self-driving car could start as a ride-hailing service with semi-fixed routes. That seems a realistic path to take.
Since we cannot "beam me up Scotty" from A to B, the transport mode needs to have some physical form, right? If we want it to drive itself, we better take in consideration displacement characteristics. Wouldn't you say that the smaller/sleeker the transport mode:
1. the more road space there is to move around?
2. the more margin there is to evade other road users?
3. the better the on-board AV tech will be able to scan-sensor-image its surroundings?
1. the more road space there is to move around?
2. the more margin there is to evade other road users?
3. the better the on-board AV tech will be able to scan-sensor-image its surroundings?
Last edited:
Incorrect.
Unless the 100 engineers at Apple know more about machine learning than the rest of humanity combined (spoiler alert, they don't), they cannot build a level 4, much less a level 5 system, with 50 secret cars.
It's a data problem. You need to train against the outliers that occur once every 5 million miles. Riddle me how Apple's 50 cars and 100 engineers can train those models when Tesla's fleet of millions can't.
What's most likely, of course, is that the rumor is simply wrong.
Watch the video I posted and learn a few things.
Last edited:
True. But on the other hand, people have been saved - there are respective videos out there…
Plus, Tesla overpromising does not mean it can‘t be done at all. It will, eventually.
Not saying it will be Apple, not saying it will be in 2025, but its gonna happen. There are scenarios where - today! - autonomous vehicles outperform humans by a huge margin
Here's what I said:
"learn why Apple's 50 vehicle "fleet" has no chance"
This is sort of unfair. Apple has more $ than anyone and more importantly, you have no idea what is actually happening between the scenes.
C suite executives know more than us MacRumors readers.'
You know what is happening behind the scenes?
You don't think Apple can crack a nut that Tesla hasn't?
Ok, whatever you say, self driving car expert.
I don't really care about your video.
I have no issue with being an early adopter of technology designed to entertain or make my life easier. However, if said technology has the potential to seriously injure or kill me, I will allow others to get in line first.
Apple is picking up its work on an Apple-designed car and is aiming to create a fully autonomous vehicle, reports Bloomberg. Apple is "refocusing" the project around full self-driving vehicles, a goal that other car manufacturers have not been able to achieve.
Work on an Apple Car began way back in 2014, and since then, the project has gone through multiple transformations. At one point, rumors suggested Apple had abandoned its plans for a full vehicle and would instead focus on software, but rumors began picking up again in 2020. It's now been made clear that Apple intends to launch its own vehicle.
As Bloomberg explains, Apple worked on two vehicle paths, one with limited self-driving capabilities and a second with full self-driving functionality that does not require human intervention, and the company will now pursue this second path under the leadership of Kevin Lynch, who joined the project earlier this year. Apple has hit a "milestone" in developing the self-driving car system, and has finished the core work on the chip that will power the first car.
Apple wants to design a car that lacks a steering wheel or pedals, and with an interior that's aimed at hands-off driving. Bloomberg said that Apple has considered a design similar to the Lifestyle Vehicle from Canoo, in which passengers sit along the sides of the vehicle, facing one another.
Apple is still discussing the inclusion of a steering wheel, which may be required so people can take over in an emergency situation An iPad-like tablet could be in the middle of the vehicle, which passengers would be able to interact with.
Apple wants its car to be safer than those manufactured by Waymo and Tesla, with redundancies and failsafes to avoid failures. The vehicle will be electric, with Apple discussing charging that's compatible with the combined charging system so Apple vehicle owners can use a global network of chargers.
Using Lexus SUVs outfitted with LiDAR scanners and other equipment, Apple has been testing its self-driving system. Bloomberg says that Apple will test the new processor that it has developed in those cars, along with new self-driving sensors.
Apple is said to be aiming to launch its self-driving car in four years, which would put a debut right around 2025. Whether Apple will be able to hit that goal will depend on whether Apple can develop a full self-driving system. Should it not be able to meet its aims, Apple could delay launch or sell a car that's less technologically advanced. The timeline is aggressive, and Apple is ramping up hiring to meet deadlines.
Article Link: Apple Working Toward Fully Autonomous Car With No Steering Wheel or Pedals, Aiming to Launch in 2025
As did 2001: A Space Odyssey, Disney's Smart House, and in more real-life settings, the Boeing 737 MAX MCAS system.
I'd love to see an AI do what those heroic pilots did in the United Airlines Flight 232 did. Land a plane with zero controls. The fact anyone survived that is still amazing. Sometimes humans win out. See also: U.S. Airways Flight 1549, SAS 751 (ironically the computer's overriding the pilots was the cause of the crash!), and Qantas Flight 32 (Catastrophic engine failure taking out most if not all the automated systems, resulting in the plane going into 'alternate law' aka pilot controls only)
Interesting is that ALL AV developers don't want to hear about criticism that might risk their house of cards built on pitches and the $billions they managed to get from investors. The worrying thing is that tech media have stopped being critical towards AV. They just keep repeating these endless stories that AV is just around the corner...
