Former Tesla Lead Engineer Doug Field Returns to Apple to Work on Project Titan

[handsome421]

If it’s anything like the Tesla cars it won’t be very good! I sat in one for the first time and I just thought cheap plastic everywhere, not very well made, and a ridiculous giant screen that’s not easy to use at all, not a patch on a phone, and it’s just a distraction as you have to use it for everything taking your eyes off the road. Overpriced dangerous rubbish I thought. It needs to drive itself just to you can adjust the aircon!

I hope he doesn’t do the same to this Apple project..

Couldn't disagree more. I own a Tesla Model 3. Most of my family drives Mercedes but I love the minimalist interior in my car. The lack of switches everywhere is the opposite of distracting. And the way the car is set up, the driver seat is almost pushed forward so you have a better view of the road then most sedans. It's hard to describe.

And I personally love the screen. I don't even think about fiddling with my phone because everything I want is right there - music, maps, podcasts, etc.

And the car drives AMAZING. Anyone who has floored it in a Tesla knows what I am talking about. It's so much fun. It's like having a roller coaster at your disposal.

 

[Nebulance]

And the car drives AMAZING. Anyone who has floored it in a Tesla knows what I am talking about. It's so much fun. It's like having a roller coaster at your disposal.

My friends and I rented one a few months back, and it was pretty remarkable! Drive was incredibly smooth and the power that car has is incredible. Very impressed all around; and I agree -- the screen & lack of controls everywhere was not distracting at all.

 

[thealkimist]

pretty much means we won't see a single thing about the apple car for at least 3-5 years.

It'll be much longer than that. Apple won't build a car until their autonomous system is "good enough".

 

[shplock]

If it’s anything like the Tesla cars it won’t be very good! I sat in one for the first time and I just thought cheap plastic everywhere, not very well made, and a ridiculous giant screen that’s not easy to use at all, not a patch on a phone, and it’s just a distraction as you have to use it for everything taking your eyes off the road. Overpriced dangerous rubbish I thought. It needs to drive itself just to you can adjust the aircon!

I hope he doesn’t do the same to this Apple project..

Wrong and wrong! Tesla cars are amazing. I guess then that you are better in every way then every person on this planet then? I guess you know more about reviewing cars than Top gear who said the Model 3 is amazing and one hell of a good car, or how about Motor Trend who loved the car so much the reviewer went out and bought one. I could go on and on.
How about the fact that in a car at present you have to take your eyes off the road all the dam time for so many reasons...plus the dash tends to be crowded and stupid and dangerously all over the place. it is like the car companies (Ford, GM etc) let a 5 years old lose with the buttons and dials and such!
The the screen is easy to use.
The car is pleasant, nice and relaxing. The cars at present are the dangerous complicated cheap and nasty ones.

 

[Muceda]

We have two cars now. I fully expect to be a single car family by 2022 and have a Lyft or Uber all-you-can-summon pass with a set amount of included miles monthly. It’s going to happen sooner than we think. One permanent SUV is all we’d need as a family, the summoned car would basically just take me the 10 minute ride to and from work.

I used to have two cars. Moved to another country (big city), been here for 6 months and we have so far survived without any car at all. We either use Uber or we rent a car depending on the need (SUV, Suburban, Small car). Our car expense has gone down. We might just keep like that.

 

[ibivibiv]

Why do I expect the Apple car to only be able to plug into a special Apple only electric port that exists nowhere in reality, it will be the "thinnest" car ever made, the battery will not last a full journey, but it will be able to display emojis on the rear bumper to make sure everyone in traffic knows exactly how you are feeling right now? PLEASE APPLE, I really have loved your products for so very very long.... get it together guys.

 

[blacktape242]

If it’s anything like the Tesla cars it won’t be very good! I sat in one for the first time and I just thought cheap plastic everywhere, not very well made, and a ridiculous giant screen that’s not easy to use at all, not a patch on a phone, and it’s just a distraction as you have to use it for everything taking your eyes off the road. Overpriced dangerous rubbish I thought. It needs to drive itself just to you can adjust the aircon!

I hope he doesn’t do the same to this Apple project..

completely disagree, teslas are very well made, very safe, very fast and i wouldn't trade mine for any other car worth the same amount of money. I have had no problems with it.

 

[wigby]

Sure thing - the intrinsic adversity from both sides.
But still Tesla needs money and Apple needs a carmaker, and the longer it takes, pressure will reach a cooking level for both. They may become convicted to each other. This might overshadow the current leadership and its “principles”

Tesla has yet to prove itself as a carmaker. Right now they are a battery company with a few car products and cannot seem to meet demand. That is not like any other car company out there so I don't think Apple sees a value in Tesla.

 

[apolloa]

Well ... everyone's entitled to their opinions. But I'll say this. I traded off two nice vehicles in order to be able to afford to purchase a used Tesla S recently. And I have no regrets.

The people who keep complaining about the Tesla's "cheap interior" or build quality must be comparing it to some really high end luxury cars? Because I'd say this Model S has superior quality to cars I've owned previously like my 2016 Nissan 370Z NISMO edition, or my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. It's probably most comparable to the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe I owned, which I don't think is bad at all. (Of course, some of the Cadillac owners on the message forums complained that the CTS didn't have comfortable enough seats and so forth, too. So yeah, you can't please everyone.)

I'm not so much a fan of the new Model 3, with pretty much everything placed on the touchscreen (AND that screen looking like it was stuck there after the face, vs integrating it cleanly into the dash itself).

I'm definitely interested in what Apple brings to the table for the electric vehicle market, though. One of the glaring omissions with the Tesla is the lack of ability to really integrate with a smartphone. There's no "Apple CarPlay" or "Android Auto" type functionality at all. It's more of a proprietary selection of Tesla-designed apps, beyond your basic Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling and ability to play songs off the phone's own storage.

I have my doubts I'd care much for the styling of an "Apple car" if they really built such a thing. Their minimalist tendencies that work nicely on computers and portable electronics aren't necessarily what I prefer in a vehicle. But they're very good at user interface design and that's where they might really make a good contribution. Auto-makers are notoriously BAD at getting technology right in their vehicles. I just drove a new loaner Infinity QX60 SUV and the stereo sounded poor. The controls weren't user-friendly at all. And there were just odd decisions all over about how to best use the screen space available on the dash.

And even on the Tesla, the operating system and software seems less stable than it could be. It's a pretty common thing that Tesla owners tell you they have to do a system reboot by holding down both left and right buttons on the steering wheel, because things quit working right or responding on the dash.

Couldn't disagree more. I own a Tesla Model 3. Most of my family drives Mercedes but I love the minimalist interior in my car. The lack of switches everywhere is the opposite of distracting. And the way the car is set up, the driver seat is almost pushed forward so you have a better view of the road then most sedans. It's hard to describe.

And I personally love the screen. I don't even think about fiddling with my phone because everything I want is right there - music, maps, podcasts, etc.

And the car drives AMAZING. Anyone who has floored it in a Tesla knows what I am talking about. It's so much fun. It's like having a roller coaster at your disposal.

completely disagree, teslas are very well made, very safe, very fast and i wouldn't trade mine for any other car worth the same amount of money. I have had no problems with it.

I expected more from it, I was able to compare it to the new BMW 8 series and Lexus RX580 coupe and their interiors felt much better and more classy, both of them in the same price range as the Tesla. But it’s my opinion. I could talk about it compared to Rolls Royce and Lamborghinis I also sat in and got shown around, but that’s pointless.

 

[Infinite Vortex]

With or without Doug, new Doug, or just another Doug (if you've seen Thor Ragnarök), I look at both the state of macOS and iOS, Maps even, and wonder if I want that sort of "quality" and "stability" in control of my safety. For being an Apple product owner and user since 1987 the simple fact that its not a straight yes I think say quite a bit. And then I wonder if others are going to force that choice onto me when they choose an "Apple car".

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I never thought about having an Apple logo on a car until this steering wheel mock-up. I really hope that if they DO proceed with an actual car on the road, that they do something other than the standard Apple  logo, which just looks silly on the mock-up.

I know they have a lot invested in their brand and logo, but perhaps an Apple car shouldn’t be an ‘Apple’ car.

I agree that the logo seems silly on the mockup. You can't blame that on Apple, since they didn't make the mockup. I doubt you'll find a steering wheel logo of that prominence on any vehicle. If there's a logo at all, it's typically embossed into the plastic/leather, with no contrasting colors, and in a more discrete size. I think Apple would do something similar (which is consistent with their current use of logos - they're present, but they don't whack you over the head like the mockup).

I'd have no problem with cars carrying the Apple brand name. It seems no more unusual than "Ford," "Chevrolet," "Mercedes-Benz," or "Toyota." However, none of them produce vehicles that are simply called "Ford," "Chevrolet," etc. Names like "Apple i350" or "Apple Cortland Li-5" (named for a variety of the fruit, like Macintosh) don't seem odd at all to me. "Apple Car," would seem odd, but I think if Apple does enter the car business that they'll choose a naming scheme that allows for a greater variety of models, unlike what they've done with Apple TV and Apple Watch.

 

[carpleror]

Ive always been very on board with the idea of Apple creating their own car. But the more I think about it, the more odd it sounds.

Why does Apple want to create a car? None of their existing technology fits with “building cars”. Do they think they can better engineer an engine? Do they have some radical idea to make a more advance electric motor? Do they have some wild idea about how to better enrich the automotive driving experience? Are they focusing on self-driving? Or is this just a way for them to integrate all their Apple products into a car?

I’m not saying I wouldn’t be excited to see an Apple Car, but I just don’t see what Apple brings to the automotive table that they couldn’t just license to other automakers like they do Apple CarPlay. Why build the ENTIRE CAR, and not just the individual technologies and softwares?

 

[PickUrPoison]

There used to be a joke (years ago, when I worked in Apple) that the best way to get a promotion in the company is to leave then be re-hired. Seems to be a thing at the higher levels of the company too.

That’s not just an Apple issue. I’ve found in my career the best way to get promotions with significant salary increases is by taking a job at another company. The problem is that you get hired in at X dollars for Y position and that’s the lens through which you’re continually viewed.

There are exceptions of course, but in my experience the best way to get a step function increase in salary rather than a single digit percentage increase is to go elsewhere. And you may end up going back to a previous employer, with a more widely varied and well-rounded (and valuable) set of skills than you might otherwise have acquired.

That said, Field was already at the VP level when he left. He may not (immediately) have the same title but I’d bet his compensation is considerably higher than when he left. If he had been at Apple as VP of Mac hardware engineering for the past five years, how much could he really have grown, professionally? Working with great people outside the organization is excellent experience and I’m sure his compensation at Apple reflects this.

 

[2298754]

Why would this be an issue if the car is driving itself? It’s not a distraction even when the car isn’t taking over since you have a main screen HUD in the drivers dashboard

What are you talking about? There is no Tesla model with a heads-up display.

 

[goobot]

Speculation that Apple would build an autonomous system for other car manufacturers always struck me as odd. Apple is all about owning the core technology and creating a top to bottom experience. Simply creating the core tech and then licensing/selling the system to someone else seems antithetical to how Apple typically operates.

You’re right but Apple will sometimes test the water in brand new territory. They made an iTunes phone remember

 

[2298754]

I expected more from it, I was able to compare it to the new BMW 8 series and Lexus RX580 coupe and their interiors felt much better and more classy, both of them in the same price range as the Tesla.

What is a Lexus RX580 coupe? That doesn't exist.

It's also doubtful that you've been in a BMW 8 Series. That model hasn't launched yet.

 

[blacktape242]

I expected more from it, I was able to compare it to the new BMW 8 series and Lexus RX580 coupe and their interiors felt much better and more classy, both of them in the same price range as the Tesla. But it’s my opinion. I could talk about it compared to Rolls Royce and Lamborghinis I also sat in and got shown around, but that’s pointless.

To each their own, I have no problems with that.

 

[jicon]

My ears perked up hearing Manfield is still around.

Who knows, maybe he has had hardware influence on the latest Macs, but if not, can we look at getting him back in charge of hardware, and give us a Mac worth considering buying? Keyboard and thunderbolt 3 aside on the Macbook Pros... Already wary of having an SSD die on me after two years, we have laptops where the drive is not replaceable? It boggles my mind.

 

[2298754]

The people who keep complaining about the Tesla's "cheap interior" or build quality must be comparing it to some really high end luxury cars?

Obviously?

Base MSRP of the Model S is nearly $75,000. It should have an interior on par with other $75,000+ cars and it doesn't.

The Model S' interior isn't even good enough to be in a $40k Mercedes C-Class or Audi A4.
[doublepost=1533927344][/doublepost]

I guess you know more about reviewing cars than Top gear who said the Model 3 is amazing and one hell of a good car, or how about Motor Trend who loved the car so much the reviewer went out and bought one. I could go on and on.

If the entire world purchased cars based on positive press, everyone would be driving Mazda Miatas or Alfa Romeo Giulias.

The reality is that positive reviews don't help sales. The public will just go buy another F150 or Toyota Camry.

 

[apolloa]

What is a Lexus RX580 coupe? That doesn't exist.

It's also doubtful that you've been in a BMW 8 Series. That model hasn't launched yet.

Yes and no:

BMW 8 a Goodwood:

http://news.bmw.co.uk/article/bmw-at-the-goodwood-festival-of-speed-2018/

It was the LC500, the RX is their SUV they launched at the show.

http://www.carsuk.net/lexus-lc-500-v8-not-lc-500h-hybrid-goodwood-fos-uk-debut/

I also sat in Lamborghinis, saw a number of pre-release Hypercars and more. Google Goodwood Festival Of Speed to see what it’s all about as theirs a ton of videos and photos out there.
It’s not an event to sell cars, it’s for the public to view them and see them in action, I sat in the Senna and spoke to one of the McLaren employees who worked on the project, you can meet ssooooo many famous car people. It’s quite an event.

 

[nt5672]

Being in the process of moving away from 100% Apple because of Apple's desire to make throwaway stylish toys, I am in no way ever going to be driving an Apple car. Plus I could not afford it, like who can afford to buy a new car every 2 years; the old one will be designed to become slow and not updatable as soon as the warranty expires.

 

[farmboy]

A person called "Roly" what I remember on theses forums, just before Apple launched the first ATV.
It was a right uproar when this wasn't announced, what I remember and a witch hunt for Roly commenced lol

It was actually a guy named Gene Munster, who worked for a big investment firm. He was certain there was an actual Apple television.
[doublepost=1533931053][/doublepost]The market for cars is quite different in densely populated European urban areas, compared to countries where things are more

Apple would never acquire Tesla, they don’t want Musk. Probably a reason they didn’t acquire Nest too. Didn’t want Tony Fadell back. He certainly didn’t last long at Google.

Right, although they could acquire the assets and not the boss. it happens.

 

[SBlue1]

That is only momentary, because the economy doesn't give to spending money in things like cars.

Also, you must be below 30's, after a while, you'll see that mobiles phones won't do for status symbols.

Thanx, I am just over 40. But yeah a lot of my friends are around 30.

The car sharing business is really getting bigger and bigger over here, with more cars and more lications every year.

 

[Bone Ranger]

Doug is a fine engineer and is apparently always welcome at the leading tech companies in the world.
Love my Segway, Doug.

 

[macduke]

Elon Musk mentioned on Twitter the other day that they he had secured funding to bring Tesla private. Could that funding be Apple? I would keel over from joy if that were the case. Now, seeing this hire, the wheels are turning?