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Hundreds of Apple Employees Working On Apple-Branded Electric Vehicle

This seems as likely as a G5 Macbook Pro or an Apple television. More likely I see Apple working on systems that could go into a car.

Or maybe it's a hoverboard project.

In other news, it's rumors Samsung is working on their own electric car.
 
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MikePLP said:
It will be cheaper than Tesla because of Apple's scale.
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No it won't. Tesla has the advantage because they've already been putting the money into making electric batteries. Apple would be coming into this at a disadvantage.
 
Apple has so much money in the bank, nothing surprises me anymore. As long as they don't lose focus on the Mac I'll be happy.
 
iMember said:
Agreed, Tesla car is way to overrated on this site, I live in Europe and here almost everyone never heard of tesla car, don't get me wrong i think is nice car but the price makes it unlikeable, as a rich person i rather just pay $10000 more and buy a Lamborghini or Ferrari
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"Nobody I know has any clue about it, must be small-time" is a fallacy, I'm sure. I just can't think of which it is...
 
braintumor said:
Folks, I get the enthusiasm and would like to see how an Apple car would be like, but honestly, this whole thing makes no sense AT ALL... Why?
1. Apple doesn't have any automotive expertise and knowledge! Sure they can hire all the brain power, but still, they will miss the experience, that takes atleast a generation to have the right experience to conquer the market...
Look at Tesla, they started in 2003 and it took them 3 years to release the Tesla Roadster to the masses, but the Roadster wasn't that good and it took them until 2012 with the Model S to have something more serious to put on the road. That is 10 years that it took Tesla to release a decent, competitive and mass-appealing product.
Even Google started in 2005 with its driverless car project and till now has not sold ONE car to the public!!
2. Apple doesn't have anything remotely in their value-chain that would make them build a car! Where do they want to build that? Foxconn?
There is no contract manufacturing company that build cars! Sure they can buy most of the parts from companies like Bosch etc, but they need to do their own assembly of the car. And building such a production facility, hiring all the workers and train them, will take ATLEAST 2-3 years.
Then the most important question regarding their value chain, where do they want to sell an Apple Car???? Where do you bring the car for service??? In their apple stores??? Come on...
3. Apple will need to acquire a lot of licenses, permits and go through literally thousands of tests and inquiries to produce and sell a street legal car ALL OVER THE WORLD. This will certainly not happen in total secret!
4. Best of all, a car doesn't fit its customers, because most importantly, it will be too expensive and therefor become a total niche product! I don't believe for a second that apple will build a very expensive and complex value chain operation for a couple of thousand cars a year.

Economically it makes no sense for apple! This apple car idea could only work out if Apple would partner with somebody like Tesla or any other premium automotive company!

Anyway, if any of this is true, I don't believe we will see a car in the stores for atleast the next 10 years!
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All valid points, but nobody said anything about a hypothetical Apple Car coming anytime soon. If they are going down that path I think they are fully aware it would take many years to come to fruition. Also, I don't think they'd be in it for "a couple thousand cars a year". At first, sure (just like the iPhone), but their ultimate goal would surely be ramping up to 100Ks or millions. There's a lot of other car companies out there who started from scratch, or started in some other industry, I don't see any reason Apple couldn't do it as well.
 
Yvan256 said:
Blizzard also had a "Project Titan". It didn't end well.
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Apple is just a biiiiiit bigger and better than Blizzard.

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Michael Goff said:
No it won't. Tesla has the advantage because they've already been putting the money into making electric batteries. Apple would be coming into this at a disadvantage.
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Apple could easily buy companies that already do this. Or hire away people. Either way.
 
The more choices the better as far as taking on the traditional auto industry, but they better test these more than they do their other products, as lately Apples QA has been shocking.
 
Zoom Zoom!

iMember said:
Agreed, Tesla car is way to overrated on this site, I live in Europe and here almost everyone never heard of tesla car, don't get me wrong i think is nice car but the price makes it unlikeable, as a rich person i rather just pay $10000 more and buy a Lamborghini or Ferrari
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The Tesla Roadster would blow away your extra $100,000 Lambo.

:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
 
Now I know that Apple has gone off the deep end. Goodbye Apple, we had some good times.
 
The automobile manufacturing business is one of the toughest around. Competition is tough, Government regulation is deep, margins are small, and other then Tesla most of the major automakers are 80-100+ year established businesses with long established dealer networks.

All I can say is good luck.
 
comes with a $1000 proprietary charging cable.
Sofabutt said:
Which changes every 2 generations...
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The Apple 30-pin cable was in use for over 10 years, so I'm not really sure what you mean. How many other things in cutting-edge technology are around for 10 years? Or did you mean laptop chargers? If that's the case, show me another manufacturer who doesn't change the charger (including voltage) on every generation of their product.
 
When you start to look at the billions and billions that major automakers have invested in development costs alone, not to mention establishing suppliers, assembly, dealer networks, marketing, sales, etc... You have to wonder if someone at Apple just hates all that cash they have in the bank and wants to blow it on one project. :)

Ford spent $10 billion on just redesigning the F-150. That's just a "redesign" of one product which already had suppliers, assembly, dealers, etc. Now start that process from scratch...

If this is true Apple has jumped the shark.
 
Shame Apple is pissing away money on dead-end products like electric cars. Now if Apple was developing a combustion car integrated with technology they would have a winner.
 
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When it locks up you have to press the trunk latch and the driver's side door handle at the same time for three seconds to reboot
 
HiRez said:
All valid points, but nobody said anything about a hypothetical Apple Car coming anytime soon. If they are going down that path I think they are fully aware it would take many years to come to fruition. Also, I don't think they'd be in it for "a couple thousand cars a year". At first, sure (just like the iPhone), but their ultimate goal would surely be ramping up to 100Ks or millions. There's a lot of other car companies out there who started from scratch, or started in some other industry, I don't see any reason Apple couldn't do it as well.
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Sorry mate, again, I share your enthusiasm, but it will not happen. You talk about Apple building one day in the future millions of cars with possibly just 1 to 3 models.
Take a deep look at the market and it statistics, for example General Motors (including all its sub-brands) sold around 10 million cars last year and they have around 212,000 employees working in 396 facilities on six continents. Also GM already exists for more then a 100 years! The other leading companies like Volkswagen or Toyota have similar numbers.

Lets be more realistic, Apple will be competing with companies like Tesla or BMW, here their numbers...
Car sales 2014:
- BMW: 1.8 million vehicles
- Tesla: 35 thousand vehicles

Employees:
- BMW: 106,000
- Tesla: 10,000

Founded:
- BMW: 1916
- Tesla: 2003

You get the picture now? Even though Tesla is already building cars for nearly 10 years and the last couple of years the cars are not too chabby either, with 35,000 sold in 2014 they are an ant against giants like BMW, GM, Toyota etc

How do you think Apple will get to millions of car sales? Do you think the competition with all its infrastructure will just sit still and watch how Apple takes over the market?

By the way, how should Apple be successfull in the car business if they need to allocate huge resources and manpower in a mass-market car project without their existing core products taking a huge hit (their core products have nothing to do with cars).

Steve Jobs said:
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”
 
mi7chy said:
Move to Norway for the perks. Plus, I'd rather trust a company that builds space ships than one with a building that resembles one.

http://insideevs.com/tax-exemptions-in-norway-cut-tesla-model-s-price-in-half/

• You can drive in the bus lane
• Free public parking
• Free access to toll roads
• No registration fees
• No sales tax
• Income tax deduction if you drive for a living
• VAT free
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So the government enacting ludicrous handouts to those who by high end Teslas at the expense of the taxpayer. Got it.
 
This seems crazy... maybe they could design the interior of a vehicle in partnership with some other company? E.g., the "Apple Car from BMW"
Still seems crazy.
 
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