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.
Mysterious Apple Car Spotted Roaming Bay Area Streets
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Did any of you read the article thoroughly lol its not a mapping car it is a self driving car/driverless car, so not for Apple Maps but something else
It takes many thousands of people to drive around in these cars, and there's no way to keep the hiring practice secret. Perhaps this is just to test the equipment. If Apple does do this, they'll look to improve on what Google did, and they'll pay tens of thousands of people around the world to do it.
By all means for Apple to improve their maps app, but knowing Apple as the follower in this technology I wonder how they can improve the street view other then a copycat of an already and widely available street view in google earth.
And i'm not just talking about the maps in US street view, but all over the world.
I think it is a real possibility Apple will in the next 5 years deploying automated street view cars like this.
I love how the picture is taken outside with perfect lighting, and yet, is still blurry! This is real folks, the blurry-factor is an 8 out of 10! If it wasn't cropped, I am sure there would be an elevator somewhere in the background!
You obviously haven't used Apple Maps lately. It's almost as good as Google Maps now even though Google had many years of head start.
----------
Well, knowing that Android was a follower of iOS, I wonder how they can improve upon iOS.
Autonomous Apple Tesla Car?
Maybe this is just one of the first sighting for the secret Apple Tesla Car...
"A full charge extends the range of your iPhone by 500+ miles..."
Maybe this is just one of the first sighting for the secret Apple Tesla Car...
"A full charge extends the range of your iPhone by 500+ miles..."
The most amazing thing about this story is that there are apparently people in a tech-related industry who don't know yet that Enderle is a long time well-known imbecile.
1. This car has 12 cameras, Google street view cars have 15.
2. Apple already has a map product and has continued to invest in it (e.g. buying companies).
3. Apple is very focused on what it does and does not go off on wild tangents.
And from that Enderle concludes/agrees it's a self-driving car because:
"Too many cameras," said Enderle. "It has cameras that are angled down at all four corners of the vehicle."
Gee, one can see a lot of street when panning down in Google street view. But no, surely that can't be why some of the cameras are angled down.
And even if it were as someone suggested a self-driving mapping car (that would make a lot of sense actually) he's still half an idiot because the purpose would be to map (what he says it's not for), not for Apple to develop self-driving cars.
1. This car has 12 cameras, Google street view cars have 15.
2. Apple already has a map product and has continued to invest in it (e.g. buying companies).
3. Apple is very focused on what it does and does not go off on wild tangents.
And from that Enderle concludes/agrees it's a self-driving car because:
"Too many cameras," said Enderle. "It has cameras that are angled down at all four corners of the vehicle."
Gee, one can see a lot of street when panning down in Google street view. But no, surely that can't be why some of the cameras are angled down.
And even if it were as someone suggested a self-driving mapping car (that would make a lot of sense actually) he's still half an idiot because the purpose would be to map (what he says it's not for), not for Apple to develop self-driving cars.
Then what should they have bought then? A Telsa? Mercedes? Just because you have money doesn't mean you spend it frivolously "just because".
----------
What if they're not just cameras? What if they're building a 3D vector model at street level? Vector based mapping instead of just "stitching pictures together". Would coincide with their "Flyover". Combine the two, and it'll be years ahead of Streetview.
No kidding. And things will get really ugly after the model's second iteration, where the fuel slot will be removed, in order to get thinner. When we run out of gas we'll have to buy a new one.
It benefits everyone if apple would just get over its silly hissy fit with google and worked together.
Google has years head start and so far I havent seen anything better from apple. They could have spent that money on actually improving things that need improving .
Not to sound like a tree hugger, but how much gasoline does it take to drive across all these roads to make the maps? Google has done it, and continues to do it, and even updates the changes that inevitably occur. Now Apple is doing it (presuming the speculations are correct)? Seems like a lot of waste.
Originally designed to hold an entire family, 8 years after its introduction, the Apple car now only permits anorexic single occupancy.
On the plus side, it's fragility has spawned a huge market of add-on covers that protect the car from being scratched when you touch it, or bent when you drive it. While people have traditionally considered opening the car doors and driving it to be normal usage, Apple showed us that it really is abnormal and voids the warranty if we attempt to do such tasks with it.
The most frustrating part has been the radio though. It only has one button, and if you don't put your hand in the right place, all you hear is static.
While we once considered larger cars more practical, we've come to realize that being able to fit 100 cars in 8 feet of space is essential and has reduced traffic congestion tremendously. The only problem is that sometimes operators fail to see the cars from certain angles, leading to greater collision numbers.
Apple attempted to curb this issue with automated navigation systems. Unfortunately 100 percent of Apple cars on the streets immediately drowned themselves in the nearest lake. Operators managed to escape unharmed, but Apple denied warranty repairs due to the water sensors being activated.
The thing is Apple has so much money they actually don't know what to do with it all. Additionally it's much better not to need to rely on a competitor because what happens when the competitor holds back on you to make their own product better? Also it's not like you can't still use google regardless.
