Tesla CEO Confirms 'Conversations' With Apple, Says Any Acquisition 'Very Unlikely'

[NewbieCanada]

Well, a car battery would allow all month battery for the iPhone.

And think of the product announcement.

You said you wanted a bigger iPhone? Did we build one with a 4.7 inch screen?

No.

Did we build one with a 5.5 inch screen?

No.

We built one you can freaking SIT INSIDE.

But you say it's not portable? Wrong.

The first smartphone with an innovation we call iWheels.

And one more thing... the new iPhone includes a new feature where you can talk, free of charge, to any other three people at the same time with an unprecedented sound AND visual quality. It's as if one of them is sitting right next to you and the other two right in back of you.

 

[TsunamiTheClown]

Yeah I think that if Apple had "conversations" it would be more about sleeping together that getting married.

 

[dBeats]

Here's a wild thought: Elon Musk as the next CEO of Apple.

Oh God no. Please...

 

[medazinol]

"the company needs to stay "super focused" on its goal of creating an affordable electric car"

They certainly do. Their current models (though very nice) are nowhere near what I would consider affordable.

I sure wish Tesla PR would be more vocal about their business plan so people stop repeating the same thing over and over on the internet: "nice but too expensive, please make a car that costs less, like $35k".

They are working on it... these things take time. Cell phones and computers used to cost lots of money but the prices have down. Same thing with Tesla.

 

[budselectjr]

Gigafactory partner with Tesla.

 

[LeoNobilis]

Lately, I've come to notice Tesla cars, with their beautifully distinctive, minimalist door handles, on a daily basis here in Amsterdam. Sometimes up to 15-20 a day. Knowing they're a relative start-up, I did consider buying Tesla stock at one point.What a year for the company! But never bothered to check whether they're a publicly traded company or not… perhaps, must have gone ahead and researched the matter.
Now, lo and behold: Apple is interested in [likely, acquiring] Tesla!

 

[TTile]

Elon musk is a bit of a moron.

1. Got in a lawsuit over top gear over giving the Tesla roadster a bad review. Then throwing data at the issue which in my humble little opinion was bull. Most of top gear complaints was range and reliability.

2. Defensive over the Tesla fire.

3. Rips off iOS 6 iPad interface to the last microbit.

4. Defensive over NY times writer experience on range once again.

Honestly, I just would stay away from their cars. Especially if you actually drive your car in colder more demanding conditions. The car is mostly electrical underneath, and electrics are disaster in all cars they break faster IMO.

I will say though, for an american car it looks really safe, seeing the crash tests on YouTube.
Also seems really practical with space thanks to its unreliable electric batteries and motor.

The car is basically a battery an electric motor. A gasoline car has a motor (with belts, coolant, oil, spark plugs), a transmission (transmission fluid), and differentials (oil). There's a lot more to go wrong/replace in a regular car vs an electric car.

Also just because BMW and VW can't figure out how to make reliable electronics in cars doesn't mean we should damn all electronics in cars. Plenty of manufacturers use tons of electronics in their cars to great success.

 

[bobenhaus]

Now that is an epic oxymoron!

The next inovaction is the oil company and its called fuel cell techology. lol

 

[krravi]

Considering how some iPhones go up in flames and so do some tesla's, it might be a match made in heaven.

Fanboi's... save your energy. It was a pun.

 

[IJ Reilly]

It's not an acquisition proposal.

It's not the iCar.

It's about integrating iOS into future Teslas. Actually this is plausible, given that there are already 600 bazillion recent rumors (and a few facts) about Apple trying to push Apple technologies into automobiles.

Stop making sense!

 

[powers74]

"the company needs to stay "super focused" on its goal of creating an affordable electric car"

For some weird reason I can hear Tim Cook saying this.

 

[Macist]

Introducing... IveCar

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Oh please no. Then we'd have a Samsung car too. I don't want to witness that.
I'm joking. I seriously doubt this is about Apple buying Tesla to make a car

They already did that.

 

[TheJae]

What would Apple gain by buying Tesla ? I'm guessing not much.

The answer is so obvious... What does Tesla make? Electric car. What is the biggest problem Apple is facing with iPhones, iPads and iWatch? Battery.

This makes Tesla's research, experience, and expertise invaluable

 

[hutch34]

Elon musk is a bit of a moron.

1. Got in a lawsuit over top gear over giving the Tesla roadster a bad review. Then throwing data at the issue which in my humble little opinion was bull. Most of top gear complaints was range and reliability.

2. Defensive over the Tesla fire.

3. Rips off iOS 6 iPad interface to the last microbit.

4. Defensive over NY times writer experience on range once again.

Honestly, I just would stay away from their cars. Especially if you actually drive your car in colder more demanding conditions. The car is mostly electrical underneath, and electrics are disaster in all cars they break faster IMO.

I will say though, for an american car it looks really safe, seeing the crash tests on YouTube.
Also seems really practical with space thanks to its unreliable electric batteries and motor.

I'm confused. You think he's a moron for defending his products by providing data-based facts?

 

[JAT]

Here's a wild thought: Elon Musk as the next CEO of Apple.

No. Apple does not want Musk for CEO. He has....let's call it ADHD for mega-ideas. He's already a little bored with Tesla since it is going fairly smoothly, barely holding on with SpaceX because he wants to put a person on Mars, but if he does, he'll tire of that. Maybe hyperloop will be his next 5 years, then he'll do something else if he can get that running.

Apple may have some major breakthroughs every now and then, but in the real world they are more stable and boring than constant "big" ideas. Jobs was a dreamer, too, but much more long-term focused than Musk, they really are very different.

I do have to say, it is kinda nice to see a CEO come out and answer things like this. Musk has done such things many times, as if he was running a 50-person company. It may be carefully worded answers, but you don't see anything at all from most companies/CEOs.

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The answer is so obvious... What does Tesla make? Electric car. What is the biggest problem Apple is facing with iPhones, iPads and iWatch? Battery.

This makes Tesla's research, experience, and expertise invaluable

Maybe. But their research is pretty macro, while Apple needs micro. One of their biggest breakthroughs is a massive cooling system for the batteries. That's not even close to possible (or necessary) for phones or tablets.

Although, maybe it could go the other way. Tesla hasn't exactly crammed all the battery they could into the S, not the way Apple has with the iPhone.

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I'm confused. You think he's a moron for defending his products by providing data-based facts?

Data isn't important when you want to be right.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

The answer is so obvious... What does Tesla make? Electric car. What is the biggest problem Apple is facing with iPhones, iPads and iWatch? Battery.

This makes Tesla's research, experience, and expertise invaluable

Nothing of IP value from Tesla in battery tech that Apple doesn't already have.

Tesla is hosed due to Big Oil owning full-size Lithium-Ion battery IP they will never license. It's the reason Tesla has so many small batteries in their cars. They should have thought about designing the battery tech long before exposing itself to making an electric sportscar.

 

[SoAnyway]

The car is basically a battery an electric motor. A gasoline car has a motor (with belts, coolant, oil, spark plugs), a transmission (transmission fluid), and differentials (oil). There's a lot more to go wrong/replace in a regular car vs an electric car.

Also just because BMW and VW can't figure out how to make reliable electronics in cars doesn't mean we should damn all electronics in cars. Plenty of manufacturers use tons of electronics in their cars to great success.

Further, let's not forget that Tesla manufacturers electric drivetrains for Toyota and Mercedes, two big companies that still haven't gotten it right when it comes to EVs.

 

[JAT]

Further, let's not forget that Tesla manufacturers electric drivetrains for Toyota and Mercedes, two big companies that still haven't gotten it right when it comes to EVs.

The battery is what sets Tesla apart. They haven't licensed that, afaik. There was talk of it with Toyota, but they either didn't, or Toyota planned such a small one that the RAV-4 under discussion was still going to be useless.

 

[Jacksonc]

Jony Ive could make them a good car. He loves aluminum.

 

[Retired Cat]

Tesla is hosed due to Big Oil owning full-size Lithium-Ion battery IP they will never license. It's the reason Tesla has so many small batteries in their cars. They should have thought about designing the battery tech long before exposing itself to making an electric sportscar.

Tesla didn't want larger battery cells. This was a conscious design choice, and the reason is because the small standard form factor batteries had the best economies of scale.

I don't know much about the chemistry of the batteries, but I think that Tesla has its own proprietary formula.

 

[DavidG328]

I'd personally prefer to see Tesla make it on their own. They've done so much, and they have the potential to be another Apple-like company on their own.

So many innovative companies are being consumed by the current giants. That's not a bad thing, per say, but I'd just like to see some companies stick it out on their own.

I couldn't agree with you more. I can't help but think those that are sitting here wishing that would happen, are just odd. Keep the two separate.

 

[tom vilsack]

The way these two companies stock prices are going it might be Tesla buying Apple in the future! Apple should have hired Elon and not Tim!

 

[musika]

The way these two companies stock prices are going it might be Tesla buying Apple in the future! Apple should have hired Elon and not Tim!

Makes no sense, sorry. Elon is better off changing the world in the places he is, and Apple is better off having someone levelheaded running operations at the company.

 

[JAT]

Nothing of IP value from Tesla in battery tech that Apple doesn't already have.

Tesla is hosed due to Big Oil owning full-size Lithium-Ion battery IP they will never license. It's the reason Tesla has so many small batteries in their cars. They should have thought about designing the battery tech long before exposing itself to making an electric sportscar.

Missed this one. What "full-size" battery IP does big oil own? Got links?

The battery in the S is different from the one in the Roadster. The entire reason Tesla is doing well (in comparison to other electrics over the years) is their battery research, so I'm not sure what you are getting at.