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That's because they are doing it wrong. Can't we just agree that everything they do, and we do, is being done wrong? And Apple shouldn't be doing this until every line of code in every program is checked line by line, transistor by transistor, and tested to the fullest extent of the law and electronics. And no back doors, please.
If you're still buying, then they're doing something right.
 
My question is though, how are they going to compete with this? If this article is to be believed, GM is already on track to beat Tesla at the ~$30k EV market with the Bolt. By the time Apple gets its stuff together and releases something in 2019 or 2020, both GM and Tesla will be on their second, or maybe even third iterations of these vehicles.

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Between this and GM buying/partnering (?) with Lyft, they might as well just give up while they are ahead of themselves. GM and Tesla ain't playin', and "oh this is just a first generation Apple device" isn't going to be acceptable in this market in four to five years.

Apple sells experience, not just a car; that's like someone pointing to all those phone makers and asking how ill Apple beat them in 2005. If they sell, just another car, they lose, if they sell something that plugs into everything else they offer they win. Service is one place were automakers are still horrible; if Apple improves there they'd already be miles ahead.

Also, if Apple spends 20B over the next 5 years (which a hell of a lot of IP and tech experitse, they'd have spent as much as the entire industry have over this period and only used a tiny bit of their stash). They could easily leap ahead; btw, most cars these days can be contract built; that's something Apple is pretty good at.
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I am looking forward to seeing what Apple comes up. However, I am a little skeptical about them making their own car. Of course it is possible for them to launch a car brand but having spent 15 years in the automotive industry I know launching a new vehicle is a nontrivial task. I think Apple may have been better off focusing on CarPlay and integrating Apple products into existing vehicles or new cars being developed by established auto makers.

Why on earth do you think Apple being a part of someone else's experience better? Why would car maker give up a major profit center to Apple or even Android. Total integration is part of Apple's DNA, Carplay alone in the car is not where they can shine.
 
Apple sells experience, not just a car; that's like someone pointing to all those phone makers and asking how ill Apple beat them in 2005. If they sell, just another car, they lose, if they sell something that plugs into everything else they offer they win. Service is one place were automakers are still horrible; if Apple improves there they'd already be miles ahead.

Also, if Apple spends 20B over the next 5 years (which a hell of a lot of IP and tech experitse, they'd have spent as much as the entire industry have over this period and only used a tiny bit of their stash). They could easily leap ahead; btw, most cars these days can be contract built; that's something Apple is pretty good at.
I think once Apple gets into the market, it will quickly become the best-selling car of all time. Anything less will be utter failure.

Actually, I don't think that at all. What I really think is that Apple will make quite a bit money on their car, but that some will insist that it's a failure if they don't sell as many cars as they do iPhones.
 
Unless they've achieved fundamental breakthroughs in battery tech, their car won't be viable anyplace that has seasons. Using the heater in cold weather and the AC in hot drains the battery too quickly to make all but the shortest trips practical.
And yet the Tesla Model S is a best seller in its class. Seems like lots of people don't realize that their cars aren't viable. Probably because they are more than just viable, they're better than internal combustion engine vehicles.

I suspect that you work for an auto dealer, oil company, or maybe a company that makes mufflers, transmissions, radiators, or some other part(s) that electric vehicles (including a potential Apple car) will make obsolete.
 
If there is no government subsidy when the battery needs replacing, there will be a huge number of used, dead, electric cars on the market.
 
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If there is no government subsidy when the battery needs replacing, there will be a huge number of used, dead, electric cars on the market.
No, that will not happen.
The average Tesla owner is rich enough to replace batteries.
 
We don't need one if we decide that we don't want one. Where's the problem?
Now that makes no sense does it?
Whether you need something or not has absolutely no bearing on whether you want it.

Have another try.
 
And yet the Tesla Model S is a best seller in its class. Seems like lots of people don't realize that their cars aren't viable. Probably because they are more than just viable, they're better than internal combustion engine vehicles.

I suspect that you work for an auto dealer, oil company, or maybe a company that makes mufflers, transmissions, radiators, or some other part(s) that electric vehicles (including a potential Apple car) will make obsolete.

So if I mention the obvious fact that an electric car can't help losing range if the driver runs the heater or AC, I must therefore be in the pocket of Big IC Auto?

Really amusing. Thanks.
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They were testing the Nissan Leaf. A low-cost, entry-level EV with a rather small battery that was never really intended for long-range travel.

Actually, they tested five cars:

The Renault Zoe which has an advertised driving range of 130 miles couldn't do more than 36.6 miles in the snowy Alps. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV drove 38 miles, just like the BMW i3. The Nissan LEAF managed 42.9 miles, and the Tesla Model S won the comparison test with a range of 128.5 miles.​

A Tesla does not get anything remotely like a 50% reduction in range in cold weather. Maybe 10-20% in extreme conditions. Yes, the Tesla is a premium vehicle and it isn't cheap. But the technology thats in it will become cheaper over time and it's not hard to imagine that in 5-10 years, even relatively cheap EVs will have this sort of range.

According to Consumer Reports' poorly worded article, it's more like a 30% reduction in range in temps down in the 30s (which a huge chunk of the US experiences every winter):

Consumer Reports' Gabe Shenhar also says the range suffers in cold weather: "Sometimes when driving along in weather that's 30-something degrees and you've got the cabin heat is on, the remaining-miles calculator tends to drop 3 miles for every mile that you actually travel."​
 
So if I mention the obvious fact that an electric car can't help losing range if the driver runs the heater or AC, I must therefore be in the pocket of Big IC Auto?

Really amusing. Thanks.
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Actually, they tested five cars:

The Renault Zoe which has an advertised driving range of 130 miles couldn't do more than 36.6 miles in the snowy Alps. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV drove 38 miles, just like the BMW i3. The Nissan LEAF managed 42.9 miles, and the Tesla Model S won the comparison test with a range of 128.5 miles.​



According to Consumer Reports' poorly worded article, it's more like a 30% reduction in range in temps down in the 30s (which a huge chunk of the US experiences every winter):

Consumer Reports' Gabe Shenhar also says the range suffers in cold weather: "Sometimes when driving along in weather that's 30-something degrees and you've got the cabin heat is on, the remaining-miles calculator tends to drop 3 miles for every mile that you actually travel."​
On gm-volt.com there is a huge discussion over using resistive heater instead of a heat pump. Only a couple electric cars use a heat pump (i3 and Soul EV) the rest use resistance heat. From my understanding it isn't very power thrifty in temps above 20°f. Gas powered cars have no issue here because they are already wasting like 50% of their energy to it already. Electric motors typically lose like 10-15% of their energy to heat. Which can help heat the cabin but not the same way an engine would.
 
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I can only wonder how it would be to drive iCar:
Siri:"No, you can't turn left here. We think different and this car will go straight until we feel it's ok to turn".

Sandboxed driving experience.
 
Now that makes no sense does it?
Whether you need something or not has absolutely no bearing on whether you want it.

Have another try.

It doesn't need to make sense to you. Again - there's no requirement to purchase a possible "Apple car". If their pricing (including your hyperbolic "Apple Car Tax") doesn't agree with you, move on.
 
Uhm... car? Where? Where is it written... nevermind.

If I were Tim, I'd go in some different direction. What worries me is that Steve broke Apple down to a few categories and was successful with it.

Right now Apple is expanding its product line - and IMHO - losing focus, considering all the problems and the terribly high yearly update-cycle which I personally believe is a big problem for them.

They may not have the fragmentation of Android but considering all the various iOS devices they want to support with one iOS it is bound to create problems and there is probably a great need for a cut at some point.
 
There was a time I might have thought Apple could pull this off and produce something interesting and maybe even good; maybe even excellent. Now? I have no hope in that whatsoever. They can no longer properly do the things they historically did very well in the first place. I have zero hope that an Apple car will be well-designed or desirable. It might still sell well of course, but all kinds of crap sells well....

I hope I'm wrong, I really do. I hope Apple makes a great car. I hope they go back to making great software and hardware. But I'm not holding my breath.

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And yet the Tesla Model S is a best seller in its class. Seems like lots of people don't realize that their cars aren't viable. Probably because they are more than just viable, they're better than internal combustion engine vehicles.

I suspect that you work for an auto dealer, oil company, or maybe a company that makes mufflers, transmissions, radiators, or some other part(s) that electric vehicles (including a potential Apple car) will make obsolete.

You know, fanboism of any kind is a bad thing... Get some objectivity... Just saying...
 
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I suggest they get AppleTV right before they put a buggy vehicle on the road that could kill people. ;)
 
It was a joke. I already explained that once, so I accept it may not have been a very good joke.

Anyway, Samsung cars are just Renaults with a different badge, so it doesn't really count.

Actually, the Renaults are just a Samsung car with a different badge. Samsung design and manufacture the cars in Korea.
 
Apple sells experience, not just a car; that's like someone pointing to all those phone makers and asking how ill Apple beat them in 2005. If they sell, just another car, they lose, if they sell something that plugs into everything else they offer they win. Service is one place were automakers are still horrible; if Apple improves there they'd already be miles ahead.

Also, if Apple spends 20B over the next 5 years (which a hell of a lot of IP and tech experitse, they'd have spent as much as the entire industry have over this period and only used a tiny bit of their stash). They could easily leap ahead; btw, most cars these days can be contract built; that's something Apple is pretty good at.
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Why on earth do you think Apple being a part of someone else's experience better? Why would car maker give up a major profit center to Apple or even Android. Total integration is part of Apple's DNA, Carplay alone in the car is not where they can shine.

Apple does a great job of designing and manufacturing electronics (computers, tablets, phones, watches, etc.). However, building cars is not one of their core competencies. Could it become a core competency? Absolutely and I hope it does. My comment was simply that there is a world of difference between designing, building & servicing electronics vs designing, building & servicing cars.

If you sell a car nationwide you need to be able to provide service nation wide, you can't simply mail your car back to the factory like you do a phone or tablet. That means Apple will have to open a network of service centers or partner with an existing automotive company to provide service (or maybe they have other models for providing service). Anyway, I wish them well. I like their products and I would be very open to an Apple car if/when they enter the market.
 
yeah... could we just get a decent mac pro again, instead of that awful, desk-wart-having, unexpandable garbage can? Then at least I'd have something I wanted to bring home in my Apple car.
 
"Do you remember when you were a kid, and Christmas Eve, it was so exciting, you weren't sure what was going to be downstairs? Well, it's going to be Christmas Eve for a while."

You're drunk, Tim. Go home.
 
This the make or break product for Apple.
Apple cares too much about stock holders these days, with the car they shouldn't .
If they do, following will happen:

2018 stock prices will go up, because stock holders already take the revenue and growth potential of the car in the stock price.
2019 Apple runs into technical difficulties , but because of the pressure of stock holders/price they' ll release a half finished /evolutionary product.
They did it with the Apple Watch and Apple TV, so should work for the car :).

They should release it when it is finished, please Apple stop releasing half baked products!
 
If you thought the wait time to get a watch was bad, what kind of "limited stock availability" do you thing the apple car would have?

I am curious to see the distribution model.
 
If you thought the wait time to get a watch was bad, what kind of "limited stock availability" do you thing the apple car would have?

I am curious to see the distribution model.
They should be built close to where they are going to sell them. Right?
 
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