Kudos to Google for the courage to try new things and put them out in the public arena for further testing and development.
Apple is also forward thinking but does it behind closed doors. The Apple Car project is but one example of many things they have been involved in, but then scrapped. It’s nothing more than a difference in philosophies.
In the case of Google it gives the haters and those more narrow minded about anything that isn't Apple, ammunition to criticize. Hating is their pastime.
Siri and Apple Maps were the exception, launched as betas (not that a decade of user testing helped Siri any...)