For Apple to revolutionise the living room by launching a magical HDTV set straight from your dreams, because it's now trying to innovate in the automobile sector.
Apple is working on a car. Several reports from the last year have claimed the company is not only poaching former Tesla employees and hiring automotive experts, but it is also secretly starting up a research lab filled with hundreds (maybe 1,000 even) of Apple employees who are working on an electriccar codenamed Titan. And that's the tip of the iceberg...
Industry analysts and critics have said they think Apple is working on a car, and earlier this spring, an Apple-leased van was spotted with a strange apparatus on its roof, suggesting Apple might also tackle autonomous technology. Keep reading to find out what else could be happening in Cupertino.
Apple Car: What's the very latest?
November 2015: Tony Fadell, who is known as the “father of the iPod” but is now CEO of Alphabet’s Nest, recently appeared on Bloomberg TV to discuss his time at Apple. During the interview, he revealed that he spoke with Steve Jobs, Apple's then-CEO, in 2008 about how Apple could approach a car project. But at the time, Apple didn't have enough resources for such a project.
Fadell explained: “We had a couple walks, and this was in 2008, about if we were to build a car, what would we build? […] We would be looking at what would a dashboard be, what would seat be, how would you fuel it or power it, but at the end it was always like 'We are so busy, we are so constraint'. You know. It would be great to do it, but we can’t.”
He then commented on Apple’s possible entry into the automotive sector: “If you think about a car - what’s a car? - a car has batteries, it has a computer, it has a motor and it has a mechanical structure. If you look at an iPhone, it has all the same things. It even has a motor in it. If you try to scale it up, oh my god, I can make a car with those same components. There is some truth to that.”
You can watch the whole interview here:
September 2015: Apple, according to The Guardian, had a meeting with California autonomous driving officials in August 2015. This is thought to have followed an enquiry into acquiring a disused military base with lots of roads for autonomous car testing. Apple has also hired an engineering program manager - something that happens when a project is ready to leave the lab.
Apple has also reportedly spent more than a year investigating whether an Apple Carproject is even feasible. The company must think it's worth exploring some more, because according to The Wall Street Journal, project leaders are now tripling Apple Car's 600-person team. Apple is ramping up efforts to build an electric carand has even set a target ship date for 2019.
This report conflicts with previous ones that claimed Apple wanted to start producing itselectric vehicle by 2020. Just remember that a ship date might not mean you'll be able to buy it in a mere three years; it could mean engineers have only signed off on key features. Also, The Wall Street Journal further revealed the first Apple Car will not be fully autonomous.
Apple has included the functionality in long-term plans, though. Keep in mind that when asked by Stephen Colbert recently about whether an Apple Car was even in the works, Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, would only admit: "We look at a number of things along the way, and we decide to really put our energies on a few of those."
Apple Car: Is this really happening?
It looks that way.
An unnamed Apple employee told Business Insider that Apple is working on something that will "give Tesla a run for its money." It's a vehicle development-related project - and Tesla employees are allegedly "jumping ship" to now work at Apple. Some critics are weary about the news though, noting Apple prefers to work on just a few things at a time.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, even admitted as much last January during a conference call: "We have zero issue coming up with things we want to do...We must focus on the very few that deserve all our energy." If Apple isn't going all out and developing an AppleCar, a colloquial name for what the company might call its rumoured vehicle, it might just improving CarPlay.
CarPlay launched just last year and is still very much in the early stages. It brings an iOS-style interface to in-car infotainment systems and is meant to be built directly into many cars. It might also expand one day to offer Tesla-like features. With the Tesla iPhone app, for instance, you can turn on heating, as well as lock and unlock doors, flash the lights, and more.
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