Rumor: Apple preparing to 'give Tesla a run for its money' with new automotive project
Apple is supposedly working on a vehicle-related project that is "too exciting to pass up" for potential hires, according to a new report, and is said to have employees from electric carmaker Tesla "jumping ship" in order to take part.
Tesla's upcoming Model X crossover.
"Apple's latest project is too exciting to pass up," an unnamed Apple employee is said to have told BusinessInsider. "I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money."
No further detail was given, and it is unclear exactly how Apple would compete with Tesla. The publication suggests that Apple may be working on a new in-car experience that would function something like an enhanced version of CarPlay and control more vehicle functions, but this would not be fundamentally at odds with Tesla's mandate of selling electric cars.
Apple could be working on a full-fledged car --?late company cofounder Steve Jobs was said to have taken an interest in such an effort --?but that seems unlikely, as does Apple's rumored development of self-driving vehicle technology, a field which Tesla is known to be exploring.
Despite suggestions to the contrary, a number of mysterious sensor-laden vans registered to Apple and spotted around the country in recent weeks are unlikely to be related to autonomous vehicles. Rather, the vans' sensor kit is almost certainly meant for so-called "ground truth" data collection destined for Apple Maps.
While Apple's intentions are unclear, the company is known to have heavily recruited Tesla engineers, offering $250,000 bonuses and significant salary bumps. Relatively few have made the move.
"Apple tries very hard to recruit from Tesla," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week. "But so far they've actually recruited very few people."
Tesla's upcoming Model X crossover.
"Apple's latest project is too exciting to pass up," an unnamed Apple employee is said to have told BusinessInsider. "I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money."
No further detail was given, and it is unclear exactly how Apple would compete with Tesla. The publication suggests that Apple may be working on a new in-car experience that would function something like an enhanced version of CarPlay and control more vehicle functions, but this would not be fundamentally at odds with Tesla's mandate of selling electric cars.
Apple could be working on a full-fledged car --?late company cofounder Steve Jobs was said to have taken an interest in such an effort --?but that seems unlikely, as does Apple's rumored development of self-driving vehicle technology, a field which Tesla is known to be exploring.
Despite suggestions to the contrary, a number of mysterious sensor-laden vans registered to Apple and spotted around the country in recent weeks are unlikely to be related to autonomous vehicles. Rather, the vans' sensor kit is almost certainly meant for so-called "ground truth" data collection destined for Apple Maps.
While Apple's intentions are unclear, the company is known to have heavily recruited Tesla engineers, offering $250,000 bonuses and significant salary bumps. Relatively few have made the move.
"Apple tries very hard to recruit from Tesla," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week. "But so far they've actually recruited very few people."
Comments
I think they will. There are a lot of safety and congestion benefits to the idea.
The age-old steering wheel is being replaced by the Click Wheel. Makes sense.
I think they are. There are a lot of safety and congestion benefits to the idea.
This is true. It is also true that regulation will lag behind technology by about 20 years in this case due to misinformed legislators and members of the public and media beating the fear drum, so it won't actually be legal until we're old.
Please - no "self driving cars." Self driving cars aren't going to happen.
I think they are. There are a lot of safety and congestion benefits to the idea.
There are more safety issues with self driving cars as well. All you need is one accident caused by a bug or fault in the self driving car and whichever company owns that car will go bankrupt. Tell me which insurance company will insure a car that has no driver? How are you going to sue a car for an accident? If people aren't driving the car then auto insurance companies won't have anything to insure because the people inside the car can't be at fault because they weren't driving. Optical recognition of streets/roads/highways and other vehicles would only work if all the roads were changed so nobody could change lanes or speed. Let's spend more time on developing something that would actually help society in the near future instead of trying to copy iRobot.
I just imagined someone driving with a ClickWheel and couldn't stop laughing.
Anyway, go check out the Steeri video on YouTube.
1) No one said 2015 was the year it will happen.
2) Who is going to insure an automobile now when there could be faulty mechanics? Or an airplane or airline? Does having a pilot and co-pilot in a plane mean that airlines can't be sued? Clearly there will be a lot of testing performed and new laws made to meet the new demand, but it would be hubris to think that cars will never drive themselves, or park themselves, or control their cruising speed, etc.
Uh oh
The Segway pt II
I think they are. There are a lot of safety and congestion benefits to the idea.
There are studies that show that self driving cars might actually be worse for congestion. Human drive more aggressively with higher acceleration curves which reduces latency/lag specially on crossroads.
Semi-off-topic… I was reading today that all the new cars with fancy wireless features are at risk of being hacked remotely, even to the point of taking control of the steering, brakes and speed if you have one of these cars that can park itself. Apparently, the car makers have made little attempt to address this.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/scary-things-hackers-car/story?id=28831616
There must be a lot out there already. Here in Sarasota most people seem to be staring at a phone while driving!
News 2017: 300 driverless BMWs were see in convoy crossing the Mexican border. Police suspect foul play.
I'm guessing you own a funeral home and are biased after reading your post.
Apple battery factory vs gigafactory?
I think they are. There are a lot of safety and congestion benefits to the idea.
Yes, there is a lot of upside to taking driving out of the hands of humans, but there's a lot of work to be done yet.
Car ads these days show grinning technicians as they watch their car screech to a halt after showing some collision avoidance heads-up display warning.
I'd look in the mirror first before slamming on the brakes or deciding to perhaps swerve. I can't think of any AI programs that have that sensitivity to events yet.