I don't know if I believe Apple is on the verge of releasing their own vehicle but it's likely they would be working on prototypes behind closed doors. Even if it's just to give them a better understanding of how they can integrate the iPhone/CarPlay into vehicles in the future.
If Apple is working on an autonomous vehicle control system or software to take over the whole dash of the vehicle I think they are more likely to move into designing their own vehicles rather than licensing their OS to other manufacturers. Apple prefers to control the whole experience.
CarPlay will be providing Apple with a lot of traffic data and info on how people interact with the system while driving. If they are going to actually install iOS in the vehicle though I believe it would be their own vehicle.
Based on this I'm leaning towards all these rumours simply being about improved Apple Maps and CarPlay or Apple working towards their own vehicle. I can't see them going down the middle and creating the technology for other manufacturers to use only to have those manufacturers drop Apple whenever they choose or to have those manufacturers poorly implement Apple's tech providing a poor user experience.
I'm working on my personal tele-portatation device that will make all forms of transportation redundant, the only sticking point is the massive amounts of power required for which I'm working on a cold fusion reactor - beam me up Scotty
You are mistaken. The Model S climate control ON/OFF, temperature, and fan speed may be controlled using the right steering wheel scroll wheel OR by using the touch screen.
I'm aware of the right steering wheel controls, which are just as stupid. They are still slower than just turning a knob on your dash.
Well, if you were aware of it, it seems odd that you made such a lengthy rant about how physical dials were better than a garbage touch screen. Now you have changed your argument to that the controls are stupid and slow. Personally, I prefer to not take my hand off the steering wheel to reach down and adjust the climate controls, when I can just make the adjustments with my right thumb. I haven't noticed the speed of the adjustments being any kind of hardship, and I don't think a physical dial on the steering wheel differs in stupidity in any meaningful way from a physical dial on the dashboard.
That article nicely wraps up all the rumors/reports.
It still seems weird everyone is suddenly talking. Did the NDA expire or something?
I wonder when Tim Cook will be asked about all this.
Unless it's controlled leaks that the higher-ups have approved. Let's not forget that last year Tim Cook told Charlie Rose that Apple was working on stuff that nobody knew about, that hadn't been rumored yet.
What if Apple was positioning itself to provide the onboard and backend artificial intelligence to manage citywide traffic systems to make them completely self-managing and efficient? It would be like Apple to analyze what is not currently working (traffic flow and travel are extremely inefficient in terms of energy and time wasted) and come up with a complete end-to-end solution. Apple's IBM partnership could logically lead to this. Replace the entire woefully inefficient traffic control systems with cutting edge traffic management.
Don't see that happening, but would be cool in theory. Traffic light timings in my city are complete shit, often waiting several minutes at a red when NOT A SINGLE CAR has crossed the intersection. Don't know what morons are in charge of this.
So far I have read 4 different assumptions with this news.
Completely false rumor
Apple is trying to make CarPlay (or its successor) better.
Apple wants to control the entire dashboard
Apple is making their own car
It seems unlikely it's completely false, and the arguments for their minivans having gear more inline with self-driving cars over LidAR-based street-level mapping have won me over. So…
Can Apple make a self-driving car without building their own car?
Would it behoove Apple to get control of the dashboard and other "computers" on-board without directly competing with the major car makers?
Could a threat of competing help make them more agreeable to working with Apple?
I think 2 and 3 are the same - and that both are merely steps towards 4. Also 1 could be right in that at any point Apple my change tack and decide it is not in their interest to enter this arena. However.... personal transportation is a huge and very well established industry that could do with a some serious disruption and one that I can see Apple be a big part of.
Tesla is great but at the moment it is just a pretty standard car using a different type of engine and I really can't see Apple entering the field just to be another car manufacturer - electric or not. A self driving er... 'device'... would be much more interesting to Apple. But to lay the groundwork for self driving vehicles to become a reality is not something a single company can take on. My feeling is that Apple is positioning itself for the future. Nothing is imminent. Perhaps the thought of Apple developing a car will kickstart many other companies to enter the field which in turn may help speed things up.
And if this happens, Tesla is toast. (A couple of days ago, Musk made this laughable statement about how the company could be worth the same as Apple -- $700B -- in ten years' time (or something to that effect)).
I just read a blog post about Google's out-of-control R&D and SG&A spending. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a bunch of layoffs from Google within the next year.
I agree with you. The market will finally wake up to this one-trick pony (search ads) with an inflated PE.
It started with CarPlay. I think that's the first time an Apple OS has been licensed to third parties. So I can see the whole car infotainment experience as well as controls being taken over as well.
Apple had to license nothing for CarPlay. The displays in cars are essentially a secondary display for the iPhone where iOS resides. Kind of like changing your input on your TV to see the Apple TV UI.
Remember, this is the new “APPLE IS MAKING AN HDTV”. The media hasn’t had a good rumor on which to grab in a VERY long time. They’re going to milk this nonsense for all it’s worth.
Let’s get ahead of the puns.
The steering wheel will be a rounded rectangle.
I've already heard that the frame will bend if you slide it sideways into a telephone pole.
Why would car manufacturers allow or wan't to give Apple access to their systems?
Because they don't have the skills or resources to do it themselves. Remember, the car of the future will have a massive software focus. Most of these companies only know pistons and grease.
Because they don't have the skills or resources to do it themselves. Remember, the car of the future will have a massive software focus. Most of these companies are only know pistons and grease.
Well, I think they know quite a lot more, and I think what they know related to engine technology, materials, structural analysis, regulations (a major task in itself when you are dealing with people health), not to mention systems engineering, etc etc. Bottom line is, information technology may, stress may, because I have been wrong so many times before, not be what should be the main target of the car manufacturer.
Cars are interesting in the way that they have, as the computer business has not (obviously with one exception), avoided becoming a commodity. Most people still value a nice car, even if it doesn't transport you better than a slightly less nice car, but I don't think that the core value is in the software.
Perhaps the reason they planned to build a self driving minivan is that it will require all that gear on top of the roof. No one who wants a sporty car will put up with a NASA rover on top of their car.
Color me skeptical about all of this Apple car stuff. I'd believe a 6" iPhone before this.
I don't see how this could lead to huge growth or premium margins, two of Apple's hallmarks.
I think they could add 70 billion to the market cap overnight.
BMW
68.66B
P/E 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by RPT
Well, I think they know quite a lot more, and I think what they know related to engine technology, materials, structural analysis, regulations (a major task in itself when you are dealing with people health), not to mention systems engineering, etc etc. Bottom line is, information technology may, stress may, because I have been wrong so many times before, not be what should be the main target of the car manufacturer.
Cars are interesting in the way that they have, as the computer business has not (obviously with one exception), avoided becoming a commodity. Most people still value a nice car, even if it doesn't transport you better than a slightly less nice car, but I don't think that the core value is in the software.
It sounds like you are thinking about todays cars. Tomorrows cars will drive themselves. That's a ton of computing, and few companies could successfully pull off such a feat of wizardry. Even if the grease companies tried, users would favour deep integration with smartphones which kind of leaves Apple and Google as successful contenders.
Imagine a future where people break into cars, not to steal them, but to steal the Apple HW inside.
The hardware isn't all that special (with maybe the exception of some of the newer ARM SoCs). It's the software/services that is.
What would you rather have: a generic Intel-powered computer running OS X or a Mac running Windows? Or a non-Apple smartphone running iOS or an iPhone running Android?
This is essentially the basis of why Steve Jobs claimed that Apple was a software company at heart.
Apple doesn't sell its ARM SoCs to other companies. An outsider can't do anything with the M7 motion co-processor, the Secure Element for Apple ID.
Comments
If Apple is working on an autonomous vehicle control system or software to take over the whole dash of the vehicle I think they are more likely to move into designing their own vehicles rather than licensing their OS to other manufacturers. Apple prefers to control the whole experience.
CarPlay will be providing Apple with a lot of traffic data and info on how people interact with the system while driving. If they are going to actually install iOS in the vehicle though I believe it would be their own vehicle.
Based on this I'm leaning towards all these rumours simply being about improved Apple Maps and CarPlay or Apple working towards their own vehicle. I can't see them going down the middle and creating the technology for other manufacturers to use only to have those manufacturers drop Apple whenever they choose or to have those manufacturers poorly implement Apple's tech providing a poor user experience.
Well, if you were aware of it, it seems odd that you made such a lengthy rant about how physical dials were better than a garbage touch screen. Now you have changed your argument to that the controls are stupid and slow. Personally, I prefer to not take my hand off the steering wheel to reach down and adjust the climate controls, when I can just make the adjustments with my right thumb. I haven't noticed the speed of the adjustments being any kind of hardship, and I don't think a physical dial on the steering wheel differs in stupidity in any meaningful way from a physical dial on the dashboard.
That article nicely wraps up all the rumors/reports.
It still seems weird everyone is suddenly talking. Did the NDA expire or something?
I wonder when Tim Cook will be asked about all this.
Unless it's controlled leaks that the higher-ups have approved. Let's not forget that last year Tim Cook told Charlie Rose that Apple was working on stuff that nobody knew about, that hadn't been rumored yet.
What if Apple was positioning itself to provide the onboard and backend artificial intelligence to manage citywide traffic systems to make them completely self-managing and efficient? It would be like Apple to analyze what is not currently working (traffic flow and travel are extremely inefficient in terms of energy and time wasted) and come up with a complete end-to-end solution. Apple's IBM partnership could logically lead to this. Replace the entire woefully inefficient traffic control systems with cutting edge traffic management.
Don't see that happening, but would be cool in theory. Traffic light timings in my city are complete shit, often waiting several minutes at a red when NOT A SINGLE CAR has crossed the intersection. Don't know what morons are in charge of this.
I don't see how this could lead to huge growth or premium margins, two of Apple's hallmarks.
So far I have read 4 different assumptions with this news.
It seems unlikely it's completely false, and the arguments for their minivans having gear more inline with self-driving cars over LidAR-based street-level mapping have won me over. So…
I think 2 and 3 are the same - and that both are merely steps towards 4. Also 1 could be right in that at any point Apple my change tack and decide it is not in their interest to enter this arena. However.... personal transportation is a huge and very well established industry that could do with a some serious disruption and one that I can see Apple be a big part of.
Tesla is great but at the moment it is just a pretty standard car using a different type of engine and I really can't see Apple entering the field just to be another car manufacturer - electric or not. A self driving er... 'device'... would be much more interesting to Apple. But to lay the groundwork for self driving vehicles to become a reality is not something a single company can take on. My feeling is that Apple is positioning itself for the future. Nothing is imminent. Perhaps the thought of Apple developing a car will kickstart many other companies to enter the field which in turn may help speed things up.
I agree with you. The market will finally wake up to this one-trick pony (search ads) with an inflated PE.
Apple had to license nothing for CarPlay. The displays in cars are essentially a secondary display for the iPhone where iOS resides. Kind of like changing your input on your TV to see the Apple TV UI.
Remember, this is the new “APPLE IS MAKING AN HDTV”. The media hasn’t had a good rumor on which to grab in a VERY long time. They’re going to milk this nonsense for all it’s worth.
Let’s get ahead of the puns.
The steering wheel will be a rounded rectangle.
I've already heard that the frame will bend if you slide it sideways into a telephone pole.
Maybe this is Apple's idea of revolutionizing transportation;
Why would car manufacturers allow or wan't to give Apple access to their systems?
Because they don't have the skills or resources to do it themselves. Remember, the car of the future will have a massive software focus. Most of these companies only know pistons and grease.
Because they don't have the skills or resources to do it themselves. Remember, the car of the future will have a massive software focus. Most of these companies are only know pistons and grease.
Well, I think they know quite a lot more, and I think what they know related to engine technology, materials, structural analysis, regulations (a major task in itself when you are dealing with people health), not to mention systems engineering, etc etc. Bottom line is, information technology may, stress may, because I have been wrong so many times before, not be what should be the main target of the car manufacturer.
Cars are interesting in the way that they have, as the computer business has not (obviously with one exception), avoided becoming a commodity. Most people still value a nice car, even if it doesn't transport you better than a slightly less nice car, but I don't think that the core value is in the software.
"Apple will only get involved in areas where they can control the technology."
Being a subsystem to other car manufacturers does not really satisfy that criteria .
Perhaps the reason they planned to build a self driving minivan is that it will require all that gear on top of the roof. No one who wants a sporty car will put up with a NASA rover on top of their car.
I just finished radiation/chemo treatments myself last week so I'm much more sympathetic to those who say they're in pain than I used to be.
Best wishes. Hope you recover well. Been there done that. Not fun. My thoughts are with you.
Color me skeptical about all of this Apple car stuff. I'd believe a 6" iPhone before this.
I don't see how this could lead to huge growth or premium margins, two of Apple's hallmarks.
I think they could add 70 billion to the market cap overnight.
Well, I think they know quite a lot more, and I think what they know related to engine technology, materials, structural analysis, regulations (a major task in itself when you are dealing with people health), not to mention systems engineering, etc etc. Bottom line is, information technology may, stress may, because I have been wrong so many times before, not be what should be the main target of the car manufacturer.
Cars are interesting in the way that they have, as the computer business has not (obviously with one exception), avoided becoming a commodity. Most people still value a nice car, even if it doesn't transport you better than a slightly less nice car, but I don't think that the core value is in the software.
It sounds like you are thinking about todays cars. Tomorrows cars will drive themselves. That's a ton of computing, and few companies could successfully pull off such a feat of wizardry. Even if the grease companies tried, users would favour deep integration with smartphones which kind of leaves Apple and Google as successful contenders.
Imagine a future where people break into cars, not to steal them, but to steal the Apple HW inside.
The hardware isn't all that special (with maybe the exception of some of the newer ARM SoCs). It's the software/services that is.
What would you rather have: a generic Intel-powered computer running OS X or a Mac running Windows? Or a non-Apple smartphone running iOS or an iPhone running Android?
This is essentially the basis of why Steve Jobs claimed that Apple was a software company at heart.
Apple doesn't sell its ARM SoCs to other companies. An outsider can't do anything with the M7 motion co-processor, the Secure Element for Apple ID.