Last year Tim Cook said in an interview that iPhone would be the biggest revenue driver for Apple for the next five years. Perhaps this project is part of what comes next? If Tim Cook is signing off on something and allowing thousand employees to work on it it seems like a lot more than Apple just dipping it's toe in the water. You don't need 1000 employees to do that.
Angela is gonna have her hands full. or maybe Apple should hire Danika Patrick to be head of the Apple Car dealerships.
This is why this isn't going to happen. If Apple wants to lose its cash reserves fast, they'll get into the retail car business. There's no car company in the US Apple could buy to have an instant infrastructure that is set up the "Apple Way". And without that, what are they buying? And unlike the iPhone, if something goes wrong and there's not an Apple Store nearby, you can't just swap it out via FedEx. The profit margins in the car business do not in any way reflect Apple's business model and the investors will not like that. And then there's the name. There's a specific type of people who drive a VW Bug, or a Mini. Not everyone wants to drive an "Apple". So, a niche market with huge startup costs unrelated to anything they currently manufacture, market, or distribute, slim profit margins and a cute name. Time to cash out my Apple stock if true.
Nor do they have much of a history of letting their OSs run on other peoples' hardware. I still think my idea from the other thread is possible - that the car's won't be for sale to the public, but hired as needed taxi/Uber style.
Cool concept but Apple has always been about customers owning the hardware for the best and most personal experience. An Apple Uber-like service would indicate an entire business model shift towards iCloud away from iPhone for example.
Is it possible for a company to become self-endowed? That is, to amass so much cash in the bank, that just the income on that pile woul be enough to pay operating yearly operating expenses? How much would it take, and/or how small would Apple have to become in order to be self-sustaining? Thought experiment.
You'll be required to download updates to your car every year, and after the 4th year, your car won't be supported anymore and you'll have to recycle it for a newer model. /s
This is why this isn't going to happen. If Apple wants to lose its cash reserves fast, they'll get into the retail car business. There's no car company in the US Apple could buy to have an instant infrastructure that is set up the "Apple Way". And without that, what are they buying? And unlike the iPhone, if something goes wrong and there's not an Apple Store nearby, you can't just swap it out via FedEx. The profit margins in the car business do not in any way reflect Apple's business model and the investors will not like that. And then there's the name. There's a specific type of people who drive a VW Bug, or a Mini. Not everyone wants to drive an "Apple". So, a niche market with huge startup costs unrelated to anything they currently manufacture, market, or distribute, slim profit margins and a cute name. Time to cash out my Apple stock if true.
Do you really hold Apple stock for that long? An Apple car would take 5-10 years to hit the market. You'd be missing another 20-30 record quarters and all that dividend cash.
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.
Your point is taken but Apple isn't about making the customer choose between Hardee's and software and their business has never been about that either. That's the value they offer. Let's face it, iOS isn't as bug-free and doesn't stand out as much as it used too. Apple hardware does still stand out as unique and innovative to most. Jobs' comments were made a long time ago and were deceptive even at the time.
An Apple car in hardware only would make no sense.nan Apple car in software only would be cool but suffer the same way Android suffers from fragmentation and stupid carrier and manufacturer crippling business decisions. An Apple car made entirely by Apple would sell better than any single car made today and that's before you account for an EV autonomous vehicle.
And then there's the name. There's a specific type of people who drive a VW Bug, or a Mini. Not everyone wants to drive an "Apple". So, a niche market with huge startup costs unrelated to anything they currently manufacture, market, or distribute, slim profit margins and a cute name.
... and that is one of the theories as to why investors have never taken Apple seriously.
While I agree that Apple is up to something in the automotive sector - I'm leaning towards "owning the dashboard" - I think there's an area everyone seems to be missing. For more than 15 years, Apple has been researching and engineering significant improvements in battery technology. Better, lighter, more efficient, cheaper, and greener batteries are the holy grail of the automotive industry. I suspect they're trying to leverage their expertise in battery tech to enter a whole new market.
spamsandwich "I just cannot see them actually attempting to get into car manufacturing and sales in the US. Might make more sense in Asia or India?"
And what about the rest of North America like Mexico, Canada, %u2026 ? Or Europe? Or South America? Or %u2026 Please don't be so US-centric. It's a big world out there. :-)
While I agree that Apple is up to something in the automotive sector - I'm leaning towards "owning the dashboard" - I think there's an area everyone seems to be missing. For more than 15 years, Apple has been researching and engineering significant improvements in battery technology. Better, lighter, more efficient, cheaper, and greener batteries are the holy grail of the automotive industry. I suspect they're trying to leverage their expertise in battery tech to enter a whole new market.
spamsandwich "I just cannot see them actually attempting to get into car manufacturing and sales in the US. Might make more sense in Asia or India?"
And what about the rest of North America like Mexico, Canada, %u2026 ? Or Europe? Or South America? Or %u2026 Please don't be so US-centric. It's a big world out there. :-)
What battery tech is exclusively available on Apple devices?
Apple could have more than one objective here. One goal could be improving CarPlay to the point where it is quite capable of fitting into most any car maker's vehicle to run the heating, cooling, troubleshooting systems, etc. along with the entertainment/communication systems. Apple could also be trying to make that leap in battery technology that could drive the electric car of the near future. Maybe a
partnership in this respect with Tesla and other car makers could be what they are exploring. But can you rule out Apple having the balls to commission the manufacture of its own electric vehicle? No, they could do that. However, I wonder if their failed investment with GT Advanced Technologies would give them something to reflect on before venturing into car production. If you can't get sapphire furnaces to work well enough to produce watch faces or phone screens in quantity, why get into the complexities of manufacturing an entire vehicle. So, on balance, I see Apple going after a bigger piece of the auto (CarPlay, battery) but not the whole thing. Not yet, anyway.
Not saying there's anything specific that I can point to at the moment as I'm no patent racker but they're done and said lots through the years such as intelligent charging systems, and unusual battery configurations that fit in smaller spaces.
Apple under Tim Cook is definitely forging new pathways of revenue that I never expected ($5K AppleWatch, battery factory agreement, ApplePay, IBM joint venture, solar panel farms, etc.). So I'll assume this rumor is true and run with it.
My take is that Apple will develop an autonomous taxi service, where the vehicle doesn't belong to the individual but to a company or municipality. Think of "Uber in the Cloud." This service would be viable for small to large cities, especially those with limited mass transit. Current intracity vehicular traffic generates a significant amount of a city's pollution. This is the target audience for this service.
The vehicle will seat 4-8 people and have no direct driver interaction (no steering wheel or pedals). This frees up the UI to be completely different than what we have now. Apple is well-placed for such new thinking. The vehicle will have voice command (Siri) input and possibly a (touch) panel input, as well. Look at Marc Newsome's Ford 021c concept car. The seats aren't fixed forward. It could be more of a living space than a driving space.
The US and Europe are currently pursuing vehicle-to-vehicle communications standards with the goal of increasing driver safety, where the "V2V" cars communicate with themselves within a certain (close proximity) radius and inform the driver of possible hazards. These standards are not finalized yet (there are several tiers of service to be rolled out, each with successively more information, and possibly, autonomy). Take this a step further. Combine an electric vehicle under central control (for scheduling/efficiency purposes) with V2V (and Apple's) autonomy, all directed by the user's voice commands (or app on the iPhone). Think of the greater good such a service/vehicle would have on society.
The closest project I could find was the autonomous tram for Stockholm 2025 (but this is for mass transit).
Anytime the herd says Apple is definitely NOT doing X but most likely Y instead I'm more inclined to believe they are doing X. This is Tim Cook's Apple now and anything is possible.
Really? That's what he's saying? It was such rambling, stream-of-consciousness blather that I could honestly not figure out. Or perhaps he was trying to be humorous (but I could not see the humor).
In any event, who's this person? Some sort of Apple expert? Industry seer?
Really? That's what he's saying? It was such rambling, stream-of-consciousness blather that I could honestly not figure out. Or perhaps he was trying to be humorous (but I could not see the humor).
In any event, who's this person? Some sort of Apple expert? Industry seer?
1) At the end he says he doesn't think it's happening.
2) JLG is a big part of the history of computing. He's a brilliant guy with a well rounded and balanced view of the future of technology.
Really? That's what he's saying? It was such rambling, stream-of-consciousness blather that I could honestly not figure out. Or perhaps he was trying to be humorous (but I could not see the humor).
In any event, who's this person? Some sort of Apple expert? Industry seer?
1) At the end he says he doesn't think it's happening.
2) JLG is a big part of the history of computing. He's a brilliant guy with a well rounded and balanced view of the future of technology.
That's why I was confused.... Like I said, perhaps he was trying to be funny. Or cute. I felt like he wasted my time reading the piece.
What gives him the imprimatur of being "brilliant, well rounded and having a balanced view of technology"? Coming from you, that's high praise. Any examples you can offer?
1) At the end he says he doesn't think it's happening.
2) JLG is a big part of the history of computing. He's a brilliant guy with a well rounded and balanced view of the future of technology.
But he's not basing this on any inside knowledge at Apple. We'll see if anything comes out next week to dial back these rumors or take them even further. To me where there's smoke there's fire. The project may not ultimately result in an Apple car but it would not shock me that Apple is looking into it. I see CarPlay as a band-aid solution. And highly fragmented. How many car companies are going to turn their dash over to Apple?
Comments
Cool concept but Apple has always been about customers owning the hardware for the best and most personal experience. An Apple Uber-like service would indicate an entire business model shift towards iCloud away from iPhone for example.
Do you really hold Apple stock for that long? An Apple car would take 5-10 years to hit the market. You'd be missing another 20-30 record quarters and all that dividend cash.
Your point is taken but Apple isn't about making the customer choose between Hardee's and software and their business has never been about that either. That's the value they offer. Let's face it, iOS isn't as bug-free and doesn't stand out as much as it used too. Apple hardware does still stand out as unique and innovative to most. Jobs' comments were made a long time ago and were deceptive even at the time.
An Apple car in hardware only would make no sense.nan Apple car in software only would be cool but suffer the same way Android suffers from fragmentation and stupid carrier and manufacturer crippling business decisions. An Apple car made entirely by Apple would sell better than any single car made today and that's before you account for an EV autonomous vehicle.
And then there's the name. There's a specific type of people who drive a VW Bug, or a Mini. Not everyone wants to drive an "Apple". So, a niche market with huge startup costs unrelated to anything they currently manufacture, market, or distribute, slim profit margins and a cute name.
... and that is one of the theories as to why investors have never taken Apple seriously.
... but then there's... Google.
spamsandwich "I just cannot see them actually attempting to get into car manufacturing and sales in the US. Might make more sense in Asia or India?"
And what about the rest of North America like Mexico, Canada, %u2026 ? Or Europe? Or South America? Or %u2026 Please don't be so US-centric. It's a big world out there. :-)
The steering wheel will a larger click wheel. Touch screens aren't so good at -35°C or 50°C.
While I agree that Apple is up to something in the automotive sector - I'm leaning towards "owning the dashboard" - I think there's an area everyone seems to be missing. For more than 15 years, Apple has been researching and engineering significant improvements in battery technology. Better, lighter, more efficient, cheaper, and greener batteries are the holy grail of the automotive industry. I suspect they're trying to leverage their expertise in battery tech to enter a whole new market.
spamsandwich "I just cannot see them actually attempting to get into car manufacturing and sales in the US. Might make more sense in Asia or India?"
And what about the rest of North America like Mexico, Canada, %u2026 ? Or Europe? Or South America? Or %u2026 Please don't be so US-centric. It's a big world out there. :-)
What battery tech is exclusively available on Apple devices?
Apple could have more than one objective here. One goal could be improving CarPlay to the point where it is quite capable of fitting into most any car maker's vehicle to run the heating, cooling, troubleshooting systems, etc. along with the entertainment/communication systems. Apple could also be trying to make that leap in battery technology that could drive the electric car of the near future. Maybe a
partnership in this respect with Tesla and other car makers could be what they are exploring. But can you rule out Apple having the balls to commission the manufacture of its own electric vehicle? No, they could do that. However, I wonder if their failed investment with GT Advanced Technologies would give them something to reflect on before venturing into car production. If you can't get sapphire furnaces to work well enough to produce watch faces or phone screens in quantity, why get into the complexities of manufacturing an entire vehicle. So, on balance, I see Apple going after a bigger piece of the auto (CarPlay, battery) but not the whole thing. Not yet, anyway.
Not saying there's anything specific that I can point to at the moment as I'm no patent racker but they're done and said lots through the years such as intelligent charging systems, and unusual battery configurations that fit in smaller spaces.
Apple under Tim Cook is definitely forging new pathways of revenue that I never expected ($5K AppleWatch, battery factory agreement, ApplePay, IBM joint venture, solar panel farms, etc.). So I'll assume this rumor is true and run with it.
My take is that Apple will develop an autonomous taxi service, where the vehicle doesn't belong to the individual but to a company or municipality. Think of "Uber in the Cloud." This service would be viable for small to large cities, especially those with limited mass transit. Current intracity vehicular traffic generates a significant amount of a city's pollution. This is the target audience for this service.
The vehicle will seat 4-8 people and have no direct driver interaction (no steering wheel or pedals). This frees up the UI to be completely different than what we have now. Apple is well-placed for such new thinking. The vehicle will have voice command (Siri) input and possibly a (touch) panel input, as well. Look at Marc Newsome's Ford 021c concept car. The seats aren't fixed forward. It could be more of a living space than a driving space.
The US and Europe are currently pursuing vehicle-to-vehicle communications standards with the goal of increasing driver safety, where the "V2V" cars communicate with themselves within a certain (close proximity) radius and inform the driver of possible hazards. These standards are not finalized yet (there are several tiers of service to be rolled out, each with successively more information, and possibly, autonomy). Take this a step further. Combine an electric vehicle under central control (for scheduling/efficiency purposes) with V2V (and Apple's) autonomy, all directed by the user's voice commands (or app on the iPhone). Think of the greater good such a service/vehicle would have on society.
The closest project I could find was the autonomous tram for Stockholm 2025 (but this is for mass transit).
- http://www.mondaynote.com/2015/02/15/the-fantastic-apple-car/
Yes, I did read the entire article.Really? That's what he's saying? It was such rambling, stream-of-consciousness blather that I could honestly not figure out. Or perhaps he was trying to be humorous (but I could not see the humor).
In any event, who's this person? Some sort of Apple expert? Industry seer?
1) At the end he says he doesn't think it's happening.
2) JLG is a big part of the history of computing. He's a brilliant guy with a well rounded and balanced view of the future of technology.
That's why I was confused.... Like I said, perhaps he was trying to be funny. Or cute. I felt like he wasted my time reading the piece.
What gives him the imprimatur of being "brilliant, well rounded and having a balanced view of technology"? Coming from you, that's high praise. Any examples you can offer?
But he's not basing this on any inside knowledge at Apple. We'll see if anything comes out next week to dial back these rumors or take them even further. To me where there's smoke there's fire. The project may not ultimately result in an Apple car but it would not shock me that Apple is looking into it. I see CarPlay as a band-aid solution. And highly fragmented. How many car companies are going to turn their dash over to Apple?