Fiat CEO meets with Tim Cook, says Apple planning automotive 'intervention'
Following a recent trip to California, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne said he met with Apple's Tim Cook to discuss the tech giant's "intervention in the car," suggesting Cupertino is continuing work on new automotive technologies.
A Fiat 600 customized by Apple designers Jony Ive and Marc Newson for a charity auction in 2013.
Marchionne on Saturday said his California pit stop included meetings with Cook, Tesla boss Elon Musk and others, reports Reuters. The FCA chief also took a ride in Google's self-driving car during his trip.
As for Apple's automotive ambitions, Marchionne refused to comment in detail, saying only that Cook is "interested in Apple's intervention in the car, that's his role."
Publicly, Apple fields one major automobile-related initiative in CarPlay, an iOS-based in-car infotainment system designed to connect with and harness iPhone's communications, entertainment and navigation capabilities. In March, Cook said all major automakers are on board and will collectively roll out integration across 40 car models this year.
A number of FCA subsidiaries have pledged support for Apple's solution, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge and the RAM Trucks brand, Fiat and its Abarth-badged performance line, and Ferrari. Together, the company's brand presence accounts for more than 20 percent of all CarPlay partners.
Marchionne's recent meeting with Cook adds fuel to rumors of a so-called "Apple Car," an electric vehicle said to be in development under the codename project "Titan." Hard evidence of such efforts has yet to surface, though Some have attributed mysterious vans carrying advanced sensor packages to Titan. It is more likely that these Apple-registered vehicles are part of an unannounced effort to bolster Apple Maps with ground-level imagery.
However, an AppleInsider investigation recently revealed Apple is running a secret automotive project out of unmarked buildings in Sunnyvale, Calif., where multiple warehouses are outfitted with garage and repair facilities. Interestingly, one of the buildings loosely linked to Apple, but officially leased by a company named "SixtyEight, LLC.," imported a red 1957 Fiat Multipla from the UK, the same model car Apple SVP of Design Jony Ive and Marc Newson customized and auctioned off for charity in 2013.
A Fiat 600 customized by Apple designers Jony Ive and Marc Newson for a charity auction in 2013.
Marchionne on Saturday said his California pit stop included meetings with Cook, Tesla boss Elon Musk and others, reports Reuters. The FCA chief also took a ride in Google's self-driving car during his trip.
As for Apple's automotive ambitions, Marchionne refused to comment in detail, saying only that Cook is "interested in Apple's intervention in the car, that's his role."
Publicly, Apple fields one major automobile-related initiative in CarPlay, an iOS-based in-car infotainment system designed to connect with and harness iPhone's communications, entertainment and navigation capabilities. In March, Cook said all major automakers are on board and will collectively roll out integration across 40 car models this year.
A number of FCA subsidiaries have pledged support for Apple's solution, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge and the RAM Trucks brand, Fiat and its Abarth-badged performance line, and Ferrari. Together, the company's brand presence accounts for more than 20 percent of all CarPlay partners.
Marchionne's recent meeting with Cook adds fuel to rumors of a so-called "Apple Car," an electric vehicle said to be in development under the codename project "Titan." Hard evidence of such efforts has yet to surface, though Some have attributed mysterious vans carrying advanced sensor packages to Titan. It is more likely that these Apple-registered vehicles are part of an unannounced effort to bolster Apple Maps with ground-level imagery.
However, an AppleInsider investigation recently revealed Apple is running a secret automotive project out of unmarked buildings in Sunnyvale, Calif., where multiple warehouses are outfitted with garage and repair facilities. Interestingly, one of the buildings loosely linked to Apple, but officially leased by a company named "SixtyEight, LLC.," imported a red 1957 Fiat Multipla from the UK, the same model car Apple SVP of Design Jony Ive and Marc Newson customized and auctioned off for charity in 2013.
Comments
All my iPhone's with iOS before 7 and 8 were fast and fine. iOS 7 and 8 actually made me think of getting an Android based phone in the future
The problem is once they've gotten rid of all the bugs they're releasing a new bug filled version. Therein is the problem with yearly updates
I love the Italians and their cars. I admire their passion and the ways they "hoe their own row."
I drove a Fiat 600 (650?) in Portugal in the early '70s. Funky little car, but fun to drive. Today's Abarth incarnation is impressive, if pricey. I love the Vespa scooter. And, though the Ferrari is outrageously expensive "highway art", I still aspire to own one some day. Love the FF!
Let's see what kind of "music" Apple can make with Fiat and Chrysler!
and if Apple didn't have yearly updates people would complain that Apple was boring, no longer innovating etc. When the iPhone 5 came out all we got was "it's just a stretched iPhone 4" and "what the hell has Jony Ive been doing for the past year?" comments. iOS 9 is supposed to be a 'snow leopard' type release but if all we get is bug fixes and stability I have no doubt there will be tons of complaints saying "that's it?!?", wondering where the new features are and Engadget will write another article asking when did Apple became the boring one.
Personally I'd like to see Apple decouple their apps from major OS updates so we can get more frequent updates and improvements. It appears they might be starting to do that as they made some significant changes to the music app in a point release. I'd love to see improvements to other apps on a more frequent basis rather than shoving it all in a major release once a year. Leave the major releases for things that take advantage of new hardware features.
Not so cars. There's an enormous variety of cars on the market and many are well-designed for their specific niche. Consumers can get almost any combination of features they want except one: dead simple to operate and fix. That's why I drive a car that's 35 years old. Nothing is computerized and very little is electrical. It is easy to fix and costs almost nothing to maintain.
Somehow I can't see Apple moving into the simple to operate and fix market. I suspect that it wants to compete in a high-end market that has had many decades to sharpen its expertise. BMW and Mercedes aren't like Microsoft. They didn't get to the top of their markets by stumbling into a near-monopoly. They earned their status.
"Intervention" by Apple in the automobile industry makes a lot more sense.
It's better to have all car makers integrate Apple systems in every make/model than to make an entire Apple Car.
Apple can further intervene in the automobile industry like they are doing with CarPlay today and with ApplePay in the payment industry.
Today we have the CarPlay entertainment kit, tomorrow driver assistant kit, and then self-driving kit.
Cars first, then airplanes, then space ships and space stations etc...
Go Apple! Go! Go! Go!
Apple should "intervene" in the slow performance and bugs of iOS software. Just stop making stuff and fix your software!
All my iPhone's with iOS before 7 and 8 were fast and fine. iOS 7 and 8 actually made me think of getting an Android based phone in the future
First of all, I don't have any problems with my latest iPhone/ipad. Some of the issues i've had are app specific issues, not ios. Secondly, whatever issues there are with iOS, there are far more problems with android/windows(i know because i've used galaxy S5).
Consumers can get almost any combination of features they want except one: dead simple to operate and fix. That's why I drive a car that's 35 years old. Nothing is computerized and very little is electrical. It is easy to fix and costs almost nothing to maintain.
Apple would only make fully electric cars along the vein of Tesla. They would have nothing to contribute to the ICE car market. EVs are the future and are a doubling of range and a halving of battery cost from making practical and economic sense for most people. EVs are wide open to for innovation and new ideas, and use a lot technologies Apple knows well. I'd love to see them in direct competition with Tesla and see those companies drive the future of electric cars.
Rectangular ones with rounded corners.
Rectangular ones with rounded corners.
I was thinking something along the lines of this:
Or this
Apple would only make fully electric cars along the vein of Tesla. They would have nothing to contribute to the ICE car market. EVs are the future and are a doubling of range and a halving of battery cost from making practical and economic sense for most people. EVs are wide open to for innovation and new ideas, and use a lot technologies Apple knows well. I'd love to see them in direct competition with Tesla and see those companies drive the future of electric cars.
Me too.
[LIST]But but but Tim Cook's Apple hasn't give us anything new since Steve died"[/LIST]
Naysaying 2015:
[LIST]"But but but Apple can't compete with precious mechanical watches how dare they"
"But but but Apple doesn't know what it's getting into with greasy cars"
"But but but Apple needs to go back to making new Macs"[/LIST]
enjoy your android, especially when it's not supported after a year. our iOS devices work fine with great performance.
Me too.
I think they could do a great job with this, no doubt. I would expect them to enter into a self-driving market though a few years down the line -- a car that does everything for you, and is more like a mobile living room than a car. I don't see them making a sports or muscle car, but en energy efficient smart car for the daily commute. Not even a steering wheel. Maybe like those cars in Minority Report. I wouldn't have thought this were possible so soon in the near future had I not seen a news story about the self driving truck that's on the roads now, that has the Teamsters up in arms.
I just don't think it's a good idea as a stock holder, at least right now. The capital investment would likely be far more massive than everything Apple has already brought to market combined, with much lower margins. But who knows 5 years from now. Let them develop the technologies all they want. Just don't jump prematurely into a money draining proposition.
how interesting that the Music app could have 10-year-old bugs, considering iPhone is only 8 years old.
thanks for playing!
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