Hey hey. Now I wanna hear Tim talking smack about Elon.
A lot of us thought an Apple / Tesla partnership might be interesting. Maybe.
Perhaps Apple could obtain some of the auto expertise they seek by picking up Porsche. They might be available rather soon for a mere $20B or so when VW has to pay all the fines and settlements.
Apple is redefining communications and media, literally the way we talk to each other - and have been doing it for what's coming close to a decade, if not even more. Most folks can get into an iPhone - and thus the Apple ecosystem, fairly easily. Hell, even a Mac is still competitively priced. Save just a bit more and step into a MacBook Pro.
Musk is building science experiments that barely anyone can buy, and which hardly drive (puns, haha!) the market forward.
So let's please GTFOH with comparing Tesla to Apple. There is no comparison whatsoever in terms of "shaping the future."
In what way is he 'shaping the future'? Selling $135,000 SUVs that have falcon wing doors? Are you suggesting no one made electric cars, charging stations, and batteries (which he has not yet really done) before?
What new envelope-pushing innovation in the car industry is Tesla known for? I am not trying to be contentious, I'd really like to know.
Nah, he's making expensive toys for the wealthy elites in California that want to feel good about themselves by driving electric. His affordable EV won't even be available until 2018-2019. We might even have an Apple car by then.
LOL. No he isn't. Building $120k SUV's is not doing a thing about the future. Lets see Musk release an EV that cost under $40k for the masses AND make profits.
You're all focused on Tesla. I said Elon Musk, not Tesla, is shaping the future. SpaceX, his other major business, is commercializing space travel, which will eventually lead to the biggest change in human behavior ever (not to say that SpaceX will always be at the forefront of private space travel but they're currently pushing the boundaries). There is nothing going on at Apple that approaches the significance of that. They make beautiful, capable consumer electronics, but they're definitely not shaping the future on a grand scale.
Isn't Musk the majority shareholder? Do you really think he can be bought that easily?
If Apple is offering crazy signing bonuses to everyone they want to jump ship, how long can a mere billionaire keep up with that?
With Apple's cash hoard they have the power to do what most other companies on earth cannot.
People thought it was ridiculous that Jobs could be a good CEO. That Apple would ever be more than a niche player in Wintel's shadow. That they couldn't make much of a success from the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, etc. Buying Beats is a mistake Cook has lost his mind yadda yadda.
I find it fascinating that Elon Musk and that big GM guy even care enough to comment. Can't just go find another Foxconn to make cars? I wouldn't be so sure. What if Apple,were to buy a famous but small auto maker and the merger was done voluntarily and at a price that really recognized the guys behind the enterprise, by paying a premium and having them on the BOD like Dre and Iovine with Beats.
A merger could happen if Musk was head of the division with almost full autonomy like Jony Ive on the consumer products design side.
Why is Apple meeting with BMW? It's not another Xerox situation, that's for sure.
The experience of losing money? Or the experience of having a cult that Apple couldn't even come close to rivaling?
It would indeed be a very selective cult - those who can afford 50K to 120K for a car, or, approximately 100x the cost of a Mac. I imagine they would be damn proud of their purchase. Maybe they'd be 100x as proud.
acceleration is impractical for every day real world things?? really? say no to drugs buddy
Acceleration past a certain point is useless.
High acceleration means overbuilding the motor, wiring, suspension, drivetrain, frame of the car, cooling and probably the batteries = HIGH PRICE. To gain that little move oomp off the top, the car costs 20K more, well woop dee doo!!
The Tesla's are not the ultimate driving machine when you factor in all other parameters. So, what are getting for your money?
Musk has Apple pegged perfectly. They have been using everybody's technology for decades including much of it from their competitors. The firms they bought into like their sapphire fiasco have bombed and the billions they spent on Beats is also listed as more a liability than an asset. Hiring fired deadwood does not bode well for a project that is more of a dead end for Apple than even a daydream. Apple manufacturing a car "LOL" Being a firm with billions sheltered in overseas tax havens they will find themselves looking for more ludicrous hype to keep their existing dystopic followers.
1) The number of people using a device by a company isn't an indicator of a cultish mindset. Sure, Apple would surely also lead in numbers, but what about intensity for the average cult member. Then you have the aspect of the lower volume, which Apple use to have; for example, two Tesla owners who meet randomly are probably more likely to start up a conversation with other than those two people if they just happen to both be using iPhones.
2) I live in California and I see them pretty much everyday when on the road, often several, although I can't recall if I've seen two or more on the road near each other like with other, more common cars. I've even seen one at a gas station... but they were getting something inside the store.
I'm talking numbers. I don't think there's a way to measure fandom person to person.
I think before Tesla can gain the cultish fanbase Apple has built since the 80's, they'd have to have the media hate them and then have crazy anti-tesla fans like the fandroids and Windows people are. I don't think they'll ever have the cultish fanbase the biggest company in the world has.
Beats just joined Apple(who have their "cult"), Apple Music is gonna be huge and Of course ?Watch is just getting started and when this ?Car comes, expect the fanbase to expand and eat into the tesla "cult". Heck it already is expanding, look at iPhones record breaking sales every year.
Funny coming from a guy who made his money on PayPal. What exactly did he learn from PayPal that would make him a good candidate to build cars?
I look at the Model X and see a ridiculous vehicle that's more about trying to be different than trying to be good. Those Falcon Wing doors are stupid. Slower than regular doors, far too complex (unreliable) and expensive. Oh, but you can drive within 12" of another car and open them. Great for the rear passengers, but what about the front (who have to use the regular doors)? And if it's like the Model S (with no rear climate control), then it's even worse. Spend all that money to save the rear passengers from having to duck their heads and climb in the vehicle, but deny them the comfort of climate control for the hours they spend IN the vehicle.
And the stupid names like Ludicrous mode? What a waste of money making a car with insane 0-60 times instead of spending it on other features that would actually be useful for the passengers. All that performance and you can't even use it because thermal throttling will come into effect after a few runs. You can't even complete a lap on a race course without it slowing down.
And did anyone see that "snake" robotic device to plug your car in for you? Please. Anyone who's ever done any work in robotics and actuators/manipulators knows his method is, again, far more complex and expensive than traditional robotic arms. Yet ANOTHER example of Musk making something that's more flash than substance. I think he must have dreamed that up after a late night drinking and watching The Terminator.
Musk is the opposite of Jobs. Jobs wanted things that are powerful and capable but hidden away under a simple and efficient user interface. Musk builds things that are flashy on the surface, but lack substance underneath. Apple/Jobs way is better.
Elon Musk is the only one talking. Elon talked about hiring away Apple engineers while Apple was struggling to hire Tesla engineers even with offering a $260,000 salary.Then a little later Elon Musk again talked about Apple's successful hiring of Tesla engineers was a fraction of the number of engineers Tesla was hiring away from Apple. Now Elon Musk is talking about Apple hiring the engineers fired from Tesla...the engineers who could not make it at Tesla. Without saying anything publicly about its car plans outside of Car Play, Apple has the leading EV manufacturer in the USA if not the world, talking a great deal about Apple and Tesla engineer hirings. This makes me think Elon Musk wants to focus more on cracking how to get humankind successfully to and from Mars than continuing to focus on EVs. He has done the hard, exciting work with EVs. The ball is in motion and even though there is much work remaining to be done, that work is refinement of what has been done. Like a lot of engineers, the refinement part becomes excruciatingly boring. Elon Musk does not handle boring well, in my opinion. Other car manufacturers are not making anything as exciting as Tesla. Apple has become THE company that WILL elevate the design, usability, etc. of EVs in the eyes of many. Yes, I believe Elon Musk is ready to pass the baton to Apple. Time will tell if I am guessing correctly.
Comments
Hey hey. Now I wanna hear Tim talking smack about Elon.
A lot of us thought an Apple / Tesla partnership might be interesting. Maybe.
Perhaps Apple could obtain some of the auto expertise they seek by picking up Porsche. They might be available rather soon for a mere $20B or so when VW has to pay all the fines and settlements.
I think he must have dreamed that up after a late night drinking and watching The Terminator.
Wait, are you saying that The Terminator is not scientifically accurate? Take that back (to the past)!!
You're all focused on Tesla. I said Elon Musk, not Tesla, is shaping the future. SpaceX, his other major business, is commercializing space travel, which will eventually lead to the biggest change in human behavior ever (not to say that SpaceX will always be at the forefront of private space travel but they're currently pushing the boundaries). There is nothing going on at Apple that approaches the significance of that. They make beautiful, capable consumer electronics, but they're definitely not shaping the future on a grand scale.
acceleration is impractical for every day real world things?? really? say no to drugs buddy
Isn't Musk the majority shareholder? Do you really think he can be bought that easily?
If Apple is offering crazy signing bonuses to everyone they want to jump ship, how long can a mere billionaire keep up with that?
With Apple's cash hoard they have the power to do what most other companies on earth cannot.
People thought it was ridiculous that Jobs could be a good CEO. That Apple would ever be more than a niche player in Wintel's shadow. That they couldn't make much of a success from the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, etc. Buying Beats is a mistake Cook has lost his mind yadda yadda.
I find it fascinating that Elon Musk and that big GM guy even care enough to comment. Can't just go find another Foxconn to make cars? I wouldn't be so sure. What if Apple,were to buy a famous but small auto maker and the merger was done voluntarily and at a price that really recognized the guys behind the enterprise, by paying a premium and having them on the BOD like Dre and Iovine with Beats.
A merger could happen if Musk was head of the division with almost full autonomy like Jony Ive on the consumer products design side.
Why is Apple meeting with BMW? It's not another Xerox situation, that's for sure.
That's a great point.
Why doesn't Apple just buy Tesla?
I think Tesla is a disaster in the making. The company is run by engineers running around like chickens without heads.
Apple should partner with BMW or even buy them.
BMW is well managed with adult supervision, they know how to make cars and they already have dealers and service centers all over the world.
BMW is much more like Apple than Tesla will ever be. I think Steve Jobs would choose BMW.
(ack, how does one cancel a post?)
The experience of losing money? Or the experience of having a cult that Apple couldn't even come close to rivaling?
It would indeed be a very selective cult - those who can afford 50K to 120K for a car, or, approximately 100x the cost of a Mac. I imagine they would be damn proud of their purchase. Maybe they'd be 100x as proud.
It's not because they couldn't do it, it's because it doesn't make business sense. Did you know that Tesla is LOSING money? Negative profit.
They certain could do it, if they were crazy.
Sell an expensive niche toy at a loss, well what'S not to love...
The reason the battery'S better is because its way more expensive to build/sell, simple as that. The tech's not magic, it's panasonic's stuff.
acceleration is impractical for every day real world things?? really? say no to drugs buddy
Acceleration past a certain point is useless.
High acceleration means overbuilding the motor, wiring, suspension, drivetrain, frame of the car, cooling and probably the batteries = HIGH PRICE. To gain that little move oomp off the top, the car costs 20K more, well woop dee doo!!
The Tesla's are not the ultimate driving machine when you factor in all other parameters. So, what are getting for your money?
They have been using everybody's technology for decades including much of it from their competitors.
The firms they bought into like their sapphire fiasco have bombed and the billions they spent on Beats is also listed as more a liability than an asset.
Hiring fired deadwood does not bode well for a project that is more of a dead end for Apple than even a daydream.
Apple manufacturing a car "LOL"
Being a firm with billions sheltered in overseas tax havens they will find themselves looking for more ludicrous hype to keep their existing dystopic followers.
I'm talking numbers. I don't think there's a way to measure fandom person to person.
I think before Tesla can gain the cultish fanbase Apple has built since the 80's, they'd have to have the media hate them and then have crazy anti-tesla fans like the fandroids and Windows people are. I don't think they'll ever have the cultish fanbase the biggest company in the world has.
Beats just joined Apple(who have their "cult"), Apple Music is gonna be huge and Of course ?Watch is just getting started and when this ?Car comes, expect the fanbase to expand and eat into the tesla "cult". Heck it already is expanding, look at iPhones record breaking sales every year.
Funny coming from a guy who made his money on PayPal. What exactly did he learn from PayPal that would make him a good candidate to build cars?
I look at the Model X and see a ridiculous vehicle that's more about trying to be different than trying to be good. Those Falcon Wing doors are stupid. Slower than regular doors, far too complex (unreliable) and expensive. Oh, but you can drive within 12" of another car and open them. Great for the rear passengers, but what about the front (who have to use the regular doors)? And if it's like the Model S (with no rear climate control), then it's even worse. Spend all that money to save the rear passengers from having to duck their heads and climb in the vehicle, but deny them the comfort of climate control for the hours they spend IN the vehicle.
And the stupid names like Ludicrous mode? What a waste of money making a car with insane 0-60 times instead of spending it on other features that would actually be useful for the passengers. All that performance and you can't even use it because thermal throttling will come into effect after a few runs. You can't even complete a lap on a race course without it slowing down.
And did anyone see that "snake" robotic device to plug your car in for you? Please. Anyone who's ever done any work in robotics and actuators/manipulators knows his method is, again, far more complex and expensive than traditional robotic arms. Yet ANOTHER example of Musk making something that's more flash than substance. I think he must have dreamed that up after a late night drinking and watching The Terminator.
Musk is the opposite of Jobs. Jobs wanted things that are powerful and capable but hidden away under a simple and efficient user interface. Musk builds things that are flashy on the surface, but lack substance underneath. Apple/Jobs way is better.
Great post