The full codename is "Titan Uranus". A nice little dig at what Tesla will be feeling if Apple do release a car.
LOL, that's great.
I would have guessed Apple would move into robots, but I can see an Apple car, although I remember a comment Cook made in a Charlie Rose interview about all of Apple's products fitting in the table fitting in front of them..
I would have guessed Apple would move into robots, but I can see an Apple car, although I remember a comment Cook made in a Charlie Rose interview about all of Apple's products fitting in the table fitting in front of them..
Speaking of robots, has everyone seen the very latest iteration of the Google-owned Boston Dynamics "Big Dog" robot? It's now very, very quiet and agile.
I go to Monterey often. It's beautiful land. The solar farm is somewhere outside of Monterey, most likely where it won't be seen by the general public, but essentially clearing out whatever is there to put up hundreds of acres of solar panels is terrible. I flat-out hate the idea. Sure, we're not burning coal, or natural gas to power whatever datacenters Apple wants to run, we're consuming one valuable resource to offset another.
I'll be flamed for it, but we need better energy infrastructure instead of these giant solar farms and wind farms, and whatever else. We in America just happen to be fortunate to have a lot of available land, but I don't thing projects like these would be so easily done in smaller countries in Europe.
Bring in modern nuclear energy. I'm a firm believer in it. I have discussions with friends that were nuclear engineers aboard Navy submarines. The tech is there, but the political nonsense is inhibiting us from it.
Drive east of Paso Robles on the 46 into what are called California Flats for a good reason. Basically sandy bottom land, at best suited for irrigated orchards, but there ain't no lush forests there.
Nuclear fission is a crime against nature. No way will you get Apple ecologists to consort with those dark forces. Fusion, sometime in the future, maybe.
Stewart Brand and all you guys who love nuclear fission need to start taking acid again. You're not seeing deeply enough into reality.
"New electric car???" Don't you mean "new coal-fired car," or "new nuclear fission-powered car?" PLEASE, PLEASE be intellectually honest enough to tell "the rest of the story!"
I think that Apple needs to stick to their knitting. If they want to color outside the lines, get into robotics. Huge requirements for hardware, software, imaging, speech synthesis, speech recognition, battery power and power management, lightweight but robust design, etc. - all things that Apple currently is good at.
I think that Apple needs to stick to their knitting. If they want to color outside the lines, get into robotics. Huge requirements for hardware, software, imaging, speech synthesis, speech recognition, battery power and power management, lightweight but robust design, etc. - all things that Apple currently is good at.
Or like how the Mac company had no experience making portable music players? Or like how the iPod company had no experience making smartphones?
I go to Monterey often. It's beautiful land. The solar farm is somewhere outside of Monterey, most likely where it won't be seen by the general public, but essentially clearing out whatever is there to put up hundreds of acres of solar panels is terrible. I flat-out hate the idea. Sure, we're not burning coal, or natural gas to power whatever datacenters Apple wants to run, we're consuming one valuable resource to offset another.
So basically you don't know if it's trees or an empty field.
Or like how the Mac company had no experience making portable music players? Or like how the iPod company had no experience making smartphones?
Because those closely related products have so much in common with a car? Or a house? Or private jets? They are fundamentally different businesses, with completely different manufacturing and distribution requirements. And the Apple Stores are going to be useless both for showcasing and servicing these vehicles, which means a whole new retail infrastructure. The question is not whether Apple can do it, the question is why? No car manufacturer enjoys the kinds of margins Apple products do. Why would Apple completely change their business model to compete in such a market?
1,300 deforested acres. Very environmental indeed.
I’m not going to speak on this specific instance (because I don’t think you’re right), but I do find it funny that environmentalism will often be thrown aside in the fight against anthropogenic global warming.
Originally Posted by cnocbui
In the same way they would never make a phone that used radio waves.
Now I get to laugh at you because you think tires are the only way to build a vehicle.
I’m not going to speak on this specific instance (because I don’t think you’re right), but I do find it funny that environmentalism will often be thrown aside in the fight against anthropogenic global warming.
Now I get to laugh at you because you think tires are the only way to build a vehicle.
One can appreciate the sentiment, but another $100,000 "poodle car" is not what the world needs. Option 1: Take the Natgas or coal to a power plant, First build the power plant, Then heavy up the power transmission lines and transformers, Install a massive transformer at a "FILLING STATION", BUILD A BATTERY PLANT, Build a rare earth electric motor plant, Build a lithium battery plant, Fight the wars to secure the lithium and rare earths, Hire the design team, Replace the battery pack every 5 to 8 years. WAIT every time you recharge.
OR
Option 2: Put the Natgas into a CNG vehicle. DONE
The world's most popular truck, the Ford F150 is now available in CNG. Several passenger car models are now available too. Thousands of commercial and municipal fleets are in operation now on CNG (UPS, FEDEX, Bus lines, Municipal passenger vehicles etc.
The technology is 100 years old, is extremely clean and has NO geopolitical risk since the US is the Saudi Arabia of Natgas (we actually throw it away). Any vehicle can be converted for the cost of tanks and plumbing.
If Apple wants to build a car with ZERO fuel environmental impact, avoid electrics like the plague and just build large BIOGAS generators like thousands of Dairy farmers have been doing for decades.
GM and Ford have been making cars for more than a hundred years, as have many other companies. It is, frankly, quite silly to think that Apple could just jump into such a competitive and complex business and achieve greater efficiencies than companies that have been refining their design and manufacturing processes for decades.
Nokia and Motorola have been making cell phones for decades, as have many other companies. It is, frankly, quite silly to think that Apple could just jump into such a competitive and complex business and achieve greater efficiencies than companies that have been refining their design and manufacturing processes for decades.
The Japanese car makers rose to prominence in the US because of two things 1. The arab oil embargos of the early 80s and 2 CAFE standards which were written into law as a rationing scheme.
40 years later, we are still on the same insane rationing path to build the perfect downtown Tokyo car and force South Dakota farmers to drive it. It is as if in 1981 we had passed laws that no PC could consume more than 200 watts of power and each year had to decrease that by one percent, EVEN IF they were used as servers in data centers.
Even the Venerable Volkswagen beetle would be illegal to build today.
Still, I wonder about spheres in addition to more traditional airless tires.
Traditional airless tires are too hard. Somehow, you have to mitigate the the roughness and unevenness of the roads to achieve a more comfortable ride. BMW has been using run flats for years but they work much better with air. Non-run flats are even smoother. I always laugh when I see big SUVs with super low profile tires. People buy them to look cool but the ride has got to be pretty rough. There are some things that work as well as can be expected with the current conditions and I think tires are one of them. The reason trains don't need inflated tires is because the conditions are different - smooth rails. If we wanted to have a smoother ride in a car, we need to improve the roads not reinvent the wheel.
Clearly a hover technology, i.e. "Back to the future" , would be smoother but could they achieve the required energy efficiency/battery life?
What other technology can you suggest that would negate the need for inflatable tires given the current conditions of the roads?
Clearly a hover technology, i.e. "Back to the future" , would be smoother but could they achieve the required energy efficiency/battery life?
You know, this stops being science fiction as soon as we get a room temperature superconductor.
You’d lay a network of superconductor under every road in the nation (and it would carry power, as well) and put more on the bottom of cars. Boom, floating. And since a superconductor transfers heat (as well as electricity) perfectly, a US road network with an underlay of superconductor will be the same temperature everywhere. Meaning no more icy roads, meaning no more salt, meaning no extra degradation.
Of course, with the average temperature of the US sometimes dropping to 12F, it’s not an ‘always’ thing.
You know, this stops being science fiction as soon as we get a room temperature superconductor.
You’d lay a network of superconductor under every road in the nation (and it would carry power, as well) and put more on the bottom of cars. Boom, floating. And since a superconductor transfers heat (as well as electricity) perfectly, a US road network with an underlay of superconductor will be the same temperature everywhere. Meaning no more icy roads, meaning no more salt, meaning no extra degradation.
Somehow I don't think that is what Apple is working on. Practically speaking, you need a lot of transitional steps to get to the point of all roads being supplied with superconductors. Just like hybrids are a stepping stone to all electric vehicles but a lot more complicated. Apple is working on something they can sell to everyone around the world, not just to the Jetsons.
Comments
The full codename is "Titan Uranus". A nice little dig at what Tesla will be feeling if Apple do release a car.
LOL, that's great.
I would have guessed Apple would move into robots, but I can see an Apple car, although I remember a comment Cook made in a Charlie Rose interview about all of Apple's products fitting in the table fitting in front of them..
Speaking of robots, has everyone seen the very latest iteration of the Google-owned Boston Dynamics "Big Dog" robot? It's now very, very quiet and agile.
Drive east of Paso Robles on the 46 into what are called California Flats for a good reason. Basically sandy bottom land, at best suited for irrigated orchards, but there ain't no lush forests there.
Nuclear fission is a crime against nature. No way will you get Apple ecologists to consort with those dark forces. Fusion, sometime in the future, maybe.
Stewart Brand and all you guys who love nuclear fission need to start taking acid again. You're not seeing deeply enough into reality.
"New electric car???" Don't you mean "new coal-fired car," or "new nuclear fission-powered car?" PLEASE, PLEASE be intellectually honest enough to tell "the rest of the story!"
Or like how the Mac company had no experience making portable music players? Or like how the iPod company had no experience making smartphones?
So basically you don't know if it's trees or an empty field.
Or like how the Mac company had no experience making portable music players? Or like how the iPod company had no experience making smartphones?
Because those closely related products have so much in common with a car? Or a house? Or private jets? They are fundamentally different businesses, with completely different manufacturing and distribution requirements. And the Apple Stores are going to be useless both for showcasing and servicing these vehicles, which means a whole new retail infrastructure. The question is not whether Apple can do it, the question is why? No car manufacturer enjoys the kinds of margins Apple products do. Why would Apple completely change their business model to compete in such a market?
I’m not going to speak on this specific instance (because I don’t think you’re right), but I do find it funny that environmentalism will often be thrown aside in the fight against anthropogenic global warming.
Now I get to laugh at you because you think tires are the only way to build a vehicle.
I’m not going to speak on this specific instance (because I don’t think you’re right), but I do find it funny that environmentalism will often be thrown aside in the fight against anthropogenic global warming.
Now I get to laugh at you because you think tires are the only way to build a vehicle.
iTank - goes where others fear to tread.
Man I hope this is not true. Worse than making TVs. They know nothing about this industry and the margins are bad.
Sort of like they were saying about rumours that Apple was working on a phone in 2006?
Option 1: Take the Natgas or coal to a power plant, First build the power plant, Then heavy up the power transmission lines and transformers, Install a massive transformer at a "FILLING STATION", BUILD A BATTERY PLANT, Build a rare earth electric motor plant, Build a lithium battery plant, Fight the wars to secure the lithium and rare earths, Hire the design team, Replace the battery pack every 5 to 8 years. WAIT every time you recharge.
OR
Option 2: Put the Natgas into a CNG vehicle. DONE
The world's most popular truck, the Ford F150 is now available in CNG. Several passenger car models are now available too. Thousands of commercial and municipal fleets are in operation now on CNG (UPS, FEDEX, Bus lines, Municipal passenger vehicles etc.
The technology is 100 years old, is extremely clean and has NO geopolitical risk since the US is the Saudi Arabia of Natgas (we actually throw it away). Any vehicle can be converted for the cost of tanks and plumbing.
If Apple wants to build a car with ZERO fuel environmental impact, avoid electrics like the plague and just build large BIOGAS generators like thousands of Dairy farmers have been doing for decades.
Oh, that’s delicious. I really like that.
Still, I wonder about spheres in addition to more traditional airless tires.
GM and Ford have been making cars for more than a hundred years, as have many other companies. It is, frankly, quite silly to think that Apple could just jump into such a competitive and complex business and achieve greater efficiencies than companies that have been refining their design and manufacturing processes for decades.
Nokia and Motorola have been making cell phones for decades, as have many other companies. It is, frankly, quite silly to think that Apple could just jump into such a competitive and complex business and achieve greater efficiencies than companies that have been refining their design and manufacturing processes for decades.
The Japanese car makers rose to prominence in the US because of two things 1. The arab oil embargos of the early 80s and 2 CAFE standards which were written into law as a rationing scheme.
40 years later, we are still on the same insane rationing path to build the perfect downtown Tokyo car and force South Dakota farmers to drive it. It is as if in 1981 we had passed laws that no PC could consume more than 200 watts of power and each year had to decrease that by one percent, EVEN IF they were used as servers in data centers.
Even the Venerable Volkswagen beetle would be illegal to build today.
Oh, that’s delicious. I really like that.
Still, I wonder about spheres in addition to more traditional airless tires.
Spheres? They'll be getting a call from Dyson's lawyers.
Traditional airless tires are too hard. Somehow, you have to mitigate the the roughness and unevenness of the roads to achieve a more comfortable ride. BMW has been using run flats for years but they work much better with air. Non-run flats are even smoother. I always laugh when I see big SUVs with super low profile tires. People buy them to look cool but the ride has got to be pretty rough. There are some things that work as well as can be expected with the current conditions and I think tires are one of them. The reason trains don't need inflated tires is because the conditions are different - smooth rails. If we wanted to have a smoother ride in a car, we need to improve the roads not reinvent the wheel.
Clearly a hover technology, i.e. "Back to the future" , would be smoother but could they achieve the required energy efficiency/battery life?
What other technology can you suggest that would negate the need for inflatable tires given the current conditions of the roads?
+1 for the iTaxi idea. Plus I'm going to guess semicircle shape with no distinct front or back.
Clearly a hover technology, i.e. "Back to the future" , would be smoother but could they achieve the required energy efficiency/battery life?
You know, this stops being science fiction as soon as we get a room temperature superconductor.
You’d lay a network of superconductor under every road in the nation (and it would carry power, as well) and put more on the bottom of cars. Boom, floating. And since a superconductor transfers heat (as well as electricity) perfectly, a US road network with an underlay of superconductor will be the same temperature everywhere. Meaning no more icy roads, meaning no more salt, meaning no extra degradation.
Of course, with the average temperature of the US sometimes dropping to 12F, it’s not an ‘always’ thing.
You’d lay a network of superconductor under every road in the nation (and it would carry power, as well) and put more on the bottom of cars. Boom, floating. And since a superconductor transfers heat (as well as electricity) perfectly, a US road network with an underlay of superconductor will be the same temperature everywhere. Meaning no more icy roads, meaning no more salt, meaning no extra degradation.
Somehow I don't think that is what Apple is working on. Practically speaking, you need a lot of transitional steps to get to the point of all roads being supplied with superconductors. Just like hybrids are a stepping stone to all electric vehicles but a lot more complicated. Apple is working on something they can sell to everyone around the world, not just to the Jetsons.