Elon Musk walks back Apple Car, Apple Watch aspersions in Twitter confessional

Posted:
in General Discussion edited November 2015
Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter on Friday to conduct a bit of damage control after making seemingly disparaging comments about Apple's automotive ambitions and hiring practices.




On Thursday, German publication Handelsblatt printed an interview in which Musk derided Apple's attempts to build an electric vehicle, insinuating the finished result would be a sub-par product akin to Apple Watch. The remarks caused a kerfuffle after mainstream media picked up on some particularly juicy quotes.

"They have hired people we've fired," Musk said of Apple. "We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard.' If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding."

Musk qualified that statement today, saying, "Yo, I don't hate Apple. It's a great company with a lot of talented people. I love their products and I'm glad they're doing an EV."

While he may love Apple's products, Musk yesterday alluded the company was incapable of breaking into the automotive market. Cars are much more complex than consumer electronics, he explained, and Apple can't simply ask Foxconn to build one.

As for Apple Watch, Musk said, "Jony & his team created a beautiful design, but the functionality isn't compelling yet. By version 3, it will be[.]"

Apple is widely rumored to be in the midst of a massive automotive project that some reports claim could make a public debut by 2019. Codenamed "Project Titan," the initiative aims to create an electric vehicle with potential self driving capabilities, sources say.

AppleInsider revealed earlier this year that Apple is conducting Titan operations mainly out of a secretive facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., just down the road from its headquarters in Cupertino. The company is thinking about building out a dedicated facility on a 43-acre plot of land it owns in San Jose, according to a source familiar with Apple's plans.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 156
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,949member
    "Yo"? Rocket crashes must have effected his brain; he thinks he's Justn Bieber.
  • Reply 2 of 156
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    He walked back that trash talk pretty quick. Steve Jobs would never have done that. :D
  • Reply 3 of 156
    One of the reasons I like Tim Cook is he does not backtrack on the statements he makes about people or businesses he does not like. He says what he means. And, he means what he says. Sorkin backtracked. Musk is backtracking. Cook just moves forward.
  • Reply 4 of 156
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    He walked back that trash talk pretty quick. Steve Jobs would never have done that. image



    because it isn't classy and make him appears small and he knew it, unlike many people who defended him in that thread.

  • Reply 5 of 156
    1st1st Posts: 443member
    "They have hired people we've fired," Musk said of Apple. "We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard.' If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding."
    - wow, that is not even sounds like him.... many fired people are flourish in next "big thing", not mention the great stuff comes from "MIT rejected engineering" company. Scary how many talented one would be turned away by his comment... A company will go through different stages in its life, the required talent would be different for each stage/focus. Many top notch researcher at Bell lab got laid off or "fired" when it changed to lucent. Those are national treasures with experience next to none in many fields litter around the Bell lab Graveyard (Tesla, although the name has a ring to it, hardly compare to the Bell lab on my scale). He must be kidding of above mentioned comment. I am weeping for him. sad.
  • Reply 6 of 156
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    One of the reasons I like Tim Cook is he does not backtrack on the statements he makes about people or businesses he does not like. He says what he means. And, he means what he says. Sorkin backtracked. Musk is backtracking. Cook just moves forward.

    It seems like Tim Cook just thinks more before speaking so he doesn't have to backtrack, not because of any of arrogant, line-in-the-sand, Donald Trumpian narcissism that only lets him double-down on the stuff he says.
  • Reply 7 of 156
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    ... Cars are much more complex than consumer electronics, he explained, and Apple can't simply ask Foxconn to build one.

    ...

     

    That's quite a statement to make, considering that:

     

    (A) Apple didn't just "ask" Foxconn to build an iPhone; obviously it had to be designed first (you know, the "Designed by Apple in California" part).

    (B) Tesla outsourced its first car, as described in this article from MIT Technology Review, the main subject of which suggests how Apple might manufacture a car through sub-contracting: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542111/how-might-apple-manufacture-a-car/

     

    Don't get me wrong, I admire what Musk has done with Tesla, but I don't think he started out knowing much about how to build cars, did he? While he has done a pretty good job of it, what's to say someone else can't come along and do a better job?

  • Reply 8 of 156
    He's no fool. This is a win win for him. He's getting Apple-sized media coverage and provoking them to enter his technological space. Something he clearly wants them and others to do.
  • Reply 9 of 156
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Musk qualified that statement today, saying, "Yo, I don't hate Apple. It's a great company with a lot of talented people. I love their products and I'm glad they're doing an EV."


    Yo that's really sincere, Elon.
  • Reply 10 of 156
    Musk just completed Phase 2 of burying his company. Phase 1 was those stupid doors on a stupidly priced "SUV".
  • Reply 11 of 156
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by Felixer View Post

    Musk just completed Phase 2 of burying his company. Phase 1 was those stupid doors on a stupidly priced "SUV".



    I like the X’s doors. I don’t like that it’s an “in between” vehicle. I know minivans aren’t sexy, but they need a minivan between their car and SUV. Hopefully the production model isn’t forced to have side mirrors. Getting rid of them is brilliant; shaves 2’ off the width of the vehicle.

     

    EDIT: Seems they caved. Screw ‘em, then. Tesla doesn’t seem to have the conviction needed to be an Apple-like changer.

  • Reply 12 of 156

    I like the X’s doors. I don’t like that it’s an “in between” vehicle. I know minivans aren’t sexy, but they need a minivan between their car and SUV. Hopefully the production model isn’t forced to have side mirrors. Getting rid of them is brilliant; shaves 2’ off the width of the vehicle.

    EDIT: Seems they caved. Screw ‘em, then. Tesla doesn’t seem to have the conviction needed to be an Apple-like changer.

    I wasn't aware they were trying to lose side mirrors. What were they planning on replacing them with?
  • Reply 13 of 156
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Was he scared? What did he see?

    The Foxconn comment was stupid. No s***, they won't be asking them to make a car it'll most likely be a car manufacturer or even themselves.
    "Yo"? Rocket crashes must have effected his brain; he thinks he's Justn Bieber.

    That comment was directly directed at Dr. Dre.

    The Apple street cred takes some work to earn.
  • Reply 14 of 156
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
  • Reply 15 of 156
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by Felixer View Post

    I wasn't aware they were trying to lose side mirrors. What were they planning on replacing them with?



    The original design had tiny nubs on the side with rear-facing cameras. The dashboard would then display the views from them aside your normal instruments (it’s a big LCD, so anything could be there). Great idea; gone now.

     

    Cuts down slightly on driver response time, too. If you don’t have to turn your head to see what’s on either side of you...

  • Reply 16 of 156
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member

    The original design had tiny nubs on the side with rear-facing cameras. The dashboard would then display the views from them aside your normal instruments (it’s a big LCD, so anything could be there). Great idea; gone now.

    [image]

    Cuts down slightly on driver response time, too. If you don’t have to turn your head to see what’s on either side of you...

    I think every state has laws about the side and rear view mirror laws that would make, at the very least, no driver-side mirror illegal.

    The alternative could be the side mirrors woth cameras mounted in them. In fact, I'd like to see cameras in the front, back, and sides, as well as other data being feed into a protected drive on a loop so that if you are in an accident it could protect you if you were not at fault. Might eventually get you a discount on insurance for having such a system.
  • Reply 17 of 156
    ecatsecats Posts: 272member
    Elon Musk is a fool to deride another company's EV efforts. If Apple popularise the EV car, then Tesla sales will increase from the acceptance and awareness. Elon's problem is that he has a massive ego, his desire to be the only man under the EV limelight runs counter to function of his business and the environmental benefit for all. Total asshat.
  • Reply 18 of 156
    robbyxrobbyx Posts: 479member
    ecats wrote: »
    Elon Musk is a fool to deride another company's EV efforts. If Apple popularise the EV car, then Tesla sales will increase from the acceptance and awareness. Elon's problem is that he has a massive ego, his desire to be the only man under the EV limelight runs counter to function of his business and the environmental benefit for all. Total asshat.

    That's why he has put a huge chunk of Tesla patents in the public domain and has repeatedly encouraged others to get into the EV business? Do you even know who you're talking about?
  • Reply 19 of 156
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     



    The original design had tiny nubs on the side with rear-facing cameras. The dashboard would then display the views from them aside your normal instruments (it’s a big LCD, so anything could be there). Great idea; gone now.

     

    Cuts down slightly on driver response time, too. If you don’t have to turn your head to see what’s on either side of you...




    You SHOULD still turn your head.

     

    Unless there are cameras down the length of the car there will ALWAYS be blind spots. Turning your head gives you a better chance of reducing those blind spots.

     

    Of course the design of cars are poor for creating blindspots in the first place. It's not like on a motorcycle where your field of vision moves with the movement of your head.

     

    Cars suck. Bring on electric motorcycles.

  • Reply 20 of 156
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismY View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post





    The original design had tiny nubs on the side with rear-facing cameras. The dashboard would then display the views from them aside your normal instruments (it’s a big LCD, so anything could be there). Great idea; gone now.



    [image]



    Cuts down slightly on driver response time, too. If you don’t have to turn your head to see what’s on either side of you...




    I think every state has laws about the side and rear view mirror laws that would make, at the very least, no driver-side mirror illegal.



    The alternative could be the side mirrors woth cameras mounted in them. In fact, I'd like to see cameras in the front, back, and sides, as well as other data being feed into a protected drive on a loop so that if you are in an accident it could protect you if you were not at fault. Might eventually get you a discount on insurance for having such a system.



    We're pretty close to that multi-camera system with the surround view systems being used as an extension of the backup camera concept for getting in and out of tight spaces. The below image is from BMW, but apparently Lexus and others have been doing this for a few years. In this case, the images are stitched for a "bird's eye" view (the BMW image stitching looks better than the others from what I could tell in the stills). It would not be a reach to create a 360 view with cameras pointing outward and to record the image when driving. I would be surprised if the Russians aren't already doing this for the ultimate "dash cam."

     

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