Why would they license tech and not develop their own product?
Apple excels at the combination of hardware, software and services. If they don't think they can create that magic here I think they should shut the whole thing down. All the big car companies are far down the road of autonomous and self driving vehicles. Even Uber is testing vehicles. What do they need Apple for? To provide a nice looking dashboard UI?
What confuses me is if Apple has decided to shift focus to providing software to existing manufacturers why did Cook put a former hardware executive in charge of the project?
i don't see how any rumors of rumored changes in a rumored project can be taken seriously or confuse anyone. nobody reading or writing for this site has any idea whats actually going on.
also, considering how awful car infotainment software is, i don't see how anyone could believe carmakers can do any software better than apple.
I consider autonomous and self driving to be separate from infotainment systems. Way more complex than anything CarPlay is doing. If this is just about in infotainment system with a better UI well we have CarPlay now. Personally I think this technology is way further out than anyone is admitting.
you're not getting it. I'm not suggesting it's about infotainment systems at all -- I'm saying the clowns at automakers can't even do infotainment right, which is simple software, especially compared to self driving software. so I don't believe that carmakers and uber have it all figured out and Apple is too late to the game as you seem to suggest.
"Firing" != "Laying off", but this article uses the words interchangably.
Firing is triggered by the individual employee doing something wrong or being unable to do the job. Laying-off is triggered by the company eliminating the position, independent of who is in that position.
Apple's situation sounds like layoffs, so the headline is wrong.
Keep in mind that the NYT authors who wrote this, DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI and BRIAN X. CHEN, also wrote extensive reports that maintained for months that Samsung had basically crushed Apple's smartphone business and was fated to knock iPhones out of relevance, and prior to that, that Japan "hated" the iPhone and it would never catch on there, respectively.
This year, Samsung limped back toward its all time smartphone performance peak from 2014 while Apple essentially maintained/replicated the world-leading megacycle performance it achieved with iPhone 6.
And for the last few years, Japan has been one of the world's top markets for iPhone and everything else Apple makes, with globally leading market share for iPhone sales.
What they print is frequently not journalism. It is advocacy mixed with pure credulity in anonymous "sources" with no clear track record.
So take their scoop with a grain of salt.
IIRC last month Bloomberg also reported Apple to be shifting to the software side, with an autonomous operating system for other manufacturers to use being the new priority. The WSJ article is additional backup for that.
At what point did it become fact that Apple was building cars to compete with Tesla? over time the mass media has pushed the story in that direction because of their caveman thinking and headline selling ways. If Apples intention from the start was to develop software for vehicles, what did you think they were gonna test it on, a bicycle? they had to build cars for proof of concept.
I think the that when electric cars become main stream, they will quickly become highly commoditized with low margins, like televisions; so I can see why Apple may wish to avoid that particular market. But Apple can still contribute like they are doing with AppleTV and HomeKit, ResearchKit etc...
Apple's go to market strategy may include an automotive platform including the software framework and related key components technologies such as coherent navigation technologies and power management technologies. The same way HomeKit can have all your home appliances collaborating, CarKit and related protocols compliant automobiles will be able to collaborate on the roads for safety and traffic flow advantages.
Apple is already dealing with virtually all auto makers with CarPlay where each auto maker integrate some Apple Technologies in their infotainment systems. That can eventually be extended to a core framework that allows customization and differentiation while providing vital core technologies for the auto industry.
Note that Apple has already trademarked the term Iris Engine and Iris Picture Engine, these engines could be to recognize live 3D objects like pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles and 2D images such as road signs respectively. Apple is also working very hard on camera technologies that could compete with MobileEye technologies.
Imagine your car inside your garage first telling your garage door to open up and then telling other protocol compliant cars that it see in the driveway to move so that it can get out.
Time will tell.
So why is Apple still making smartphones, tablets and personal computers. All of those are highly commoditized low margin products too. Oh and you could throw smart watches in there too.
Why would they license tech and not develop their own product?
Apple excels at the combination of hardware, software and services. If they don't think they can create that magic here I think they should shut the whole thing down. All the big car companies are far down the road of autonomous and self driving vehicles. Even Uber is testing vehicles. What do they need Apple for? To provide a nice looking dashboard UI?
What confuses me is if Apple has decided to shift focus to providing software to existing manufacturers why did Cook put a former hardware executive in charge of the project?
i don't see how any rumors of rumored changes in a rumored project can be taken seriously or confuse anyone. nobody reading or writing for this site has any idea whats actually going on.
also, considering how awful car infotainment software is, i don't see how anyone could believe carmakers can do any software better than apple.
I consider autonomous and self driving to be separate from infotainment systems. Way more complex than anything CarPlay is doing. If this is just about in infotainment system with a better UI well we have CarPlay now. Personally I think this technology is way further out than anyone is admitting.
you're not getting it. I'm not suggesting it's about infotainment systems at all -- I'm saying the clowns at automakers can't even do infotainment right, which is simple software, especially compared to self driving software. so I don't believe that carmakers and uber have it all figured out and Apple is too late to the game as you seem to suggest.
Right but usually the complaints are about the UI, not underlying technology. Tech writers want Apple or Google to come in and provide a better UI. Again I'm not sure what Apple can offer say, Mercedes or BMW in terms of the future of the automobile that those companies aren't already working on and probably further along than Apple.
Apple heard that Samsung were making one that was only 2mm thicker, had a much bigger battery, twice the range and was half the price so threw in the towel.
Apple heard that Samsung were making one that was only 2mm thicker, had a much bigger battery, twice the range and was half the price so threw in the towel.
On top of that, Sumsang's explodes! They're targeting that terrorist demographic
Google has been on the record saying they want to partner with existing auto companies primarily. Where are the doom and gloom articles how their project is falling apart?
Apple heard that Samsung were making one that was only 2mm thicker, had a much bigger battery, twice the range and was half the price so threw in the towel.
On top of that, Sumsang's explodes! They're targeting that terrorist demographic
Many world leaders probably wished their iPhones had caught fire rather than be comprehensively hacked and been leaking national secrets for the past two years. The S7 Edge has a higher capacity battery than the Note 7, charges just as fast and has no problems, so it looks like the battery maker is at fault as Samsung state.
There's no guarantee Tesla will even be around in 5-10 years. The company just sought out another 1/2 billion in new loans. They seem to be teetering on the edge of failure more often and if they miss their deliveries or sales goals too often, they're toast. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that Musk is working like a man possessed to make Tesla and SpaceX work, but he's rushing it because he has to rush it. He has almost no cushion.
No guarantee, yes. But I wouldn't bet against Tesla. He took out some new big loans but the company is far in the lead in the electric car market and that market is set to explode with the launch of the Model 3. All up side. They'll also be selling people home batteries and solar panels to charge their car and power their home. They are well positioned.
Apple heard that Samsung were making one that was only 2mm thicker, had a much bigger battery, twice the range and was half the price so threw in the towel.
On top of that, Sumsang's explodes! They're targeting that terrorist demographic
Many world leaders probably wished their iPhones had caught fire rather than be comprehensively hacked and been leaking national secrets for the past two years. The S7 Edge has a higher capacity battery than the Note 7, charges just as fast and has no problems, so it looks like the battery maker is at fault as Samsung state.
which world leaders had their iPhones hacked? are you honestly trying to suggest iPhones have a low security rating?
"Firing" != "Laying off", but this article uses the words interchangably.
Firing is triggered by the individual employee doing something wrong or being unable to do the job. Laying-off is triggered by the company eliminating the position, independent of who is in that position.
Apple's situation sounds like layoffs, so the headline is wrong.
Semantics, at the end of the day the employee is without a job.
There's no guarantee Tesla will even be around in 5-10 years. The company just sought out another 1/2 billion in new loans. They seem to be teetering on the edge of failure more often and if they miss their deliveries or sales goals too often, they're toast. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that Musk is working like a man possessed to make Tesla and SpaceX work, but he's rushing it because he has to rush it. He has almost no cushion.
No guarantee, yes. But I wouldn't bet against Tesla. He took out some new big loans but the company is far in the lead in the electric car market and that market is set to explode with the launch of the Model 3. All up side. They'll also be selling people home batteries and solar panels to charge their car and power their home. They are well positioned.
Apple has a lot of distance to catch up to Telsa. They are about to release their 4th Car and have built a large charging network across the world.
Titan just sounds like a money drain. Siri still needs great improvement (I didn't hear anything in the iPhone announcement to indicate a better Siri). Apple has no competitor to Amazon Echo. The new iPhone 7 only had small incremental improvements over the 6 and 6S (The 7Plus's camera should have been on both models ).
Apple definitely needs a new CEO. One with more vision and less Carpool Karaoke.
I think the that when electric cars become main stream, they will quickly become highly commoditized with low margins, like televisions; so I can see why Apple may wish to avoid that particular market. But Apple can still contribute like they are doing with AppleTV and HomeKit, ResearchKit etc...
Apple's go to market strategy may include an automotive platform including the software framework and related key components technologies such as coherent navigation technologies and power management technologies. The same way HomeKit can have all your home appliances collaborating, CarKit and related protocols compliant automobiles will be able to collaborate on the roads for safety and traffic flow advantages.
Apple is already dealing with virtually all auto makers with CarPlay where each auto maker integrate some Apple Technologies in their infotainment systems. That can eventually be extended to a core framework that allows customization and differentiation while providing vital core technologies for the auto industry.
Note that Apple has already trademarked the term Iris Engine and Iris Picture Engine, these engines could be to recognize live 3D objects like pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles and 2D images such as road signs respectively. Apple is also working very hard on camera technologies that could compete with MobileEye technologies.
Imagine your car inside your garage first telling your garage door to open up and then telling other protocol compliant cars that it see in the driveway to move so that it can get out.
Time will tell.
So why is Apple still making smartphones, tablets and personal computers. All of those are highly commoditized low margin products too. Oh and you could throw smart watches in there too.
Very good point. May be Apple will make cars after all, but that would take a long time. May be they'll buy Tesla to speed things up.
Comments
Firing is triggered by the individual employee doing something wrong or being unable to do the job.
Laying-off is triggered by the company eliminating the position, independent of who is in that position.
Apple's situation sounds like layoffs, so the headline is wrong.
One thing's for sure, if that many have been fired someone will be talking soon, NDA or no NDA!
If Apples intention from the start was to develop software for vehicles, what did you think they were gonna test it on, a bicycle? they had to build cars for proof of concept.
Tesla = NeXT?
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/30/google-partner-self-driving-cars/
Titan just sounds like a money drain. Siri still needs great improvement (I didn't hear anything in the iPhone announcement to indicate a better Siri). Apple has no competitor to Amazon Echo. The new iPhone 7 only had small incremental improvements over the 6 and 6S (The 7Plus's camera should have been on both models ).
Apple definitely needs a new CEO. One with more vision and less Carpool Karaoke.
May be Apple will make cars after all, but that would take a long time. May be they'll buy Tesla to speed things up.