Apple's self-driving tech said to be aimed at ridehailing as hiring resumes
Apple's long-term goal with its self-driving project is likely the ridesharing/ridehailing market, and the associated team is said to be hiring again despite last year's layoffs and reorganization, according to a report.
Apple could conceivably market a self-driving platform to ridehailing companies like Didi Chuxing.
The team is still feeling the impact from last year, and "suffering from some confusion of purpose," Business Insider said, citing a source who has allegedly seen Apple's technology and that of several other self-driving car platforms. The new recruitment efforts are said to be focused on people with experience in autonomous car software.
The company was at one point believed to be working on a self-designed vehicle under the "Project Titan" moniker, but is now thought to be concentrating on a platform instead.
The company's "PAIL" (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop) shuttle -- exposed earlier this week -- is still just an intermediary step, the source suggested. One of Google's earliest efforts in real-world testing of self-driving systems was a shuttle at the Googleplex campus in Mountain View.
At this stage, Apple has no interest in becoming its own ridehailing service like Uber or Lyft, the source said.
"Even if they have this [autonomous vehicle] specialty, and they get to a mature point on it, they don't have the operations expertise. It's the same thing that Waymo is facing," the person remarked.
That could further fuel speculation around Apple's close ties with Chinese ridehailing service Didi Chuxing. Apple made a $1 billion investment last year, and Didi recently opened a self-driving car lab in Mountain View, not far from Apple's headquarters. Outfitting Didi vehicles would create an instant market for any self-driving platform.
In terms of progress, Apple's technology is where Google "was three years ago," the source claimed. Since then Google has spun off its self-driving work into a separate company, Waymo, which is already running a test ridehailing service in Phoenix. That service should eventually turn into a commercial operation.
Apple could conceivably market a self-driving platform to ridehailing companies like Didi Chuxing.
The team is still feeling the impact from last year, and "suffering from some confusion of purpose," Business Insider said, citing a source who has allegedly seen Apple's technology and that of several other self-driving car platforms. The new recruitment efforts are said to be focused on people with experience in autonomous car software.
The company was at one point believed to be working on a self-designed vehicle under the "Project Titan" moniker, but is now thought to be concentrating on a platform instead.
The company's "PAIL" (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop) shuttle -- exposed earlier this week -- is still just an intermediary step, the source suggested. One of Google's earliest efforts in real-world testing of self-driving systems was a shuttle at the Googleplex campus in Mountain View.
At this stage, Apple has no interest in becoming its own ridehailing service like Uber or Lyft, the source said.
"Even if they have this [autonomous vehicle] specialty, and they get to a mature point on it, they don't have the operations expertise. It's the same thing that Waymo is facing," the person remarked.
That could further fuel speculation around Apple's close ties with Chinese ridehailing service Didi Chuxing. Apple made a $1 billion investment last year, and Didi recently opened a self-driving car lab in Mountain View, not far from Apple's headquarters. Outfitting Didi vehicles would create an instant market for any self-driving platform.
In terms of progress, Apple's technology is where Google "was three years ago," the source claimed. Since then Google has spun off its self-driving work into a separate company, Waymo, which is already running a test ridehailing service in Phoenix. That service should eventually turn into a commercial operation.
Comments
Millennials as a group have less interest in driving, are more likely to do their socializing on-line rather than visiting friends homes or going to bars/restaurants/clubs, prefer to shop on-line rather than traveling to a B&M, and and so in general have fewer reasons to drive to begin with. When the need does arise they're more likely to share transportation with another friend in their group, maybe chip in on the gas, when they go out rather than driving themselves. Even possessing a driver's license is less likely than in previous generations. For many of them them car ownership isn't seen as a necessity or even a want anymore.
Because of the changing dynamics GM, Ford, Mazda, Fiat-Chrysler, Google, Mercedes, Nissan and likely Apple along with several other car-makers and transportation companies are all looking at the same future football field to play on, one skewed more towards sharing as long as folks can get from A to B when those less-frequent needs to go out and about arise.
Is there any expectation that Didi Chuxing has plans to operate in the US? That wasn't my assumption.
Well said. Car ownership won't disappear for a long, long time, but it's probably plateaued in the US (on a per capita basis). I live out in the suburbs and there are more houses with 4 cars (or more typically SUVs, minivans, and trucks) than there are with just 1. The median could easily be 3. In 10 years, I expect there will still be plenty of cars here but every driveway won't be full with an extra vehicle parked on the street.
However, for those who work outside of that core, and for all those in the suburbs, fringes, and rural, a car is still very useful (and economical when including time). We don't need to rehash the arguments that in order for ride-hailing services to perform the job of today's personally owned cars, there would need to be as many of them as private cars. Some habits shift over time, but as mass transit growth attempts have shown, it is in small increments. There is also this thing called "freedom" (to easily go where you want) which was one of the driving forces of the automobile in the first place. Want to jump in the car to go 2 hours away to the beach today - no problem - put your stuff in your car.
Cars are going to be around for a long time, and new ones will need to be purchased. The market is definitely going to change and some incumbents will be hurt. Doesn't mean there isn't room for a new entrant that can do something better. I wouldn't be placing all my bets on the ride-sharing future.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple goes the ridesharing route but I still think it will be with vehicles they design.
However, they are statements without any knowledge of how to get from here (~99% of all vehicles sold ICE with a fully fleshed out fuel distribution system) to there (all EV with requisite charging stations that work in a comparable manner). Sales of EV's in the USA in 2016 were up considerably over 2015, but still only accounted for .9% of sales. This is with massive subsidies in most states. Regardless of the merits of them, most would agree you cannot subsidize something into the mainstream. When subsidies are removed, EV sales greatly slow down. So, it is going to take some minor miracles to get to these dates of 2030-2040 to eliminate all ICE sales.
This isn't a political statement or so motivated. It is trying to pry away some of the hype and look at the facts as they now exist (not what some want or think will happen), and consider how the transportation industry will "really" evolve, and then consider how Apple might play in that.
I'm legally blind and use Uber a lot (about$250/$300 per month). It's more convenient than public transportation, no concerns about finding a convenient parking space, etc.
Talking with Uber drivers it seems their #1 passenger was formally a two car family, senior citizen or visually impaired.
I also see ride ride sharing replacing public transport. Generally speaking public transport requires about 90% subsidy to operate. FARES ONLY ACCOUNT FOR 10% OF TOTAL REVENUE. Municipalities could offer better service and save BIG TIME, by subsidizing Uber/Lyft at a 50% rate to provide public transport.
Keep in mind that
I don't know wher people get this idea that self driving cars are going to reduce traffic and accidents, this will only be true in a meaningful way when every car on the road drives it self and communicates with every other car on the road regardless of brand, so this dream of a world where the are zero accident and traffic jams is still just that, a dream.
To onother fanboy favorite, Apple car will be so awesome, out of all the companies working on this, Apple is by far the least suitable for self driving cars and ride hailing business. I've said this ample times yet
People not finding they need to own a car will reduce the number of cars around.