Apple's automotive ambitions extend far beyond self-driving systems

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 24
    Rayz2016 said:
    Schematics and many proposals does not make a future car...for myself I do not believe that Apple will go into the bar business, maybe buying a car company yes...but doing what Tesla has done, no way. This my own personal opinion. 

    Well, one thing we know about Apple is that it's tighter than Kylie's jeans when it comes to spending money. 
    Yeah I mean if you completely ignore the billions they've spent on things like real estate and R&D then you're right.
    JWSCwatto_cobra
  • Reply 22 of 24
    dk49dk49 Posts: 267member
    People forget that Apple's products, at its core, are driven by User Experience. I per think Apple will focus on the whole "experience" of being in a car. Tesla is focusing on core aspects like Battery technology and autonomous driving. While it is the clear leader in these two segments as of now, competitors will catch up over the years. Sure, Tesla might still be a bit better after many years, but would you buy a Tesla just for slightly better battery or self-driving? Probably not. When the iPhone came, competitors had better specs, but not a better user experience. I personally think Apple is going to focus heavily on the user experience to differentiate itself. Cars are the next "platform". Think of it this way, when the car starts to drive itself, how do you spend your time in the car? 
    JWSCwatto_cobra
  • Reply 23 of 24
    Beats said:
    These are all good ideas and I can’t wait to see an Apple Car. I hope that I’ll be able to afford one and no have to sell all my AAPL shares. 

    I'm hoping they offer a cheap "SE" alongside a super premium vehicle.
    And a speedier “S” version as a sports model.
    “Look at that ‘S’ car go!”
    Randolph Duke liked that comment.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 23 of 24

    Schematics and many proposals does not make a future car...for myself I do not believe that Apple will go into the bar business, maybe buying a car company yes...but doing what Tesla has done, no way. This my own personal opinion. 
    mknelson said:
    Apple could also be building a platform similar to the way GM and Volkswagen have in the EV space and license it to partners.
    I believe this is the correct answer. With the “skateboard” style of platforms in EV, Apple could design and license a foundation to car brands. They could license to different companies, rather than the headache of owning their own company.
    No way. There is no way this becomes a product where Apple doesn’t own the entire stack. They’re not going to do a Rokr car. The paper trail on this project is massive and covers every aspect of a vehicle. They’re building a vehicle, full stop. 
    Really, this is closer to reality than Apple building the entire car. The auto business has horrible margins, and Apple is known more for its gaudy margins than for “owning the entire stack”. Think back to 5-6 years ago when Wall Street analysts were certain there was going to be an Apple-branded LCD TV, even though the margins in such products were low and getting lower, and the product raced to commodity status in profitability. Instead, Apple created the refined version of Apple TV, which keep them out of the crappy LCD TV market, but allows them to sell services through Apple TV (ATV+, HBO, movie rentals, etc).

    Now apply that same model to automobiles—Apple supplies the brain and computer design for the car, and some other manufacturer does the exterior design—Volvo, BNY, whatever company wants to have Apple intelligence as a product differentiator. Apple in turn gets to sell subscription services to the owner of the car and harvest recurring income. It may not be 30% like a Mac or iPhone, but it will be a damn sight better than what Ford or VW delivers financially, when the transportation, inventory, labor, and dealer network costs are all factored into the price of a new vehicle.
    watto_cobra
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