dk49

MassiveAttack said:

oberpongo said:

These statements from VW CEO are very similar to what the CEOs of Nokia, Blackberry and Microsoft said about the iPhone when it was unveiled in 2007. time will tell if VW will be as forgotten as Nokia and Blackberry. 

Actually, VW has the best potential to be the best on the market if VW could rule their software issue and could generate a competitive OS system.

Just imagine, VW could bring out an OS system, which work for VW, Audi, Skoda and other subsidiaries like Apple is doing with iPhone, iPad, Mac, watch etc. 

This network effect will bring VW to the No. 1. 

If you sell your VW and buy Audi, your data still exists and you do not have to start from zero because their OS system work for all subsidiaries. 

In this case, Apple must speed up to make a common agreement with any other OEMs or Magna. 
Apple has no time and time is ticking. 

The automotive area is the most conservative sector, where you will never see another Foxconn. 

Apple will have a difficulty to finde one car maker, who is willing to make cars for Apple. I highly doubt it. 

That's the thing. Creating a brand new OS from scratch isn't a joke. It's even more difficult than building a car from scratch. So many companies have tried this and failed. All of the custom OS that you see like Huawei's Harmony OS are just forked versions of Android. The OS ecosystem is so matured and integrated that even Microsoft failed to make a dent in the mobile market and had to eventually close it's mobile plans. And platform (OS) is really everything. Even tech giants like Facebook had to bow down in front of the platform (iOS). That's why Apple and Google are in a very unique and lucrative position in the tech industry, that's unmatched.

I hope they find a way to measure blood cholesterol too! 

JWSC said:

So, here we are almost 7 years since the original project Titan was first mentioned. Since that time Tesla’s technology has advanced considerably.  Other EV auto makers have entered the field.  And the traditional auto industry has made significant moves into the EV market.

I must ask, what gap in the market can Apple fill with their own potential offerings?  What is every other potential competitor missing?  Admittedly, this could be due to a lack of imagination on my part, even though I have given this considerable thought.

It’s possible that Apple could pull an “iPhone” and announce an automobile that is well beyond the imagination of the enthusiasts on this forum and EV enthusiasts in general.  But with Tesla so far ahead of everyone else in motor, battery, and autonomous technology, that’s going to be a tall order for Apple.  Tesla likely has hundreds of millions of actual road miles to feed into their AI learning algorithms.  Apple’s road miles wouldn’t even occupy one pixel on a chart if you put them side-by-side to scale.

Look at SpaceX - reusable rockets as standard operating procedure.  A few small start-ups dipping their toes in reusability.  And the rest of the big players got nothin’.

So I am asking, what can, what must, Apple do to differentiate their automotive offerings from everyone else’s?  Because if Apple can’t do that they will get creamed.

I think Apple will focus heavily on the user experience inside the vehicle. Apple is aiming for a driverless car, and technical feasibility of that aside, Apple would want the rider to almost completely focus on work and entertainment. Heavy integration with Apple's devices and services should be expected. They are also working on projecting images on car windows, with added AR. The user experience will be very different than what anyone offers now, including Tesla. Having the fastest acceleration or the highest battery Miles won't be it's USP, rather it will be the user experience - just like the original iPhone and basically all other Apple devices. 

Also, saying that "I don't see what gaps they will fill" is a typical response to rumored Apple products. Blackberry and Nokia executives felt the same when the iPhone was rumoured.

I always wonder how these partnerships work? If Apple talks to Nissan and then dissolve the talks for some reason (like it happened with Hyundai), wouldn't Nissan know what kind of vehicle they are developing and what it's broadly going to do? If Apple talks with multiple partners, the auto industry would be made well aware of Apple's plans! 

I have been following Apple Car rumours since its inception, and I think that Apple is now at a stage where it has almost finalized its design and engineering. Now it's mostly a matter of manufacturing and scale, for which they are looking to partner with an existing car manufacturer. So it definitely seems plausible that the Apple Car might come out by 2024 or earlier.