Apple cancels EV development

[alarmguy]

Another sign of the times. Another realization. My thoughts? People/companies are realizing an EV is just another vehicle to get from point A to Point B
It’s just a car as has been for 100+ years. Somehow they thought is was more. But why?

Glad to see Apple finding its way and concentrating on technology and AI. Anyone and everyone makes cars. They had 2000 people working on the car! Why?
Like anything companies have to explore and research to stay on top of their game, that means spending money that may not bear fruit and realizing missteps.

Apple scrapping electric car project

Apple is giving up on its decade-long effort to build an autonomous electric vehicle and will instead focus on artificial intelligence, according to a new report.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[daves87rs]

Not sure it would work for them….

 

[MolaKule]

Leave it to Fox to distort the story. Apple is dropping the project because they couldn’t get the autonomous driving to work, not because it was an EV.

I read the Bloomberg report and it seems Fox was simply restating what Bloomberg reported except Fox abbreviated it.

It appears the application of AI to AEV's was more of an obstacle or a technology barrier than Apple could deal with.

 

[Vercingetorix]

I read the Bloomberg report and it seems Fox was simply restating what Bloomberg reported except Fox abbreviated it.

It appears the application of AI to AEV's was more of an obstacle than Apple could deal with.

The part in the Bloomberg story that nailed it for me was that Apple was planning on delaying the release of car with level 2+ automated driving in 2028. That would put them more than 5 years behind what Mercedes is already doing today.

 

[Snagglefoot]

It’s too bad it’s cancelled. They were so close!

 

[demarpaint]

Good, they can focus on something more profitable, and that the masses actually want.

 

[Trav]

Good, they can focus on something more profitable, and that the masses actually want.

Like a new flip phone.

 

[cptbarkey]

Apple has no business making cars anyway, so no big loss.

 

[demarpaint]

Apple has no business making cars anyway, so no big loss.

+1 If they want it bad enough they have the money to buy any EV maker they want.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Another sign of the times. Another realization. My thoughts? People/companies are realizing an EV is just another vehicle to get from point A to Point B
It’s just a car as has been for 100+ years. Somehow they thought is was more. But why?

Glad to see Apple finding its way and concentrating on technology and AI. Anyone and everyone makes cars. They had 2000 people working on the car! Why?
Like anything companies have to explore and research to stay on top of their game, that means spending money that may not bear fruit and realizing missteps.

Apple scrapping electric car project

Apple is giving up on its decade-long effort to build an autonomous electric vehicle and will instead focus on artificial intelligence, according to a new report.

www.foxbusiness.com

Apple wants to bring your entire life inside their ecosystem. Apple car, Apple home, etc etc. I guess they figured out that the capital investment required to build an EV was going to be too expensive and they for the moment could not generate the necessary profit. Apple investors wouldn't allow them to take years and years of losses in EV development unlike Tesla.

 

[dnewton3]

How about we knock off the arguments about which news service said what, and stick to the topic?
Otherwise I'm going to shut this thread down.

The FACT is that Apple has cancelled a project to work on an EV that was going to be their effort at autonomous driving.
Leave the Fox/CNN crap out of it. Otherwise consequences will ensue.

 

[KrisZ]

Another example of the technocrats in the Silicon Valley thinking everything outside their own bubble is easy.

I mean, if Siri can set your alarm clock, how much harder would driving a car be? So off they went…

 

[Zee09]

Apple should have taken some of that money and came out with a text only version of the iPhone 15 for the socially inept youth that are afraid to converse with others of their ilk directly. I know of at least one potential buyer on here.

 

[DwightFrye]

What we are seeing are several companies viewing the huge success of Tesla over the past 3-4 years and assuming the the market for EV's was going to allow many other companies to achieve similar sales numbers. And we are also seeing a lot of companies assuming building an EV is pretty simple and can be done for a cost similar to that of building an ICE vehicle of the same size class.

And now the realization is setting in that it isn't quite that simple. Add a struggling economy and high interest rates and here we are.

As of 2024 the market for EV's is only so big. Sure, it is still growing, but slowly. Tesla owns it. Because they had a head start and because they can produce EV's for profit margins exceeding what the major automakers get for their ICE vehicles.

People who are trying to compete with Tesla are now in triage mode just trying to stop the bleeding.

 

[97prizm]

Another sign of the times. Another realization. My thoughts? People/companies are realizing an EV is just another vehicle to get from point A to Point B
It’s just a car as has been for 100+ years. Somehow they thought is was more. But why?

Glad to see Apple finding its way and concentrating on technology and AI. Anyone and everyone makes cars. They had 2000 people working on the car! Why?
Like anything companies have to explore and research to stay on top of their game, that means spending money that may not bear fruit and realizing missteps.

Apple scrapping electric car project

Apple is giving up on its decade-long effort to build an autonomous electric vehicle and will instead focus on artificial intelligence, according to a new report.

www.foxbusiness.com

Not surprising. Earlier articles hinted that Apple was very demanding and difficult to work with. From my understanding they approached no fewer than four current automotive manufacturers, and it rarely went beyond the design stage. I think bmw USA stuck around the longest but more or less threw in the towel when Apple wanted BMWs help but wanted to do it their way with very little benefiting BMW.

 

[97prizm]

What we are seeing are several companies viewing the huge success of Tesla over the past 3-4 years and assuming the the market for EV's was going to allow many other companies to achieve similar sales numbers. And we are also seeing a lot of companies assuming building an EV is pretty simple and can be done for a cost similar to that of building an ICE vehicle of the same size class.

And now the realization is setting in that it isn't quite that simple. Add a struggling economy and high interest rates and here we are.

As of 2024 the market for EV's is only so big. Sure, it is still growing, but slowly. Tesla owns it. Because they had a head start and because they can produce EV's for profit margins exceeding what the major automakers get for their ICE vehicles.

People who are trying to compete with Tesla are now in triage mode just trying to stop the bleeding.

My complaint is that people keep buying Tesla which repeatedly is years late and half of what they promised actually occurs. Along with sub par build quality and hosing customers with valid complaints ( model y and 3 range problems anyone?) When I was a freshman in High school in 97-98 JNCO (Jean Co) and Fubu were what all of the popular kids wore. They were $50 a pair, and were no better manufactured than Wrangler, or other brands that were $10 a pair. If people would just say NO to Tesla the world would be a better place.

 

[KrisZ]

Not surprising. Earlier articles hinted that Apple was very demanding and difficult to work with. From my understanding they approached no fewer than four current automotive manufacturers, and it rarely went beyond the design stage. I think bmw USA stuck around the longest but more or less threw in the towel when Apple wanted BMWs help but wanted to do it their way with very little benefiting BMW.

Doesn’t surprise me, Apple deals with Chinese manufacturers, you are pretty much the king and they are the servants.

I’m often on the supplier calls with China and the stuff they have to deal with from our end is quite appalling. Yelling, legal action threats and general demeaning tone on those calls is quite common.

Apple never dealt with an equal before.

 

[alarmguy]

Apple like any company spends money on research and development in order to stay relevant. Clearly this was a huge fail but they cut the cord and are moving on.
No question they are trying to keep you in their ecosystem and preserve their market share rather than give it up to a automaker.
No one here knows all the reasons but we can sure bet that maybe they figured a way for better profits on AI than a car ecosystem.

I bet few even know that the new automobiles are incredible resources of information used to build and sell profiles on everything you do. Everywhere you travel, possibly what you say in your car, possibly the cameras of the car recording around you.

The drive to stay relevant might be real. How many are aware GM is no longer offering Apple Car Play OR Android Auto in their EVs.
How about Tesla, a HUGE data base of everything their drivers do.

Everything is about information and I suspect Apple thought they would get into the field. Now they are out and concentrating on AI ... sometimes its good to "know when to fold"
Source -

GM confirms it’s dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from 2024 EVs

This is just for new EVs; models that already have CarPlay or AA will keep them.

arstechnica.com

 

[KrisZ]

Regarding data collection, most still drive with their smartphones in their pockets or hands and texting. Apple has all the same data and more, so they don’t need a car to get all of that.

 

[JeffKeryk]

As @alarmguy and others have posted, Apple has been hugely successful by reinventing itself. If they couldn't develop an autonomous car, can anyone?
It will take an AI Supercomputer like none other.
By the way, a bad autonomous car would be an improvement to a lot of the drivers around here...
I did see Woz in his older Model S the other day; he was in the passenger seat holding his little dog.