Apple May Build a Car, But No One Will Buy It
Inappreciably a week goes past without a car or tech company (or both) announcing a partnership, acquisition, or breakthrough in the race to develop fully autonomous vehicles. Just one prominent proper noun is noticeably absent from the current and constant cocky-driving scrum: Apple tree.
Of class, Cupertino hasn't exactly been sitting on the self-driving sidelines. Apple staffed up a one,000-person autonomous vehicle development team (before scaling it downwardly), made inquiries into using a Northern California testing facility for self-driving cars, and recently received a permit to test on public roads in California, among other activities.
Merely compared to others plunging into self-driving technology in an aggressive and very public way, Apple has kept a characteristically low profile with its autonomous vehicle project. And it has fallen backside as a issue.
And then when CEO Tim Cook disclosed details about the company'southward self-driving car project in an interview concluding calendar week, his comments were analyzed to death. Null Cook said was specially revelatory and echoed what most others in the space have been saying—autonomous engineering science will be a game-changer, used for ride-sharing services, and is "the mother of all AI projects."
Cook was still cagey about Apple's endgame, proverb only that the company is "focusing on autonomous systems." Many took this to mean that Apple, similar Google, is pivoting to supplying a software platform to automakers for self-driving technology rather than building cars itself.
I can't imagine Apple tree as merely an auto manufacture supplier. Given the core competencies that have built the company into a tech powerhouse, Apple could nevertheless build a car, although no one will e'er purchase it.
A Singled-out Advantage
Machine industry analyst Sam Abuelsamid pointed out in a recent Forbes.com postal service that Apple tree and Google could become automakers and turn smaller car companies into suppliers for ride-sharing purposes.
This makes perfect sense in Apple's example since the company isn't a manufacturing powerhouse, per se. Instead, as Abuelsamid points out, it's famous for farming out the assembly of its products to outfits like Foxconn, Quanta, and Flextronics.
Apple tree has little incentive to compete in a low-margin, high-overhead business. Simply producing vehicles for ride-sharing, in the same mode that Ford has promised to practice past 2022, could give Apple a distinct advantage over competitors.
Apple has built its business—and made billions—by creating products and services with appealing blueprint, intuitive and often groundbreaking user interfaces, and features that people didn't know they needed, often inside an existing product category. These strengths could play to Apple tree's reward if, as many believe, autonomous vehicles make the cost of owning and operating a car prohibitively expensive and robo-taxis accept over.
Whether it'due south using Uber Puddle, Lyft Line, or even taking a taxi or limo, ride-sharing is already stratified based on cost and the feel. Apple has never had to compete on price due to its unique value proffer. I can easily see Apple tree bringing its expertise and marketing flair to autonomous ride-sharing vehicles of the future. And, of course, charging a premium for it.
Chief image courtesy of designer Meni Tsirbas (@MeniThings; YouTube)
Nigh Doug Newcomb
Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/consumer-electronics-reviews-ratings-comparisons/16151/apple-may-build-a-car-but-no-one-will-buy-it
Posted by: robinsonafferore1989.blogspot.com
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