Apple Car may be coming much, much later than we hoped
There's no other non-existing product we've heard more rumors about than the Apple Car.
In 2016, following two years of vaporous reports, we heard that the fabled vehicle was being built in Germany, with a potential launch date in 2019 at the earliest. In 2017, all the signs pointed to the project being abandoned. In 2018, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple plans to launch the Apple Car between 2023 and 2025. In 2019, Apple laid off 200 employees from its autonomous vehicle group, once again indicating that the mythical vehicle will not see the light of day any time soon. There were many more reports like these over the years, but the pattern was obvious: Apple probably is working on something, but it keeps being postponed into the indefinite future.
The latest report on the Apple Car, coming from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, has both bad and good news for anyone wishing for a people mover with an Apple logo.
According to the report, Apple has once again grown serious about building the Apple Car, with project head Kevin Lynch, CEO Tim Cook, and Apple's board discussing it in a series of meetings. The outcome of those meetings was a strategy to build an electric vehicle with Level 2+ autonomy (roughly on par with Tesla's Autopilot right now), and launch it in 2028 at the earliest.
There are two main takeaways from the report. One is that the car doesn't sound all that futuristic; the report does say that the company hopes to upgrade it to Level 4 autonomy (nearly fully autonomous driving) sometime after launch, but other than that, it sounds like a pretty regular electric car. Earlier rumors suggested a fully autonomous vehicle that might not even have a steering wheel. As Gurman puts it, Apple hopes "to make the car stand out with a sleek design, safety systems and unique user interface."
Related Stories
- Apple's Stolen Device Protection for iPhone is here, turn it on now
- In-store Apple Vision Pro demos: What to expect when you walk in
- Apple Vision Pro guided tour just dropped: 3 new things you may learn from it
- All major streaming platforms will support Apple Vision Pro — except Netflix
- Blood oxygen feature now officially gone from Apple Watch
The other important tidbit is the launch date, which is four years in the future at the earliest. A lot can happen between now and then; for example, Apple rival Xiaomi recently launched an EV which might be in its second or third iteration by 2028. However, judging by this latest report, at least it seems that this time there will be no more delays: Either the car happens in 2028, or the company will scrap it altogether.
The report also mentions the potential price range for the Apple Car, and it's an eye-watering $100,000. Start saving now, maybe.
-
Why Kamala Harris triggers Donald Trump so intensely.Carrie Fisher is in 'Star Wars IX' via old 'Force Awakens' footageN. Korea released dam water without notifying South Korea: ministry official我市28篇征文在第六届成都经济区建设与发展学术交流会上获奖Which is Faster for Gaming, Windows 10 or Windows 11?Tinder swipes left on those lame tiger selfies[Newsmaker] Runaway N. Korean defector unlikely to have contracted coronavirus: KCDC【食药科普】如何正确挑选及使用食盐Upgrade Your Monitor, Not Your GPU[Newsmaker] Runaway N. Korean defector unlikely to have contracted coronavirus: KCDC
- ·Best tablet deals as of August 27
- ·“蜀信e 百城齐跑”雅安站比赛11月6日开赛
- ·'North Korea wants a peace'
- ·Lara Trump is here to deliver our souls from the epidemic of fake news
- ·18 Places for Epic Outdoor Adventure Across Colorado
- ·传承700年的古井烧鹅,正在飞出江门走向世界
- ·New virus cases dip below 30, imported cases still in focus
- ·Humanitarian aid to North Korea falling
- ·Korea's economy to stop growing without drastic labor change: FKI
- ·Defector's son to visit Pyongyang
- ·我市28篇征文在第六届成都经济区建设与发展学术交流会上获奖
- ·传承700年的古井烧鹅,正在飞出江门走向世界
- ·Slot extends perfect Liverpool start
- ·Dad's business awards Employee of the Week to many sweet doggos
- ·[INTERVIEW] 'US has room for more sanctions against North Korea'
- ·S. Korea plans to handle diplomat's sexual harassment in New Zealand
- ·NCT member Taeil leaves band over sexual offense allegations
- ·Carrie Fisher is in 'Star Wars IX' via old 'Force Awakens' footage
- ·Moon's expansion plan for Gaesong complex requires over $8 bil: analysis
- ·搭建公益募集平台 聚集力量助推脱贫
- ·What to expect when a tech bubble bursts
- ·Golden ticket
- ·Dad's business awards Employee of the Week to many sweet doggos
- ·来自祖国大陆最南端的雷州鸭仔饭,为数十万远在他乡的游子奉献家乡味道
- ·高温难耐,工会驿站化身“清凉小屋”
- ·Jeff Sessions defended by conservative media.
- ·How 3D Game Rendering Works: Texturing
- ·S. Korea raises standard median income by 2.68% for 2021
- ·来自祖国大陆最南端的雷州鸭仔饭,为数十万远在他乡的游子奉献家乡味道
- ·搭建公益募集平台 聚集力量助推脱贫
- ·[From the Scene] How ‘world’s first oil town’ is wrestling to become ‘green'
- ·This lipstick is so strong, it stayed put through a car crash
- ·Chelsea Clinton offers White House appreciation after Trump reportedly calls it a 'dump'
- ·New virus cases dip below 30, imported cases still in focus
- ·Netanyahu’s Inferno
- ·我市28篇征文在第六届成都经济区建设与发展学术交流会上获奖