Apple CEO Tim Cook dropped some tips in an interview released Monday about the direction of the much-anticipated Apple car, including that autonomous vehicle technology is likely to be a key feature.
“Autonomy itself is, in my opinion, a core technology,” Cook told Kara Swisher in an interview on the podcast “Sway.” “If you step back a little bit, the car is a robot in many ways. An autonomous car is a robot. And so there are many things you can do with autonomy. And we’ll see what Apple does. ”
Cook was careful not to divulge too much, and did not want to answer Swisher’s question directly if Apple intends to manufacture a car or the technology in the car itself. What clues he dropped suggest that Project Titan is working on something in the middle.
“We love integrating hardware, software and services, and finding the intersections, because we think this is where the magic comes from,” Cook said. “And we like to own the primary technology around there.”
Swisher replied: ‘I’ll go with a car for that if you do not mind. I’m just going to jump in the car. ”
We are too.
Many people in the micro-mobility industry want to say that e-scooters are basically iPhones on wheels, but it is more likely that the Apple car actually be the iPhone on wheels. Apple is widely known for owning all of its hardware and software, so it would not be surprising to see that Apple engineers are working closely with a manufacturer to manufacture an Apple car, with the potential to one day become the middleman. eliminate and become the manufacturer. .
The so-called Project Titan was in danger of failing before a car was ever seen by the public in 2019 by mass dismissal. However, more recent reports indicate that the project is alive and well with plans to make a self-driving electric passenger vehicle. by 2024.
Earlier this year, CNBC reported that Apple was close to concluding an agreement with Hyundai-Kia to build an Apple self-driving car at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia. Sources familiar with Apple’s interest in Hyundai say the company wants to work with a carmaker that will let Apple take the reins over the software and hardware that goes into the car.
According to several reports, the two companies never reached an agreement and the talks broke down in February. This has not stopped the flow of rumors and reports about Apple and its plans, which have previously been linked to other suppliers, carmakers such as Nissan and even startups.
It’s still unclear what the Apple car will look like, but as a passenger vehicle, rather than a robotic taxi or delivery vehicle, it will act against Tesla.
“I’ve never talked to Elon before, although I have a lot of admiration and respect for the company he built,” Cook said. ‘I think Tesla has done an incredible job of not only establishing leadership but also maintaining leadership in the EV space for so long. I have great appreciation for them. ”
Project Titan is led by Doug Field, who was previously senior vice president of engineering at Tesla and one of the key players behind the Model 3 launch.