The Apple Car Thread

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If it's an electric car, be prepared to face this message:
8-4-10-notsupported.jpg
 
The car will not have a steering rack.

It will steer with differential power/braking.

The car will just be a rounded rectangle that is a sealed unit.

The brake pads, tires will need mac geniuses to repair it and it will cost alot since you will have to use "genuine" apple replacement products

No doubt there will be things like covers for them to stylize your apple car.

You can even get the Lifeproof cover that will add 4" of rubber around the whole car to protect it
 
Of course, it'll also be massively disliked by some fans of another large software company and they will say that everyone who buys one is an dumb sheep, even if you buy one when the price has dropped about 80% after one year of being on sale.

Yes, fanboys are annoying, no matter what company they support.
 
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But, you can buy a disk that turns the car in a mode that makes the car run on windows. And Chinese companies will immediately start to make things called Aplle cars.
Nah, they'll make them Pears instead.
 
Although I like most of Apples products and own quite a few of them, I don't see why one would buy a car from a computer technology company. This is total bull****, trying to make everything.. The quality, especially the software quality, of apple product has become so worse in the last years, I'd be scared to drive a car from apple... Not to mention an autopiloted car.

They should just stick to their iDevices and computers and put more resources on them. Doing everything just won't work (and you can already see that, as mentioned).
 

You know, it makes more sense to me when that article points out that the likelihood is that Apple design the car, and then get someone else to build it. I wouldn't buy such a thing myself, but I could see a lot of people that would pay for a Toyota (or whoever) that was designed by Apple.

I'm not so sure the Apple design philosophy translates well to a car, or that cars need that. But it could be interesting.
 
This won't work

Will only take Apple certified parts
Will only charge at Apple charging points that take 10X longer and cost 10X as much as charging it normally
Will break down every time it rains
Will need software updates every 2 weeks
Will not install software updates after 2 years, forcing you to buy their newest model
 
You know, it makes more sense to me when that article points out that the likelihood is that Apple design the car, and then get someone else to build it. I wouldn't buy such a thing myself, but I could see a lot of people that would pay for a Toyota (or whoever) that was designed by Apple.

I'm not so sure the Apple design philosophy translates well to a car, or that cars need that. But it could be interesting.

They could be just like Pininfarina or Zagato and just style cars for people but unless it carries the super important Apple badge and is full of Apple tech it probably wouldn't make much of an impact.
 
This won't work

Will only take Apple certified parts
Will only charge at Apple charging points that take 10X longer and cost 10X as much as charging it normally
Will break down every time it rains
Will need software updates every 2 weeks
Will not install software updates after 2 years, forcing you to buy their newest model
Haven't we seen enough of these on this thread already?
 
Lol no

Have a lot of experience with Apple products and almost all of them are not good. Crashing frequently and all.

Each year there will be new model
With a facelift each 6 months.
Go over one pothole all the glass shatters and your warranty is void
They will also look the same, same color(silver).

There will be a SUV version called the "Plus"
Every new generation that comes out will be longer and bigger than the predecessor :D
 
I hear it will come in a C and S model, which means a plastic and aluminum body. Both will have very fragile wind screens that through apple will cost a hefty sum to replace, but due to Federal laws you'll have to replace it if you want to driver your car...

Oh Apple you're so coy :sly:
 
It doesn't have an exhaust note. To warn pedestrians and other drivers of your presence, it just plays U2 music.

I thought it was him apologizing that you're getting free stuff from him after buying your Apple manufactured car.
 
I'm currently taking bets. If they wind up making a crossover and it's a huge flop, how many magazines are going to make an iVan The Terrible pun?
 
I do wonder what sort of car they'd end up making. On the one hand, being small, electric and all about new technology would make sense. Then again, that's not the kind of car I'd assume the average Apple owner to be interested in. Apple products have become a status symbol as much as actually useful devices, as far as I can tell, and that's not exactly what a small, futurisctic econobox is.
Haven't we seen enough of these on this thread already?
Well, Apple is an easy target for that sort of jokes, largely because the benefits they're offering over other brands are largely intangible. That and Apple fans tend to tout its superiority a lot, from my experience, at least. Which, coupled with the former, gives of a very distinct impression of Apple and its supporters...
 
As I've said elsewhere, if they can't get a TV to work, how will they plan on doing a car themselves?

Realistically, I'd bet on Apple co-developing a special vehicle with one of their Car Play partners before getting into the actual manufacturing end of things. Despite them having more money than they know what to do with, the amount of capital needed to begin designing, engineering, testing, and distributing a car likely far exceed the parameters of what Apple would ever intend to do.

The way I'd see it going down would be to have a brand like Honda working with Apple to optimize a vehicle to their standards. Presumably that means an entirely different infotainment system that is designed to maximize the capabilities with Car Play, likely with a large touch screen, in addition to secondary screens in the back that would likely deliver music/video/whatever. I'd also expect the car to have built-in 4G LTE, similar to what's on new GM models, allowing the car to serve as a hotspot for all the devices onboard. As far as automated driving goes, well, I think that's still a while off. But, electric drive seems more likely at the moment - the difference is that, at this time, I don't know if many/any brands have a vehicle like what was initially described ready for electric power.

If it is something that's similar to a van, I'd look at two different brands: Honda, who's got a new Odyssey coming in the not-too-distant future, and Chevrolet, who apparently had/have a more crossover-like variant of the Volt being worked on. Both are in the Car Play alliance, but, they're also in the one for Android Auto. I'm certain that'd be a bit of an issue, but perhaps not, if it were an "Apple Exclusive" model. Imagine the mess that'd eventually create...
 
I do wonder what sort of car they'd end up making. On the one hand, being small, electric and all about new technology would make sense. Then again, that's not the kind of car I'd assume the average Apple owner to be interested in. Apple products have become a status symbol as much as actually useful devices, as far as I can tell, and that's not exactly what a small, futurisctic econobox is.

Well, Apple is an easy target for that sort of jokes, largely because the benefits they're offering over other brands are largely intangible. That and Apple fans tend to tout its superiority a lot, from my experience, at least. Which, coupled with the former, gives of a very distinct impression of Apple and its supporters...

What benefits do they offer?
 
I once thought a Macbook made for a better laptop than a Windows laptop. Then I owned a Macbook. Hassle-free networking and a long battery life don't really make up for owning a computer with slim software options and clumsy shareware in the place of the numerous freeware solutions you can get for Windows. I knew the jig was up when I decided to install a virtual machine with Windows XP.
 
Bloomberg is reporting that the car is going to be on the road by 2020

So, Apple wants a 200-mile EV for less than $40k, just like everyone else. If they're going at it alone, they're probably looking at pretty massive losses on the sale of each model. That really has to cement going in on a partnership, right?

I'd try to consider what Apple devices/services tend to be known for:
  • Attractive design
  • High quality
  • Obsessive attention to detail
  • Perception of "better battery life"
All of those things are currently what Tesla has a leg-up on by comparison to GM, Toyota, and the rest of the bunch. Okay, okay... Maybe not quality, yet... But, that's where everyone is trying to compete. Assuming that Apple is able to develop battery tech that works better with their streamlined hardware/software, it really has to become a question of A) Who the exclusive partner would be B) How differentiated that product will be from the rest of that portfolio C) Who would have final say over the way the product is sold and serviced at a dealer - or even a direct sale situation.

Given that the product is reportedly similar in design to a minivan, considering current development/release cycles, and ongoing partnerships... In addition to what tracks those partners seem to be on, I'm settling in on it being some kind of variant of the next-gen Honda Odyssey or CR-V, an all-new GM EV crossover (think Crossvolt Concept), or perhaps Apple working on their own way to modify something like the Chevrolet Bolt for the first refresh that'd probably be due for something around 2020. Toyota seems out of the question given their preference toward fuel cell tech, Hyundai/Kia seem to be committing to being platform agnostic, while Audi (and perhaps the rest of VAG?) seem to be going solidly into the Android Auto camp. I have my doubts that Ford would want to allow a brand like Apple come in and disrupt their own, although, their EV department could certainly use an injection of excitement due to their poor reception (don't get me started on MyFordTouch, either). The wildcard is Mercedes, I think. They've got a commitment to EVs, but also have an outstanding partnership with Tesla. An Apple-branded Mercedes would be high-margin, high-quality, high-prestige to keep them completely separate from most of the rest of the market... But it'd totally negate the idea of a sub-$40k price point.

Its interesting, that's for sure. It really sounds as though they're committing to it. But, then again, we heard much the same about TVs just a few years ago.
 
This thread prompts me to highlight an article posted on a friend's Facebook feed recently.

It cites an interview with designer Marc Newson, who started working for Apple a few years back. The key quote is this:

There were moments when cars somehow encapsulated everything that was good about progress," Newson told The Wall Street Journal. "But right now we’re at the bottom of a trough"

Then there's a second quote from Newson's friend and long-term Apple product designer, Jony Ive. He's also no fan of current car design.

"It is baffling, isn’t it?" Ive said of a Toyota Echo. "It’s just nothing, isn’t it? It’s just insipid."

Now granted, an Echo is hardly the pinnacle of modern design, and Ive drives a Mulsanne, which is far from the greatest looking car on the road right now (though viewed as a statement of the manufacturer that makes it, it's just about perfect).

But the bottom line is that neither of Apple's top design guys likes how car design is progressing. It leads me to believe an Apple car - if the design is done in-house - could prove very interesting from a product design perspective.

I'm generally a fan of modern car design. Technology is allowing us to produce cars that are closer and closer to the concept car ideal - manufacturing improvements mean we can get away with shapes that were never possible before, suspension technology is finally giving us great ride and handling without sacrificing visually-desirable large wheels, and technology is finally starting to de-clutter interiors.

Arguably, good car design has never been more accessible, either. Manufacturers put as much effort into making small, cheap cars desirable as they do luxury vehicles, where before no concern would be given to the look or quality of a budget product.

However, I do think car design needs a kick in the arse, and Apple could deliver that kick. It interests me greatly that Newson's first and only car design so far has more than a hint of Apple about it, long before he ever worked there - the Ford 021C concept of 1999:

LimeGreenCar.jpg


ford-021C-concept-widescreen-14.jpg


It's a compact-sized, four-seat sedan. The powertrain is nothing special by today's standards - a 1.6-litre Zetec with an automatic gearbox - but there are some really neat design touches. It definitely looks like a concept of the 1990s now (though given modern design focuses on aggression, a bit of 90s light-heartedness is welcome) but it remains one of my all-time favourite concepts.

I'm not an Apple nerd, but I do own an iPhone. A 5c, in fact, in green. I'd not thought about it until now, but a green 021C* is just about the automotive embodiment of the phone I carry around every day.

cdesign_gallery_slide_greeniphone_5c.jpg




* The 021C shouldn't really be green - it should be orange, as the very original concept was. The name 021C was chosen because it was Newson's favourite Pantone colour. The green is actually 365C on the Pantone scale.
 
This thread prompts me to highlight an article posted on a friend's Facebook feed recently.

It cites an interview with designer Marc Newson, who started working for Apple a few years back. The key quote is this:



Then there's a second quote from Newson's friend and long-term Apple product designer, Jony Ive. He's also no fan of current car design.



Now granted, an Echo is hardly the pinnacle of modern design, and Ive drives a Mulsanne, which is far from the greatest looking car on the road right now (though viewed as a statement of the manufacturer that makes it, it's just about perfect).

But the bottom line is that neither of Apple's top design guys likes how car design is progressing. It leads me to believe an Apple car - if the design is done in-house - could prove very interesting from a product design perspective.

I'm generally a fan of modern car design. Technology is allowing us to produce cars that are closer and closer to the concept car ideal - manufacturing improvements mean we can get away with shapes that were never possible before, suspension technology is finally giving us great ride and handling without sacrificing visually-desirable large wheels, and technology is finally starting to de-clutter interiors.

Arguably, good car design has never been more accessible, either. Manufacturers put as much effort into making small, cheap cars desirable as they do luxury vehicles, where before no concern would be given to the look or quality of a budget product.

However, I do think car design needs a kick in the arse, and Apple could deliver that kick. It interests me greatly that Newson's first and only car design so far has more than a hint of Apple about it, long before he ever worked there - the Ford 021C concept of 1999:

LimeGreenCar.jpg


ford-021C-concept-widescreen-14.jpg


It's a compact-sized, four-seat sedan. The powertrain is nothing special by today's standards - a 1.6-litre Zetec with an automatic gearbox - but there are some really neat design touches. It definitely looks like a concept of the 1990s now (though given modern design focuses on aggression, a bit of 90s light-heartedness is welcome) but it remains one of my all-time favourite concepts.

I'm not an Apple nerd, but I do own an iPhone. A 5c, in fact, in green. I'd not thought about it until now, but a green 021C* is just about the automotive embodiment of the phone I carry around every day.

cdesign_gallery_slide_greeniphone_5c.jpg




* The 021C shouldn't really be green - it should be orange, as the very original concept was. The name 021C was chosen because it was Newson's favourite Pantone colour. The green is actually 365C on the Pantone scale.
That is great design. 👍
I remember reading about it in one of the 'Car Design Yearbooks' I have (wish they still published those books). I think you've hit the nail on the head, can really see the similarity. Throw in a bit of 'Smart car' interchangeable panels (using a slimmed down Pantone range), and I think Apple could really be on to something, if they do indeed take that direction.
 
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