Over the past couple of days there have been rumors that Apple, the tech savvy giant, is developing a car, possibly to be called the iCar. As of right now, there are no concrete pieces of evidence supporting this claim, however certain events may suggest that this may become a possibility.
There have been mysterious looking vans with sensors and cameras driving around Brooklyn and the San Francisco area. After some investigation, it was discovered that these vehicles were licensed to Apple. Why would Apple need to map out roads? One possible explanation could be to enhance their Maps Apps. In September of 2014, Apple hired Johann Jungwirth, who led research and design at Mercedes-Benz. Jungwirth specializes in Internet connected cars and self-driving cars. At Apple, he is the director of Mac Systems and Engineering. His title indicates that his role has nothing to do with the development of cars, however this is a man who specializes in developing futuristic cars. Could this be Apple’s way of throwing people off their car-development trail? In addition to Jungwirth, Apple has hired away many executives and engineers from car companies, which seem somewhat suspicious.
Today, Tesla Motors is the leading developer and producer of electric cars. There have been reports of Apple meeting with Tesla to talk about what, we don’t know. The Apple Car could incorporate Tesla’s electric car technology – what would that look like?
Although the prospect of an Apple Car is exciting and it makes us impatient to see what it will actually look like, don’t hold out hope for its release any time soon. Think about it. Apple not only has to design the actual car, but decide what types of technology they want to put in it, and possibly collaborate with other companies to use their technologies, which will take time. So don’t get too excited because we may have to wait a little longer for this to become a reality.
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