With all of the engineers leaving the Apple Car project, people could wonder when or if the fully self-driving car will make it to the market.
With all of the engineers leaving the Apple Car project, people could wonder when or if the fully self-driving car will make it to the market. This month the former Tesla Autopilot software engineer, Christopher “CJ” Moore, left for a LiDAR company. It was reported at the end of last year that three engineers had left. They included Eric Rogers, the head of engineering with the radar team. Alex Clarbut, who worked on the car batteries and Stephen Spiteri, who was a hardware engineering manager. There was also a major exodus earlier last year. It’s hard to see how this car will become a reality when the engineers keep leaving.
The Apple Car sounds like an exciting prospect with all the rumors that have been swirling around. Last year, it was reported that the vehicle would have no pedals or steering wheel. Instead, the car would be entirely controlled by its computer. It seemed like an attainable concept as the company had a small fleet of Lexus cars in Califonia running Apple’s self-driving software. There have also been rumors that Apple would work with Hyundai and Kia on the vehicle. Another cool feature rumored was the sliding sunroof. Apple received a patent for it in February. But, of course, not all patents make it to the market.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes that the reason engineers are leaving could be due to “an unclear vision for the project and poor management—but also a lack of faith from those working on it.” He also noted that he “didn’t know anyone at the highest levels of the company who believes Apple will actually be able to pull it off in its intended timeline.” The company initially wanted to launch the car in 2020. However, reports from last year suggested it could debut in 2025. While that is still three years away, it’s hard to imagine Apple pulling it off if there is a lack of faith from within.
Can The Apply Car Become A Reality?
Creating a fully self-driving car isn’t easy as Tesla knows. There have been several glitches with its Full Self-Driving (FSD) and Autopilot features. It could even be suggested that neither of these features is ready for the market yet. On the other hand, Apple doesn’t like to release anything until it’s up to its high standard. That alone indicates that the Apple Car release could be a long time away. Plus, it doesn’t sound like the car is anywhere near ready. So, even a potential debut in 2025 could be a pipe dream.
Maybe Apple should stick to what it does best, phones, computers and accessories. It does this exceptionally well. Apple could also be looking to be cutting edge again. It could do this with its augmented reality headset that is in the works. This hardware would also fall in line with what it already does. It’s not impossible that it could pull off its self-driving car. Many car brands are working to make this a reality, but it feels far away for even established brands. The tech giant may have to redefine its timeline for when the car will make it to the market. Apple users will have to be more patient as they wait to buy an Apple Car.
Source: Bloomberg’s Power On Newsletter
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