In the world of making physical things, in this knowledge era, two sectors will drive the buzz: smart consumer devices and cars. Those are the core two domains you have a chance to ramp up volume and revenue if you want to stay at the core of consumer manufacturing business. Apple is a category-king in the smart devices area. Now, it wants to enter into the second one – making cars. Those cars are expected to be self-driving and of course electric-powered.
Apple has reportedly set a 2025 deadline for its driverless electric vehicle, with a reinforced approach focusing on self-driving capabilities. Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
The push to accelerate the Apple car project came after a period of recess that saw the smartphone maker suspend work on the project. Now, the Cupertino giant is revitalizing the electric vehicle project, aiming to develop fast and reliable technicalities to meet the deadline.
The focus had been two key areas; to create a model with limited self-driving capabilities focused on steering and acceleration — similar to many current cars — or a version with full self-driving ability that doesn’t require human intervention.
This is not bad news for Tesla. But this is bad news for Ford, GM, etc. I do think that we will have at least 3 great EV and self-driving brands in the world. Tesla is there. Apple joins. Then, you can pick another. Yes, Apple will displace most of the other car brands because it is Apple!
Why do I think that way? Apple has the foundational stack – yes, AI systems for those your iDevices – and it will simply remake some. The AI systems will win and competition will come down to who makes smarter cars besides the ergonomics.
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The physical bodies of cars certainly cannot be seen as the core basis of competition and Apple will likely outsource that component. Largely, it will SIMPLY focus on the heartbeat where it can run SERVICES on soon-fashionista car brands. If that happens, your car becomes like your phone with many services which can be unlocked via subscriptions.
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The guys who are already holding the knives are now going for the yams, and once they lay hands on them, they decide how much ration the rest will get.
By the time we connect everything and realise that we are completely owned, disconnected devices will become the new premium.
It will get very interesting soon…