Photo: Vanarama
We’ve known for a while that Apple was working on its very own self-driving car, but so far, the company has remained completely tight-lipped on everything related to the project.
Sources familiar with the matter have revealed on multiple occasions that Apple’s target date for the launch of the Apple Car was 2025, but now it looks like the whole plan is being updated because of a series of changes the internally codenamed Project Titan is going through.
First and foremost, a report from Bloomberg reveals that the Apple Car would originally go for a much more simplified configuration, as Apple wants to launch it without self-driving capabilities.
Originally, the iPhone maker wanted the Apple Car to be a fully autonomous vehicle that would allow passengers to travel face to face, therefore turning the cabin into a small office on wheels. However, this strategy is being dropped, and Apple now wants a typical car interior with a driving seat and everything else. Self-driving capabilities are still planned, but only on the highway, where drivers would be allowed to watch movies or play games on the larger screens on the dashboard.
Drivers would then be alerted to switch to the manual mode whenever the Apple Car is approaching the highway exit or the weather conditions change.
The tech company is reportedly planning a gradual release of the feature, with North America expected to be the first to get it.
At this point, the team led by Apple Watch and Health chief Kevin Lynch is working on multiple fronts, including the design of the car. The way the Apple Car is going to look is something that’s yet to be set in stone, especially because the company hasn’t yet decided the approach the vehicle would be based on. Given the full self-driving focus is being dropped, the Apple Car will no longer sport what is being described as a limousine-inspired interior but go for a more conventional cabin similar to the one we have in today’s cars.
The design, however, should be ready in 2023, while the feature lineup is projected to be finalized in 2024. The testing is due to start in 2025, while the official launch has been pushed back one year, so it’s scheduled to take place in 2026.
Apple will obviously sell the Apple Car at a premium, so everybody expects it to be a rather expensive vehicle. Earlier rumors indicated a price tag of about $120,000, with some sources claiming the car could end up costing as much as $150,000.
But as it turns out, Apple is aiming for an under-$100,000 price tag, with this latest report suggesting that Apple could go for a slower processor specifically to reduce costs. Codenamed Denali, the current chip in charge of powering the Apple Car, is almost ready, and it is four times faster than a typical Mac chip designed internally by Apple.
First and foremost, a report from Bloomberg reveals that the Apple Car would originally go for a much more simplified configuration, as Apple wants to launch it without self-driving capabilities.
Originally, the iPhone maker wanted the Apple Car to be a fully autonomous vehicle that would allow passengers to travel face to face, therefore turning the cabin into a small office on wheels. However, this strategy is being dropped, and Apple now wants a typical car interior with a driving seat and everything else. Self-driving capabilities are still planned, but only on the highway, where drivers would be allowed to watch movies or play games on the larger screens on the dashboard.
Drivers would then be alerted to switch to the manual mode whenever the Apple Car is approaching the highway exit or the weather conditions change.
The tech company is reportedly planning a gradual release of the feature, with North America expected to be the first to get it.
At this point, the team led by Apple Watch and Health chief Kevin Lynch is working on multiple fronts, including the design of the car. The way the Apple Car is going to look is something that’s yet to be set in stone, especially because the company hasn’t yet decided the approach the vehicle would be based on. Given the full self-driving focus is being dropped, the Apple Car will no longer sport what is being described as a limousine-inspired interior but go for a more conventional cabin similar to the one we have in today’s cars.
The design, however, should be ready in 2023, while the feature lineup is projected to be finalized in 2024. The testing is due to start in 2025, while the official launch has been pushed back one year, so it’s scheduled to take place in 2026.
Apple will obviously sell the Apple Car at a premium, so everybody expects it to be a rather expensive vehicle. Earlier rumors indicated a price tag of about $120,000, with some sources claiming the car could end up costing as much as $150,000.
But as it turns out, Apple is aiming for an under-$100,000 price tag, with this latest report suggesting that Apple could go for a slower processor specifically to reduce costs. Codenamed Denali, the current chip in charge of powering the Apple Car, is almost ready, and it is four times faster than a typical Mac chip designed internally by Apple.
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