Rumors about Apple being interested in building an autonomous car to rival Google’s self-driving ‘chariot’ have been going around for quite some time. While officials are still tight-lipped about the subject, the moves the Cupertino-based company is making can’t be overlooked.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is approaching veterans from the car industry, the latest name that joined their team being Doug Betts. In case you never heard of the man, you should know that he used to be the Senior Vice President of Global Quality at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group.
While we can’t say that FCA cars are the absolute best in terms of quality (of course, leaving aside their luxury models that only account for a marginal amount of the total sales) that’s still an important, even vital job in the inner-workings of the giant carmaker.
However, this was only his last title as the man also used to work for Nissan and Toyota in the past. According to his LinkedIn account, he is an executive “with proven track record of inspirational leadership, innovation, and core knowledge of lean manufacturing (TPS) and manufacturing quality methods working in a global quality role.”
While it all sounds impressive, we’re a bit disappointed in Apple to be honest. Maybe we’re being superficial but considering that their products are finished to the highest expectations, using only the best materials in the business such as aluminum and glass instead of plastic, we would’ve expected to see them approach an executive from Bentley or Rolls-Royce to handle their quality check department.
No offense to Nissan or Toyota but they’re not renowned for their exquisite materials used inside or out or for their fit and finish. The same goes for Fiat or Chrysler cars.
This last move comes after the California-based company also hired people from Tesla and other auto companies, confirming that they are indeed working on an electric car. The question that arises is not whether the tentatively named Apple iCar be autonomous or not (as we already know it will be) but to what extent? What innovative features could it bring to the table, considering the company’s background?
While we can’t say that FCA cars are the absolute best in terms of quality (of course, leaving aside their luxury models that only account for a marginal amount of the total sales) that’s still an important, even vital job in the inner-workings of the giant carmaker.
However, this was only his last title as the man also used to work for Nissan and Toyota in the past. According to his LinkedIn account, he is an executive “with proven track record of inspirational leadership, innovation, and core knowledge of lean manufacturing (TPS) and manufacturing quality methods working in a global quality role.”
While it all sounds impressive, we’re a bit disappointed in Apple to be honest. Maybe we’re being superficial but considering that their products are finished to the highest expectations, using only the best materials in the business such as aluminum and glass instead of plastic, we would’ve expected to see them approach an executive from Bentley or Rolls-Royce to handle their quality check department.
No offense to Nissan or Toyota but they’re not renowned for their exquisite materials used inside or out or for their fit and finish. The same goes for Fiat or Chrysler cars.
Apple's great plan
Either way, according to the man’s LinkedIn account he has become a part of Apple starting this month and is part of its ‘Operations’ department. At the moment, neither Apple or Mr. Doug Betts could be reached for comments.This last move comes after the California-based company also hired people from Tesla and other auto companies, confirming that they are indeed working on an electric car. The question that arises is not whether the tentatively named Apple iCar be autonomous or not (as we already know it will be) but to what extent? What innovative features could it bring to the table, considering the company’s background?
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