Apple Shows Ambition To Get Into Self-Driving Car Race

[HardOCP News]

After years of rumors and speculation, is Apple finally getting into the car game? I guess it makes sense for them to skip the whole electric car race and jump in at the autonomous vehicle stage of the game. I still think they are going to stay on the software side of things or partner with an existing car manufacturer.

"The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation," Kenner wrote. "Executed properly under NHTSA's guidance, automated vehicles have the potential to greatly enhance the human experience — to prevent millions of car crashes and thousands of fatalities each year and to give mobility to those without." Apple urged regulators not to impose too many restrictions on testing of self-driving cars, saying "established manufacturers and new entrants should be treated equally."

 

[krotch]

Good god, that car is ugly. It's literally, their mouse with wheels.

 

[FrgMstr]

Good god, that car is ugly. It's literally, their mouse with wheels.

You ever look at a lot of Apple's design work and think to yourself that they want a lot of their products to easily fit up your ass?

 

[Gigus Fire]

so... an apple mouse with wheels on it.

 

[PeaKr]

...with only one door, cause its easier to use that way.

 

[nutzo]

Form over function.... That's the Apple way.

However, even the form on this is a huge miss.

 

[Gigus Fire]

Just making my point

 

[Gweenz]

That design will never pass crash or pedestrian regs. Nice try, Apple.

 

[viscountalpha]

Just making my point

I thought that's a Microsoft mouse though.

 

[ngoy]

If they use Apple Maps to route the cars, one can only pray for all the passengers. I would not trust that I get from point A to point B without the car stopping at the Apple store and the local Bose store first and then deciding my destination is actually some spot in the Pacific Ocean and promptly driving off of a pier. Unless the new cars they are designing are underwater capable ala that Lotus that Bond drove in The Spy Who Loved Me.

And rumors of talking with McLaren are pretty funny. High tech racecars and automated people movers are two distinct markets with wildly different economies of scale. I know McLaren denied all knowledge, but companies deny things all the time that later end up being true. Either way, if they were talking with McLaren's technology group (who touts there car ECU's have never caused a "critical" failure in a race) it is stupid as the reliability and software engineering needed in a car that probably gets rebuilt or checked by a whole team of engineers every race is infinitesimally less than something that has to be driven reliably by an AI day in and day out in a commuter setting. Granted they make a lot of sensors and other equipment, but having all this crap run in the snow and salted roads of the Northeast or the dusty desert of Arizona or Australia is a bit different than the controlled conditions of a race track.

If they do come out with something, it is probably based on some egalitarian view of a future society, and the cars will currently work great inside the confines of San Francisco after they have replanned it as a giant UFO

 

[ecmaster76]

To be fair that pic is not from the source article

That car would only work if you are driving inside a computer like in Tron. In reality, where there is cold and wind and rain and thieves and side impacts you would want a car with doors

 

[Powerage]

To be fair that pic is not from the source article

That car would only work if you are driving inside a computer like in Tron. In reality, where there is cold and wind and rain and thieves and side impacts you would want a car with doors

The pics not from the source article? Interesting. Weird how everyone is commenting on it. It's almost like no one bothered to actually read the article.

 

[Rustynuts]

Good luck getting an appt at the genius mechanic bar.

 

[vegeta535]

It's the apple golf cart. For the low price of $9,999 before the $90,000 apple tax of course.

 

[Xrave]

Misleading article title, not to mention that photo isn't anywhere in the original article.

The whole point of the article is Apple writing a letter to try and limit regulation on self driving car testing, so it's easier to develop the technology. This doesn't link with Apple building a car, but more for just Apple working on machine learning/self driving technology to license to other companies.

 

[ButtonPuncher]

No matter what, it will require an adapter for refueling.

BP

 

[mynamehere]

...with only one door, cause its easier to use that way.

And because "it takes courage" to remove a door. And of course good old "great artist steal" (one door is not a new concept)

 

[nilepez]

And because "it takes courage" to remove a door. And of course good old "great artist steal" (one door is not a new concept)

It's the ultimate date car. You don't have to open the door on the other side (talk about inefficient), you open the door, she gets in then you get in.