Re: Apple gets permit for testing autonomous cars in California Apple CEO confirms autonomous car system plans
Apple's Chief Executive Officer - Tim Cook, has confirmed that the company is developing autonomous car systems. This is the first time that the company or its top bosses have officially commented on Apple's plans for the automotive industry.
Apple's car plans started under a secret project named Titan in 2014. The company was previously aiming to build its own car, which was expected to run on electric power. The company hired over 1,000 engineers to work on this project. However, it later decided to focus on autonomous technology and software, instead of building an all-new car.
Now the CEO has also confirmed the same, mentioning that Apple is focusing on autonomous systems, though he also mentioned that it is one of the most difficult Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects that the company is currently working on. He also stressed on the fact that the automobile industry is currently at a junction of three major changes - self-driving technology, electric vehicles and ride-hailing. As a result, Apple too wants to be a part of this looming disruption in the automotive space.
Tim Cook didn't comment on whether or not the company will make its own car in the distant future. He mentioned that the project is in still in the budding phase and thus Apple hasn't made any product considerations as of now.
Source: Bloomberg |