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Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

reuters.com

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Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#251

Post by foxtr0t »

finnh wrote: post #43
abhinavsharma wrote: post #21

This is starting to make increasingly more sense even though Apple making a car seemed laughable a few years ago. Apple is fundamentally now a company that can move immense amounts of capital into new industries with the underlying ethos of user experience. Apple Card was perhaps a dipping of the toes moment. In theory, Tesla shouldn't be worth what it is because the tech behind it is increasingly getting commoditize…

> Apple is fundamentally now a company that can move immense amounts of capital into new industries with the underlying ethos of user experience. Also: insane supply-chain management chops, a skill that is more and more transferable - especially for electric cars.

Despite becoming more similar in recent years, the cell phone supply chain is still very different than the automotive supply chain. The number of parts/unit differs by an order of magnitude and so does the size and weight, not to mention manufacturing techniques and materials. These are capabilities, not so much skills, and they aren't as transferable as you may think.

For instance, logistically things are very different in the automotive space. Many, many more people are required to ship a single unit. You also have many more variables that can hold up a production line anywhere in the hierarchy because you rely on more 3rd parties for parts. While these things are also true of consumer electronics, you may rely on a dozen suppliers for an iPhone, car companies often rely on hundreds.

Materials are also very different in the automotive space. You have to build with materials that will last 100k miles driving a 80mph in all weather, day/night, freezing/scorching etc etc. It is a very long tail to cover. Apple can do it, but it will take years and many, many partners to get it done.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#252

Post by the-dude »

mulmen wrote: post #150
the-dude wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How was he as a boss?

I liked working for him. I don’t understand this question. It reads like my comment could be interpreted in some other way than I intended but I can’t figure out what that would be.

Don't get worked up about it : I meant to suggest he had poor judgement ( in choosing Ford _and MS ).

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#253

Post by FireBeyond »

xvector wrote: post #225
FireBeyond wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was even worse was the usual Apple cycle of deny there's an issue, begrudgingly acknowledge that it "may" be an issue, and then tout a new, improved version that fixed things and resolved the problem (and then didn't - how many iterations of the butterfly are we on now?).

> and then didn't [resolve the problem] - how many iterations of the butterfly are we on now? Uh, the butterfly isn't used in Apple keyboards anymore. They reverted to the old scissor switch design some time ago.

After multiple generations of failure in "premium" laptops (of which I owned more than one), with barely any acknowledgement of any issue whatsoever.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#254

Post by nradov »

heavyset_go wrote: post #246
onethought wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Hard to see them doing better than car companies that have been building cars for decades. I'm sure Nokia had the same confidence in 2005.

Nokia was in a really good position and squandered it as the market shifted.

Nokia's position was weaker than it might have appeared on the surface. They had good hardware and distribution channels but were totally lacking a modern mobile device OS. The Symbian platform was garbage. Nokia never made sufficient investment into a replacement.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#255

Post by poulsbohemian »

lock-free wrote: post #80
abhinavsharma wrote: post #21

This is starting to make increasingly more sense even though Apple making a car seemed laughable a few years ago. Apple is fundamentally now a company that can move immense amounts of capital into new industries with the underlying ethos of user experience. Apple Card was perhaps a dipping of the toes moment. In theory, Tesla shouldn't be worth what it is because the tech behind it is increasingly getting commoditize…

I have an Apple Card, I'm unsure of what immense capital they're pouring into it with an underlying ethos of user experience.

RE: User experience - best card I’ve ever used. Integrates with my watch and phone in such a way that I don’t even have to pull it out to pay. Can dispute charges with a single text. Easy to see full details of spending and billing. The cash back pays for my monthly Apple One account too.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#256

Post by root_axis »

Drdrdrq wrote: post #167
sixQuarks wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Elon Musk, the guy responsible for sending humans to the space station, a feat that has only been matched by the largest governments, stated that building modern auto manufacturing is harder than building rockets.

And? Are you saying that Apple couldn't build rockets?

Why would you think Apple is capable of building rockets? They have essentially zero aerospace expertise and that type of engineering is not at all in their DNA. Sure, they have billions of dollars to burn so it's within the realm of possibility, but it would be a very inefficient use of their cash.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#257

Post by yazaddaruvala »

FireBeyond wrote: post #190
KoftaBob wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't mind that when the industries they're expanding into are uncompetitive and controlled by a small # of incumbents. When companies with the resources of a FAANG enter industries like that, they're able to make it price competitive quickly. For example, what Netflix did to the cable industry.

And now my Netflix is almost at $20/month. And $12/month for Hulu. What about Disney+? Peacock? HBO Max? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

I pay for Netflix and HBO Max, and my friends (sorry "my family") use them.

I don't pay for Disney+ or Hulu, but I use my friend's (sorry "family's") account.

Additionally, canceling any of these services is trivial, and I can stagger them month by month if I wanted.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#259

Post by tekkk »

the_duke wrote: post #177
mikece wrote: post #17

"It remains unclear who would assemble an Apple-branded car, but sources have said they expect the company to rely on a manufacturing partner to build vehicles." Does Apple have enough money (cash, line of credit capability) to simply buy an automaker? I can see where it would make the most sense to partner but having an option to buy at a later point could bring advantages to Apple.

Apple prefers to outsource the difficult, high capex, low-margin and worker rights/fair compensation encumbered aspect of their products to third parties. Buying a manufacturer would bring all of that in-house.

That is so true. Ethics are mere marketing talk when investor profits are on the line. And Foxconn is universally considered as the "evil guy" when they are just doing exactly what Apple wants them to do: manufacture the parts very cheap. I can't recall do they also assemble them too.

Re: Apple targets car production by 2024, eyes ‘next level’ battery tech: sources

#260

Post by sdan »

actuator wrote: post #186

Has Apple been poaching significant self driving talent to attempt self driving version of the electric car? Based on their consumer electronics past, Apple would probably nail the design and get the hardware mostly right. For self driving I think Apple's best bet here to me seems like licensing Waymo tech. Waymo seems to have the lead amongst all and Apple would be more interested in the complete product unlike Waym…

They acqui-hired Drive.ai which given their team, seems to be most of their self driving team.

I live in their area and haven't seen any Apple cars for years, just Lexus' with a ton of sensors plastered on top, which is their self driving team (part of their SPG division).

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