Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 992 posts

Re: Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

#31

Post by UncleOxidant »

filmgirlcw wrote: post #18

Good. This was an idea that never made any sense to me. It’s high overhead/low-margin and requires infrastructure, sales and after-sales support that just aren’t aligned with how Apple does business. It’s one thing to create a new car company (even tho those attempts usually fail), it’s another to purposefully take it on as a business line when your existing business groups prints money and have 40%+ margins. Especia…

> What surprises me is that it took this long to kill the product

Maybe I'm misremembering, but I seem to recall that it was killed once before?

Re: Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

#35

Post by jcgrillo »

exe34 wrote: post #23
jcgrillo wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But what's it for? I can tell what an electric car is for, can you tell me what "generative AI" is for? A car can transport goods and people, really good non-deterministic typeahead is just.. well, I don't know what I'd use it for, do you? EDIT: what I really mean is what makes people think this is a commercially viable thing to spend time and money on? Like, say one of these companies hits some magic jackpot and dis…

Have you missed all the people complaining that it'll put them out of business?

No, but having tried it I can't figure out what they're talking about. Seems like more NFT-esque nonsense.

Re: Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

#36

Post by JumpCrisscross »

observationist wrote: post #20
nightfly wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does everyone have to it?

Apple has a reputation to uphold, of being bleeding edge and having the best, latest, greatest tech. Their "AI" is a not-so-great scripted bot over a decade old at this point. They are laughably behind the curve. Android should see widespread deployment of Gemini baked into the next generation of phones, and this could have a significant impact on Apple.

> Apple has a reputation to uphold, of being bleeding edge and having the best, latest, greatest tech

Their reputation is of being the best. The most polished. The most accessible.

It’s never been to be on the bleeding edge. Apple’s brand is that of the perfectionists. Even in their hackiest 80s lore, the elements that rise to myth are those about resourcefulness and design.

Re: Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

#37

Post by UncleOxidant »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #14
riddlemethat wrote: post #3

This is a smart move. Apple seems so far behind in generative AI it's making Google look innovative.

> Apple seems so far behind in generative AI Apple is a best-in-class second mover. With the clusterfuck that has been generative AI (from OpenAI’s corporate drama to Google renaming and reörganizing their products every fifteen minutes) this seems prescient, with the only savvy player so far being Microsoft.

And so we'll be back to Apple vs Microsoft? Nostalgia from the aughts.

Re: Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

#39

Post by SheinhardtWigCo »

UncleOxidant wrote: post #31
filmgirlcw wrote: post #18

Good. This was an idea that never made any sense to me. It’s high overhead/low-margin and requires infrastructure, sales and after-sales support that just aren’t aligned with how Apple does business. It’s one thing to create a new car company (even tho those attempts usually fail), it’s another to purposefully take it on as a business line when your existing business groups prints money and have 40%+ margins. Especia…

> What surprises me is that it took this long to kill the product Maybe I'm misremembering, but I seem to recall that it was killed once before?

It’s been scaled down and then back up, never fully shut down.

Re: Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

#40

Post by odshoifsdhfs »

UncleOxidant wrote: post #31
filmgirlcw wrote: post #18

Good. This was an idea that never made any sense to me. It’s high overhead/low-margin and requires infrastructure, sales and after-sales support that just aren’t aligned with how Apple does business. It’s one thing to create a new car company (even tho those attempts usually fail), it’s another to purposefully take it on as a business line when your existing business groups prints money and have 40%+ margins. Especia…

> What surprises me is that it took this long to kill the product Maybe I'm misremembering, but I seem to recall that it was killed once before?

I think the Apple car has been killed maybe 10 times or more in the last decade.
Post reply on HN