Mikey Campbell
After massive investments into self-driving car technology, Apple is transitioning away from a branded vehicle in favor of a shuttle service that will transport employees between corporate buildings, according to an in-depth report published Tuesday.
Citing sources familiar with Apple's "Project Titan," The New York Times reports the company will partner with an established automaker on a self-driving shuttle testbed. Apple is to supply autonomous driving technology, while the car maker provides a commercial vehicle fleet.
Dubbed PAIL, an acronym for Palo Alto to Infinite Loop, the pilot program will carry Apple employees from one Silicon Valley office to another. Exactly when the driverless shuttles will hit the road is unknown, though such vehicles would be a welcome addition to the soon-to-open Apple Park in Cupertino, Calif.
Beyond PAIL, the report includes a few interesting details about "Titan," which for all intents and purposes has been put on ice.
Apple started work on its self-driving car initiative in 2014, with rumors of the effort leaking out in early 2015. AppleInsider was first to detail key aspects of the initiative being carried out in secret offices in and around Cupertino.
At one point, Apple had well over 1,000 employees tasked to the project, ranging from automotive hardware to software. According to today's report, the company was looking to build a car from scratch, much like it did with iPhone. The effort included motorized car doors and a complete rethinking of what a car's interior should include — and not include.
For example, the team investigated designs that lacked basic control equipment like a steering wheel or gas pedals. Other ideas involved a globe-like steering wheel that afforded better lateral movement than traditional designs.
AppleInsider sources said Apple's ambitious undertaking hit roadblocks in late 2015. The Times corroborates the internal discord, saying things began to unravel as disagreements between team leaders like former project lead Steve Zadesky and top executives took root.
In particular, one contingent wanted to build a semi-autonomous car in the same vein as Tesla's Autopilot-equipped vehicles, while another camp, led by CDO Jony Ive, pushed for a fully autonomous platform. The car's operating system, which according to The Times was dubbed "CarOS," was another bone of contention. Some sought to build the software off Apple's Swift programming language, while others wanted to employ C++.
After longtime exec Bob Mansfield assumed control of "Titan" last year, the team was whittled down to necessary personnel as the project refocused on software and supporting solutions. Apple is now rebuilding the group, but with a renewed emphasis on specialists in autonomous systems, not car production, today's report said.
Most recently, Apple obtained a self-driving car permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and commenced testing of its autonomous technology using a small fleet of Lexus RX450h SUVs.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
William Gallagher
124 Comments
Good idea for proof of concept; Beta testing as it were. This is not the first time Apple has developed something for in-house use. If it proves successful it may find its way to us. Thinking of Keynote. Yeah, I know, a lot more complicated, but stil . . .
Notice the arguments are about what kind of car to build, not whether they should—design arguments. Apple car is on the cards. You'd need to be horizontal not to see. I mean, how dare they test their software before announcing a vehicle.
I can see why there would be these specific arguments regarding an electric vehicle at Apple. No stone left unturned. No panicked rush to market. Meanwhile however, Tesla's lead with continue. I've no doubt Apple has more design talent than Tesla, but Tesla are, you know, shipping.
This makes no sense. This use would be so trivial as to be a complete waste of talent, time and money. If this is, instead just a way to get experience, then it could be useful, but the article doesn’t seem to be saying that.
i also have strong doubts that Apple could have a wide success with a real CarOS. There are several entrenched competitors in this field. And yes, I know that Apple has faced entrenched industries before. But it really needs to be remembered that Apple made its success in those industries with software based hardware, not just software. Why would car makers want Apple’s OS? If Apple is as restrictive about sending info back to the car makers as they are with other clients, such as the Ad agencies, then the car makers will have the same reaction. Which is to move away. And if Apple doesn’t, then Apple will lose its voice as the holder of privacy for its customers.
So without an actual vehicle for this OS effort, I don’t see it going anywhere, unless fleets take a shine to it, and that seems very un Apple-like.
Well at least everyone on board the autonomous bus will be an Apple employee. Makes for a slight reduction in insurance premiums on said buses...
Autonomy means I don't have to drive, which is great, but that's why enjoy using a bus—I would not need to drive regardless of a human or bot driver. So there's not much added value for passengers unless the said bus is measurably more safe.