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posted by CoolHand on Tuesday October 18 2016, @05:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the can't-make-cars-from-fruit dept.

http://jalopnik.com/apple-gives-up-on-building-its-own-car-because-the-enti-1787875242

-- submitted from IRC

1st Gear: The Apple Car Is No More

Building cars is hard. Tesla knows that. Google learned it the hard way too. And the latest tech giant to discover limits to its car-building ambitions is Apple, which according to Bloomberg , has given up on making its own car.

Granted, I've always thought that Apple's ultimate aim was to develop software or technology it could use to partner with existing automakers, rather than its own vehicle, but now that definitely seems to be the case. Now Apple is focused on creating autonomous systems for other companies.


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Tuesday October 18 2016, @06:44PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday October 18 2016, @06:44PM (#415791) Journal

    It's because of the closed architecture.

    It's because they'll buy parts from manufacturers who've been in that business long before Apple, and then sue them over rectangular tires with rounded corners. Or doors with slide to unlock.

    It's because it will only run on iFuel. You'll have to stand in line for two days to buy it. You have to meet the minimum required level of smugness. None of the drive train parts are serviceable. Just upgrade to the iCar2.

    Or maybe because there's this culture that Apple's products have some kind of magical pixy dust that nobody else has. Their engineers are somehow showered in golden starlight while other engineers at other companies are not. Or that Apple's screens are made of an unbreakable layer of thinly sliced genuine unicorn horns. That somehow everything Apple touches is somehow better in some undefinable and indescribable way.

    Believe me, I've seen this attitude in Apple zealots. Disclaimer: back in the 1980's and 90's I was a card carrying Apple fanboy. But when Apple stopped being a great company, I woke up.

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  • (Score: 1) by Francis on Tuesday October 18 2016, @08:39PM

    by Francis (5544) on Tuesday October 18 2016, @08:39PM (#415836)

    If smugness is a factor, then of course they gave up. How on earth did they expect to beat Toyota for the smug demographic of car owners?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @09:25PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @09:25PM (#415864)

      Toyota??? Don't you mean Tesla?

      • (Score: 2) by butthurt on Wednesday October 19 2016, @03:46AM

        by butthurt (6141) on Wednesday October 19 2016, @03:46AM (#415985) Journal

        Tesla bought part of the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California. NUMMI was a joint venture between GM and Toyota. Some of the cars built there were sold under the Toyota marque in Japan. I imagine that purchasers could feel smug about having a car that was designed in Japan but built in California, much as Apple's customers can feel smug about having an electronic item that was designed in California but built in China.

        • (Score: 3, Funny) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday October 19 2016, @04:54AM

          by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Wednesday October 19 2016, @04:54AM (#416008)

          I lived near there when Toyota and Chevrolet tried that joint venture.
          At the time we would joke that:
          "Toyota and Chevrolet are making a car together, it's going to be called the Toyolet....."

          --
          Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
          • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday October 19 2016, @02:32PM

            by Bot (3902) on Wednesday October 19 2016, @02:32PM (#416148) Journal

            > it's going to be called the Toyolet.....
            LOL may I suggest an additional partner: SEAT.

            --
            Account abandoned.
      • (Score: 2) by Webweasel on Wednesday October 19 2016, @10:03AM

        by Webweasel (567) on Wednesday October 19 2016, @10:03AM (#416076) Homepage Journal

        He's referring to the southpark episode where the residents are smug from buying the Toyota Prius.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smug_Alert! [wikipedia.org]

        --
        Priyom.org Number stations, Russian Military radio. "You are a bad, bad man. Do you have any other virtues?"-Runaway1956
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @08:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @08:47PM (#415845)

    > It's because of the closed architecture.

    Ha! I'm seeing no doors, you enter and exit the car through the window openings, like in NASCAR. Only the skinny and limber need apply.