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from the when-all-you-have-is-$160-billion dept.
AudioGuy writes:
"Adrian Perica is a very busy man. Over the past 18 months, the mergers and acquisitions chief at Apple has been scouring the globe looking for deals, snatching up everything from search engines and data analytics to mapping software and motion tracking chips.
A source tells The Chronicle that Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cupertino last spring at around the same time analysts suggested Apple acquire the electric car giant.
The newspaper has also learned that Apple is heavily exploring medical devices, specifically sensor technology that can help predict heart attacks. Led by Tomlinson Holman, a renowned audio engineer who invented THX and 10.2 surround sound, Apple is exploring ways to predict heart attacks by studying the sound blood makes at it flows through arteries.
Taken together, Apple's potential forays into automobiles and medical devices, two industries worlds away from consumer electronics, underscore the company's deep desire to move away from iPhones and iPads and take big risks.
Good grief. Is the 'iTesla next in the 'i' line?"
(Score: 5, Funny) by pablo_max on Wednesday February 19 2014, @08:23PM
Just what we all need. Driving made simple. Only one peddle and no reverse gear.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by mmcmonster on Wednesday February 19 2014, @08:34PM
If you've never been in a Tesla, you'd be surprised.
There are two peddles (accelerate and stop). But no ignition switch or even a start/off button. The car just starts up when you open the door. Also, your gear switch only has Forward/Reverse/Neutral. No gears to change.
Almost all the controls are on the touch screen. The only physical buttons not on the steering wheel (if I recall correctly) are for hazard lights and to open the glove compartment. (Personally don't like that, BTW. Tactile feedback is useful when trying to make simple changes while driving. Presumably most common changes can be made by the buttons on the steering wheel.)
Not sure how Apple would be able to minimize on that.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by tftp on Thursday February 20 2014, @12:59AM
Prius has the same controls, except that it has the on/off button (a good thing!) and it has lots of buttons on the steering wheel. There are touch controls on the MFD, but they are optional and you do not need to hit them when you drive.
I prefer to have the on/off button because there should be a clear difference between being in the car and operating the car. You can even give the mechanical key to someone to open your car, but he won't be able to drive it.
But, in the end, all those improvements are irrelevant. The only important measure of a car is how well it can transport you and your belongings from point A to point B. You can glue an AI to a golf cart, and it would look cool, but the golf cart will not become a viable long range car.
One of my friends mentioned to me that I may want to replace my Prius with Tesla... but I really see no point in going EV. My gas expenses are microscopic, I cannot even measure them without a spreadsheet. A Tesla will never pay for itself - neither in my case, nor in many other. It's just an added risk with no reward. It may be a good 17th car in the garage of a billionaire, driven around the block once a month. But it is not a practical car. In do not want to even think about charging the car every night, I have other things to do. I want a car that I can jump into and drive from San Diego to Seattle. A Prius can do it. That's reliable. Everything else is a glorified golf cart for sunny days.
(Score: 1) by computermachine on Wednesday February 19 2014, @10:13PM
Every iCar will come equipped with Time Machine!