Marc Newson says auto industry is ‘at the bottom of a trough’

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Marc Newson is peeved at the auto industry but he loves vintage Ferraris.
Marc Newson is peeved at the auto industry but he loves vintage Ferraris.
Photo: Spanich Coches/Flickr

It’s an open secret that Apple is poised to take on the auto industry with its rumored electric car project, and according to Apple design guru Marc Newson, the automotive industry is stalled.

In a new interview, the Apple designer touches on a number of topics, ranging from his love of fountain pens to his current design pet peeve: boring cars.

Here’s what Newson had to say about the current state of car design:

“There were moments when cars somehow encapsulated everything that was good about progress,” Newson told The Wall Street Journal. “But right now we’re at the bottom of a trough.”

Newson has designed everything from shotguns to high-speed boats, so it’ll be interesting to see what he adds to Apple’s automotive pursuits. If Cupertino’s innovative car ever makes it to market, it will likely have a few radical elements but also look ridiculously simple.

Another interesting nugget from Newson’s interview was how much time he spends daydreaming.

“I do a lot of thinking, a lot of pondering,” he said. “I rarely watch films in airplanes; I just sort of sit there, looking at the ceiling. Daydreaming is the equivalent of doodling; it’s mental doodling.”

The Apple designer also revealed his favorite app is Flightradar24, which allows him to track every plane in the world in real time and view details like their speed, destination, altitude and model.

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