Apple car

M3 MacBook Air benchmarks sound amazing, but what’s next? [The CultCast]

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M3 MacBook Air promo image with The CultCast logo (episode 637).
These new MacBook Airs sound like absolute screamers.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Surprise! Apple drops new MacBook Airs with M3 chips inside. The new laptops’ specs and first benchmarks make the performance boost sound quite impressive indeed. But what should we expect next for the MacBook, and when should we expect it?

Join us for a titillating conversation about the current state (and future) of Apple’s laptops.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple launched the M3 MacBook Airs with amazing specs, but nothing but a press release. Sounds like it’s about to do the same with new iPads. There’s a lot to look forward to if you’re a fan of Apple tablets.
  • An inside look at the canceled Apple car project offers fascinating details about crazy prototypes, dashed dreams and crushing indecision.
  • How cool would a MacBook with a folding 20-inch screen be?
  • The European Union demands a cool 1.8 billion euros from Apple over its dealings with Spotify. Sounds like a shakedown!
  • iOS 17.4 brings some useful new features to your iPhone, and Griffin tells us all about the best ones.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

How indecision and hubris killed the Apple car

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A Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle
One Apple car prototype reportedly looked something like one of Canoo's microbus-style vehicles.
Photo: Canoo

The history of the Apple car is littered with wild prototypes, astonishing hubris and a deadly dose of crippling indecision, according to a damning report that offers the best picture yet of the secretive Project Titan.

It sounds like many Apple employees — and even key execs — viewed the self-driving car project as a doomed effort nearly from the start.

“The big arc was poor leadership that let the program linger, while everyone else in Apple was cringing,” said an anonymous Apple executive who worked on Project Titan.

If you want to know how a massive research and development project can crash and burn, this new behind-the-scenes account of Project Titan will show you how. It’s filled with gory details of unachievable goals, chaotic management, bad decisions (and sometimes no decisions at all).

Apple car comes to a screeching halt [The CultCast]

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An AI-generated Apple-branded electric car, with The CultCast logo and
After Project Titan crashes and burns, Apple goes all in on artificial intelligence.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulled the plug on Project Titan, its not-so-secret, decade-long effort to build a self-driving electric car. After spending a reported $10 billion on R&D, the moonshot Apple car project winds up canceled — in favor of generative AI!

Let’s just say we have some opinions.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple’s FineWoven iPhone cases don’t seem to hold up so well. In fact, a high-profile journo says hers is “browning like a rotten banana.” What gives?
  • Apple Arcade’s shifting mission means kids will be winners (but indie devs will be losers).
  • Waiting for a second-gen Vision Pro that will be lighter, brighter and less expensive? You might want to rethink that plan.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Canceling the Apple car is a sensible move we should celebrate

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A cute two-door car with an Apple logo
An Apple car may have been a fun experiment, but nothing more.
Image: Marc Newson/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Even as a big car enthusiast (and a bigger AI pessimist), I see Apple’s cancellation of its electric car project in favor of tackling AI as nothing but good news.

Apple pulled the plug Tuesday on the doomed Project Titan, its decade-long attempt at building a self-driving electric car. The company reportedly will reassign software engineers from the autonomous vehicle project to work on generative AI.

Some of my colleagues here at Cult of Mac find the Apple car cancellation depressing and sad. And, yes, it was always fun imagining what an Apple car would be like. However, Apple’s now-abandoned car strategy is already being executed at the peak of what’s possible by every other automaker. And whereas OpenAI, Google and Facebook clearly aren’t remotely interested in waiting for an ethical solution to their many, many problems, I think Apple has the best chance of bringing about positive change in this field.

Killing the Apple car is depressing and sad

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Front view of a glossy white luxury car with an Apple logo
Apple's now-canceled car project was one of Silicon Valley's worst-kept secrets.
AI image: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s reported cancellation of its electric car project strikes me as one of the most demoralizing decisions the company has ever made. And I’m not sure which is worse, the Apple car cancellation, or the revelation of how Cupertino plans to reroute most of Project Titan’s brainpower.

The long-rumored Apple car was never a done deal, obviously. But it stood out as a moonshot project capable of transforming transportation and improving our everyday lives.

Now we find out that Apple won’t be going to the moon. Instead, Cupertino might be taking a me-too detour to Gibberish City.

Apple car crashes to a halt

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Apple car canceled
Apple pulls the plug on one of Silicon Valley's worst-kept secrets: its self-driving electric car project.
Photo: Precious Madubuike/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

In a somewhat shocking development, Apple reportedly completely canceled all development on its self-driving car program on Tuesday.

The company is shifting its emphasis to artificial intelligence, instead.

We survived Vision Pro preorder chaos! [The CultCast]

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Vision Pro headset, The CultCast episode 631
Did you get yours or did the bots beat you to it?
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Vision Pro preorders didn’t exactly go smoothly last week. In our post-mortem, we discuss what went right, what went wrong, and why we can’t wait to finally get our hands on Apple’s headset.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple plans to radically change the App Store … for Europeans.
  • An update on new iPads and new Macs that seem poised to pop out of Tim Cook’s magic pipeline.
  • The Apple car is still on the road to release. However, it might arrive a little later (and a lot less amazing) than we were led to believe.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Finally, Apple car coming in 2028

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Interior of a Tesla car with text
With the Apple car project facing drastic cutbacks in the ambition department, insiders reported it might be a "Tesla 'me-too product.'"
Photo: Roberto Nickson/Unsplash License/Cult of Mac

Apple still plans to put a car on the road, but the release date for the Apple car is sometime in 2028, according to a new report.

Designers had to slam the brakes on hopes for full self-driving capabilities. The electric vehicle allegedly will offer some driver-assistance capabilities but these will fall far short of full autonomy. Still, with the downgraded feature set, the product has a better chance of hitting its deadline than before.

Why we’re loving iPhone 15 Pro and new Apple Watches [The CultCast]

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The CultCast logo, episode 614: A heart!
Hear our first hands-on impressions of iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Photo: Nicola Fioravanti/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After nearly a week with Apple’s new hardware, we’re serving up our first hands-on impressions. Is the iPhone 15 Pro Max too big — and/or too hot — to handle? Is Apple Watch Ultra 2 worth the upgrade? What about Apple Watch Series 9?

And seriously, Apple … you call that pink?

Also on The CultCast:

  • Griffin runs us through some of the coolest new features in macOS Sonoma.
  • OMG we’ve already got iPhone 16 rumors.
  • And we wrap up with a couple of big fat bummers from our favorite source of Apple insider info and tech haikus.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Another Apple employee allegedly caught stealing self-driving car tech for China

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Until the Apple Car is officially announced, all we have are concepts like this one.
The Apple car is still on the drawing board, but that doesn't stop Chinese companies from wanting to steal details of it.
Concept: Midjourney/Cult of Mac

An Apple employee was recently indicted for allegedly transferring trade secrets about self-driving car technology to a Chinese company. This marks the third such incident.

The cases seem quite similar: Chinese companies hire the workers, who then get caught attempting to bring Apple’s proprietary information with them when they leave the United States.

Today in Apple history: Apple teams with Volkswagen for iBeetle car

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The first Apple car, a collaboration with VW known as the iBeetle, rolls onto the scene.
The first Apple car, a collaboration with VW known as the iBeetle, rolls onto the scene.
Photo: Volkswagen

April 22: Today in Apple history: Apple teams with VW for the iBeetle. It's the first Apple car! April 22, 2013: The world gets its first Apple car. Well, kind of.

In reality, the iBeetle is a collaboration with German automaker Volkswagen that offers a car “stylistically linked” to Apple. This means Apple-inspired colors, a built-in docking station for your iPhone, and a special app that lets you control the car’s features.

Apple car just got a lot less ambitious

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It looks like Apple's car will have a steering wheel after all.
It looks like Apple's car will have a steering wheel after all.
Photo: Anna Vi/Unsplash License

Apple’s plan for a completely autonomous vehicle has gone back onto the drawing board, according to a reliable source. The company supposedly is still prepping an electric car but the self-driving capabilities much more limited.

The Apple car could reach customers in about four years.

Apple car is a hit before it’s even announced

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Apple CarPlay's interface will be more integrated, and perhaps more Apple Car-like, in iOS 16
Apple CarPlay's interface in iOS 16 may reveal the instrument panel for a future Apple Car.
Photo: Apple

Although Apple has yet to even admit it’s working on a self-driving electric vehicle, plenty of people want to buy a car from Cupertino. Almost a third of recent car buyers say they’d consider an Apple car. And that includes more than half of Tesla owners.

It seems clear that if the Mac-maker can transform itself into an automaker, it could have a real hit on its hands.

Apple car gets a Lambo injection [The CultCast]

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The CultCast: Spoiler alert: The Apple car probably won't look like a Lamborghini.
Spoiler alert: The Apple car probably won't look like a Lamborghini.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple’s electric self-driving car project apparently just landed a bigwig from Lamborghini. Does this mean the hiding-in-plain-sight Apple car is back on track?

Also on The CultCast:

  • Why we didn’t see an M1 Mac Pro — and why we never will.
  • Saudi Arabia’s crazy glass building sounds unbelievable.
  • Anker makes GaN charging even faster and more efficient.
  • The EU’s new Digital Markets Act could bring big changes for Apple and the App Store.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Our sponsor: CultCloth

Get the only cleaning cloth you need: CultCloth!

Former Lamborghini exec will help steer Apple car design team

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Apple's new hire worked on this model, a Lamborghini Huracan.
Apple's new hire worked on this model, a Lamborghini Huracan.
Photo: Lamborghini

A former Lamborghini executive recently joined Apple to lead design of the company’s long-rumored self-driving car, according to a new report Wednesday.

As Apple works toward releasing an electric vehicle before the end of this decade, the addition of Luigi Taraborrelli, who worked for the fabled Italian automaker for 20 years, could accelerate the project.

Apple car won’t need a steering wheel

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Apple Car: Hyundai Ioniq Electric x Apple Mouse
The Apple car might never need a driver, just passengers.
Concept: LeaseFetcher

You’ll never get behind the wheel of an Apple car. That’s because the Mac-maker’s plan is a fully autonomous vehicle, according to a trove of information about the upcoming car that came to light Monday. That means no steering wheel and no brake pedal.

But Apple does not yet have a car that’s capable of reliably driving itself. And at least one high-level exec sounds skeptical that it ever will.

Cupertino recruits veteran Ford exec for Apple car team

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Ford took the Apple Car chief, now Cupertino takes another veteran leader from Ford.
Ford took the Apple car chief, now Cupertino takes another veteran leader from Ford.
Photo: Peter Trones/Unsplash License

Accelerating work on its self-driving electric vehicle project, Apple recruited veteran Ford engineer and executive Desi Ujkashevic to join the team.

The move comes after various stalls and road bumps in Cupertino’s secretive Project Titan in recent years, including Ford luring away Apple car chief Doug Field last year.

Apple Car team was ‘dissolved’ but vehicle still coming in 2025

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Making a car could produce a massive windfall for Apple.
An Apple autonomous vehicle could still be on the road in just a few years, despite a reorg of the development team.
Photo: Possessed Photography/Unsplash CC

The group at Apple developing a self-driving electric car has been “dissolved for some time,” according to a reliable source of insider information. But the project supposedly hasn’t been canceled — it’s undergoing a reorganization.

This is likely a reflection of the many difficulties Apple has run into with this very complex project.

Apple tasks South Korean firm with building autopilot chips for its first car

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Apple's actual plans for car remain secretive, with a launch likely at least a couple years away.
Apple's actual plans for car remain secretive, with a launch likely at least a couple years away.
Photo: Vanarama

Apple will use autopilot chips built by a South Korean firm in its first self-driving car, according to a new report.

The two companies joined forces around a year ago and are said to be working on a chipset package that is likely to include a CPU, GPU, memory and imaging interface to “oversee AI computations.”

Incoming: New features in iOS 15.4, new gear at Apple’s March event [The CultCast]

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The CultCast: Face ID might play nice with masks in the near future. Better late than never!
Face ID might play nice with masks in the near future. Better late than never!
Photo: Julio Lopez/Unsplash license; Image: Killian Bell, Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 15.4 packs a punch with some fun and useful new features. It’s still just a beta, but it will give us lots of new emoji for our critical, high-level communications when it goes live. Plus, the beta includes a convenient new way to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask — just in time for the end of the pandemic! 🤞

Also on The CultCast:

  • An Apple event in March looks quite likely.
  • Mini-LED iMac Pro might be delayed.
  • An Apple car patent sheds light on an advanced sunroof.
  • How to download Wordle, just in case The New York Times screws up the popular game.
  • Donkey talk!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below (down by the headlines and donkey links).

Hey Siri, darken the sunroof glass in my Apple Car

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This Apple Car concept is unrelated to the patent, but at least it shows a sunroof.
This Apple Car concept is unrelated to the patent, but at least it shows a sunroof.
Photo: Vanarama

The rumored Apple Car may not be on the verge of rolling off the assembly line, but someday a version of it may have sunroof glass that you can darken or lighten with the touch of a button or with a Siri command.

That’s according to a patent the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Apple this week for a sunroof with variable-opacity glass. That means a driver could adjust its transparency.

What it will take to push Apple to $4 trillion

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Apple MacBook cash dollars money
Apple will be at a $4 trillion marker capitalization before you know it. Here’s why.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Two monumental events happened this week. Apple became the first U.S. company to be worth an astonishing $3 trillion. And a day later came the official end of BlackBerry — a series of phones that once dominated the market.

The collapse of BlackBerry is proof that today’s winners aren‘t inevitably tomorrow’s. While in the coming years Apple could become the first company to reach $4 trillion, it also could start down a path that ends in failure.

Here’s some of what Apple will do so it doesn’t end up like BlackBerry.

Smackdown: M1 MacBook Pro vs. $15,000 Mac Pro [The CultCast]

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The CultCast: M1 MacBook Pro vs. Mac Pro: The results will shock you!
The results will shock you!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Just how well does a new $3,500 M1 Max MacBook Pro perform against a $15,000 Mac Pro that’s only two years old? The results from the latest tests and benchmarks are simply insane.

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple plans to make a totally autonomous car — with no steering wheel or pedals! And it might show up by 2025.
  • Leander’s Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition coffee table book is on sale for just $9.99.
  • And our favorite TV shows in an all-new “What We’re Into” segment.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Apple aims to build self-driving car with no steering wheel

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Apple reportedly wants to eliminate the steering wheel and pedals from its autonomous vehicle.
Apple reportedly wants to eliminate the steering wheel and pedals from its autonomous vehicle.
Photo: Samuele Errico Piccarini/Unsplash CC

Apple is reportedly committed to making a car capable of driving completely autonomously. The new head of the project won’t be satisfied with a vehicle with only limited capabilities.

The car might not need a steering wheel or pedals at all. And it could be on the road by 2025.