Bob Mansfield

Apple’s autonomous car unit gets a new driver

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The Apple Car won‘t look anything like this. At all.
The Apple autonomous vehicle project is now part of the company’s AI division.
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple’s self-driving car division is reportedly on the move, but not in the usual way. The project has been transferred into Apple’s artificial intelligence division.

The reorg comes at the retirement of Bob Mansfield, who’d been managing the company’s not-so-secret autonomous vehicle development.

Tim Cook is ready to testify in Qualcomm trial

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Tim Cook talks diversity, sustainability, and coming out as gay
We doubt that Tim Cook will look quite so happy on the day.
Safari: Apple

Tim Cook will offer testimony as part of Apple’s legal battle with Qualcomm. Cook will discuss Apple’s business practices, strategy, agreements with cellular network carriers, and more.

He’s not the only senior Apple executive ready to talk, either. Former hardware boss Bob Mansfield, current COO Jeff Williams, SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller and others will chime in as part of the case.

Sketchy rumor claims Apple is making an electric minibus

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VW van
Apple reportedly wants to get into the minivan business.
Photo: VW

Apple’s long-rumored self-driving car project might not churn out a car at all. Instead, it might just be an electric minibus.

According to a sketchy new rumor, Apple engineers have supposedly created a new minibus, which should be able to drive autonomously, if it ever hits the road.

Ex-NASA engineers lead Apple’s self-driving car team

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lexus
The 2015 Lexus RX450h is Apple's vehicle of choice.
Photo: Lexus

Apple is tapping into some of the brilliant minds behind NASA’s recent project for its self-driving car concept, according to new documents that unmask some of the scientists on the team.

A new filing from the California DMV reveals the identity of the six drivers listed on Apple’s self-driving permit, some of whom weren’t even known to be working for Cupertino.

From tiny innovations to big brawls, this is how Apple rolled in 2016

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Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac 2016 sent Apple for a wild ride full of fantastic new products, crazy controversies and tons of extra drama with its rivals.

Tim Cook and his colleagues probably can’t wait to jump into 2017. But before we start looking toward Apple’s future, let’s take a quick look back at all the stories that made 2016 a year Apple fans will never forget.

Google’s self-driving minivans are finally here

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Meet Waymo's self-driving minivan.
Meet Waymo's self-driving minivan.
Photo: Waymo

Waymo offered a first look at its fleet of hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivans today, showing off vehicles that pack an array of sensors and software that enable autonomous operation.

The self-driving fleet of 100 minivans from Waymo (which is run by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) will hit the streets in early 2017.

Apple squeezes Blackberry to build carOS

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Ford CarPlay
CarPlay has a new podcasts player.
Photo: Ford

The rotting corpse of Blackberry Ltd. may provide the extra juice needed to get Apple’s car project rolling.

Apple has reportedly poached key engineers from BlackBerry’s QNX team in Canada to help develop the operating system for its self-driving car. And the iPhone-maker has set up shop just five-minutes away from the QNX offices.

iPhone 7 launch date leaks and Apple Car rumors heat back up on The CultCast

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dual-camera iphone 7 render
The wait is almost over.
Image: feldvolk.com

This week, on The CultCast: iPhone 7 gets a new 3D Touch home button and a reported September 9th pre-order date! Plus: we may be just weeks away from Apple’s Macbook Pro and Apple Watch 2 launch event; the big gun is back—Apple puts Big Bob Mansfield at the helm of their top secret Apple Car project; one of the internet’s best web series is now an Apple Music exclusive; and stick around for apps, man—we’ve got some sweet picks for you.

Our thanks to TunnelBear, the simple privacy app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet, for supporting this episode. Visit GetTunnelBear.com to get your free TunnelBear today.

Apple turns car ambitions toward self-driving system

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CarPlay
Your next car probably won't have an Apple logo.
Photo: Hyundai

As Apple’s “secret” electric car project gains momentum, the company continues to pick up top talent for their automotive experience.

Its latest hire is Dan Dodge, founder and former CEO of QNX, who was recently the head of BlackBerry’s automotive software team. The move comes after “Project Titan,” the codename for Apple Car, started to take a whole new direction.

Apple puts Bob Mansfield in driving seat for secret car project

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ipad-2-Keynote-088
This is what he looks like when he's driving it.
Photo: Apple

Bob Mansfield has been chosen to head up Apple’s “secret” electric car project three years after stepping down from his executive role, according to a new report.

Mansfield was previously in charge of Mac hardware at Apple and led development of products like the MacBook Air, iMac and iPad.

Bob Mansfield Removed From Apple Exec Team, But Still Working On “Special Projects” For Tim Cook

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bob mansfield

Veteran Apple executive Bob Mansfield is no longer a member of the company’s executive team. But that doesn’t mean he has left altogether. Mansfield is still working in an unknown capacity on “special projects” for Tim Cook. He was previously responsible for leading the new Technologies group that was formed during the big executive shakeup last year.

4 Of The 5 Highest-Paid Execs In The U.S. Work For Apple

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Apple-highest-paid

Four out of the five highest-paid executives in the United States work for Apple, Bloomberg Businessweek reports, but not one of them is CEO Tim Cook.

According to fiscal 2012 compensation figures for top earners filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Apple’s Bob Mansfield, Bruce Sewell, Jeffrey Williams, and Peter Oppenheimer join Oracle CEO Larry Ellison to make up the top five corporate earners last year.

Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch Plans To Defect Over To Apple

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Adobe’s CTO, Kevin Lynch, may be looking to switch from Adobe over to Apple. According to a tweet from CNBC, the high level Adobe Exec is leaving the company to join Apple.

Adobe submitted an SEC filing on Wednesday, March 18th, that confirms Lynch left the company “to pursue other opportunities.” Per item 5.02.b in that SEC filing:

On March 18, 2013, Kevin Lynch resigned from his position as Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, of Adobe Systems Incorporated, effective March 22, 2013, to pursue other opportunities.

Intel Once Again Rumored To Be Working On iOS Device Chips With Apple

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A6

Apple has been using Intel’s desktop processors in the Mac since 2005. The next-gen Haswell processor is expected to come in the next iteration of the iMac.

For years, a reoccurring rumor has been that Intel will eventually provide mobile processors for iOS devices. But Apple has been designing its own ‘A series’ of chips for the iPhone and iPad based on ARM. Would Apple really abandon what it’s doing on ARM for Intel, a chip maker that’s been really struggling on mobile?

Now another report claims that Apple and Intel have recently discussed a mobile partnership.

Apple Veteran Exec Bob Mansfield Cashes $20 Million In Stock

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Bob Mansfield

Longtime Apple executive Bob Mansfield just had a big pay day, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mansfield just cashed in 35,000 shares of Apple stock valued at $582.21 per share, earning him $20.37 million.

After announcing his retirement but then staying on at Apple to lead the company’s mysterious new “Technologies” group, Mansfield now reports directly to CEO Tim Cook. He’s just as instrumental to the company’s success as ever.

Apple Looking To Drop Intel On Mac For ARM-Based Processors From iOS [Report]

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apple_intel

For years, the rumor mill has been saying that Apple is looking to ditch Intel’s processors in the Mac lineup. Since the rise of iOS, Apple’s own “A” series chips have powered products like the iPhone and the iPad. Apple is a company known for wanting complete control over every facet of product design, including the innards of its iPhones and Macs.

Apple has partnered with Intel on the Mac for the past seven years, but internal changes within the Cupertino company could see the Mac move to ARM-based processors in the near future.

The Real Reason Behind Bob Mansfield’s Un-Retirement

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bobby

Along with this week’s surprising news that Scott Forstall is leaving Apple, Tim Cook also announced that Bob Mansfield is planning to stay with Apple for two more years. Just last June, Mansfield had decided that he was going to retire, but now he’s quickly decided he’s not ready to leave just yet, and will stay on to run a new Technologies unit.

Why the sudden change of heart? According to a new report, Mansfield and Scott Forstall haven’t gotten along too well, and when news surfaced that Forstall was on the way out, Mansfield decided Apple would be a lovely place to work at again.

The Many Reasons Behind The Demise Of Scott Forstall’s Apple Career

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Forstall
Forstall refused to say sorry for Apple's half-baked Maps app, but that isn't the only reason why he's on his way out.
Photo: Apple

Scott Forstall was destined for big things at Apple. Originally part of Steve Jobs’s NeXT team, he spent 15 years with the Cupertino company and spearheaded its hugely successful iOS software division. Many believed he would succeed Tim Cook as CEO later on, but on Monday, but the chances of that happening looked impossible when Apple announced Forstall was on his way out.

The news came as a shock to us all, but it seems there are several reasons why Apple had to remove Forstall from its executive team — it seems refusing to apologize for the whole Maps debacle wasn’t the only one.

Apple Announces Major Executive Shakeup: iOS Guru Scott Forstall And New Retail Chief John Browett Leaving The Company

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Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 5.16.36 PM

Apple has announced its biggest executive shakeup since Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO.

The biggest surprise is the departure of Scott Forstall, a longtime Apple executive and the senior vice president of iOS Software. Forstall was the major architect of Apple’s mobile software and had been tipped as a possible future CEO. He will be leaving the company next year. He is serving as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook until his departure in 2013.

The other big surprise is the departure of Apple’s newest executive, John Browett, head of Apple ‘s retail division. Browett is leaving after running Apple’s stores for less than a year.

As part of the reshuffling, Apple’s head of design, Sir Jonathan, gets a major promotion. As well as leading Industrial Design, Ive will also run the company’s Human Interface department. Ive will be in charge of the all-important product interfaces in both hardware and software, a role previously fulfilled by the late Steve Jobs.