Apple’s self-driving car project just shifted to a new level this week thanks to California’s DMV which just gave Apple an official permit to test autonomous vehicles on public roads.
Google’s self-driving minivans are finally here
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 is hiring more automotive mapping experts
Apple’s continuing to ramp up its automotive mapping experts by poaching employees from the German company Here, owned by Audi, BMW, and Daimler.
A new report claims that Apple has hired around a dozen employees over the past several months for software or mapping-related roles.
Apple’s secret car project is less secret than ever
If there was doubt Apple is moving forward with development of a self-driving car program, events over the last week show Cupertino is indeed mapping out a course.
An Apple patent application for an autonomous vehicle collision-avoidance system published Thursday is the second public acknowledgment that Cupertino is very much in the game.
Apple loses three members of PR team to Ford and Tesla
Just as Cupertino is scaling back its automotive ambitions, key members of the Apple PR team have left the company for car manufacturers.
Apple’s first AR product may arrive by 2018
Apple’s stalling autonomous car project caused the company to shift its attention to augmented reality, according to analyst Ming Chi Kuo, who says the company is racing ahead of the competition when it comes to AR.
In a new note to investors, the KGI Securities analyst says Apple’s decision to develop a self-driving platform instead of an entire electric car makes sense. The company will use augmented reality to provide an incredible experience, he predicts.
Apple squeezes Blackberry to build carOS
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.
Hundreds of employees move on as Apple Car project stalls
Apple’s “Project Titan” automotive project is not enjoying a smooth ride, according to a new report that claims the company is no longer interested in building an Apple Car.
McLaren slams the brakes on Apple buyout rumors
The dream of owning an Apple supercar has crashed before it even had time to crash.
World-famous luxury car maker McLaren quickly issued an official denial to a report from this morning that claimed Apple is engaged in acquisition talks with the company.
Apple taps ‘Foxconn for cars’ to gain Project Titan expertise
If Apple ever decides to sell a car it may hire Magna International Inc. to do all the manufacturing.
The Ontario-based company is quickly becoming the Foxconn of car building. And after scoring contracts with VW, BMW and Aston Martin they’re now talking with Apple.
Faraday Future poaches Apple Car’s navigation engineer
Apple’s efforts to build a self-driving electric car hit another speed bump recently after the company lost its navigation engineer to electric car startup Faraday Future.
Computer vision and vehicle navigation specialist Bart Nabbe was working with Apple’s not-so-secret Project Titan team for nearly the last two years, but his LinkedIn profile now shows that he’s at Faraday Future serving as the director of strategic partnerships.
Apple Car may use hollow batteries to stay cool
Apple might team up with “expert technologists in batteries” from South Korea to create hollow lithium-ion power cells that will fuel the upcoming Apple Car, according to a new report.
While the name of the South Korean company hasn’t been revealed due to a nondisclosure agreement with Apple, it’s supposedly comprised of just 20 people. The South Korean team reportedly joined Apple’s secretive Project Titan automotive effort earlier this year, and the battery innovations could help the Apple Car stand out from the competition.
How the Apple Car will make you money, and more fun about robot vehicles [Kahney’s Korner]
The old adage is that new cars depreciate the minute you buy them. However, the rumored Apple car might be the first vehicle to actually make you money after you drive it off the lot.
If Apple’s car is autonomous, it’ll earn its keep delivering people or goods when you’re not using it. So says Paul Godsmark, a robocar consultant and one of the leading experts on the upcoming autonomous vehicle revolution.
In this fascinating interview, Godsmark talks about the enormous changes that are coming up fast with self-driving vehicles, including Project Titan, the rumored Apple Car.
Buckle up! Everything is about to change dramatically — from the way we travel to the way we work.
Apple turns car ambitions toward self-driving system
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
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.
Apple’s secret electric car hits a speed bump
Drivers won’t be hitting the highways in Apple’s self-driving vehicle at all this decade.
Apple has reportedly pushed back the goal launch date of its secretive electric car project that has been in the works since 2014. Previous rumors claimed Project Titan is aiming for an unveiling in 2019, but it may have hit a speed bump.
Mystery vans likely making 3-D road maps for Apple’s self-driving car
Some new data-gathering vehicles are roaming the streets of San Francisco. They’re unmarked, but are suspected to be Apple’s. They are laden with sensors, but what kind of data are they gathering, and what for?
Experts contacted by Cult of Mac say the mystery vans are next-generation mapping vehicles capable of capturing VR-style, 360-degree street photos. Plus, the vans use Lidar to create extraordinarily precise “point clouds,” a prerequisite for self-driving cars. Mesh those two databases together and you’ve laid the groundwork for an autonomous vehicle’s navigation system.
Is Apple behind the wheel of this mysterious high-tech van?
Apple has been busy working on its electric car project at secret facilities in Silicon Valley, but the tech that will make it totally autonomous might be hiding in plain sight throughout San Francisco.
During a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, an eagle-eyed observer spotted what could be Apple’s latest self-driving car or mapping van, a vehicle that is armed with more sensors than ever.
Apple jumps to third in 2016 Fortune 500 list
An iPhone sales slump couldn’t stop Apple from climbing up to third in the 2016 Fortune 500 list. The Cupertino company raked in $233.7 billion last year, helping it overtake both Chevron and Berkshire Hathaway.
Apple hires satnav expert to improve Maps app
Apple’s often-ridiculed Maps app is getting some much-needed assistance, thanks to a recent new hire who helped invent the satellite navigation systems used by a bevy of automakers.
Sinisa Durekovic, a software engineer who was the principle architect and engineer for Harman International Industries’ navigation systems, has reportedly joined Apple, and the company won’t say what he is working on.
Elon Musk thinks Apple Car will come too late
Apple should have started development on the Apple Car a lot earlier than it did, according to Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The real-life comic-book superhero sat down for an interview at Code Conference and said that when it comes to autonomous cars, Google won’t be a competitor because they’re not a car company, however Apple will be.
Musk thinks it may be too late for Apple to be truly competitive though.
Apple is already working on charging stations for iCar
The Apple Car isn’t expected to hit the road until 2020 at the earliest, but Apple’s engineers are already laying the foundation for one of the most challenging aspect of electric vehicles: keeping them charged up.
Apple appears to be preparing the ground work for its charging infrastructure, according to a new report claiming the company is scooping up engineers that specialize in electric charing stations.
Apple revs up R&D spending amid iCar rumors
Apple may have reached peak iPhone this quarter after posting declining revenues for the first time since 2003, but rest assured the company is working on the next big thing.
Tim Cook boasted about the amazingly innovative products coming down Apple’s pipeline, and the company’s latest spending figures show its throwing more money than ever at new ideas.
Apple Car may already be in prototyping phase
Progress on the Apple Car is coming along faster than anticipated after Project Titan hit some speed bumps earlier this year.
Based on a batch of new hires, it appears that Apple Car parts may have already entered the prototyping phase at the company’s Product Realization Lab, where machinists and engineers produce and test product designs.
BMW and Daimler put the brakes on Apple Car deal
Talks between Apple and German carmakers Daimler and BMW have fallen apart, after Apple sought to strike a deal with the companies for its electric car project.
BMW and Apple have been rumored to be talking about a partnership for nearly a year now. Apple supposedly wanted to use BMW’s i3 carbon fiber body as the basis for its car but it appears that the company will have to go solo for now.