Apple has been a pioneer in the digital industry for many years, and it is not surprising that the company holds such a position, not to mention the great influence of Jobs, who laid the foundation for Apple’s brand value. But in the auto industry, Apple is a newcomer. If Apple wants to gain market share, its product strength cannot lag behind. Unfortunately, there is very little news about the Apple car. The only thing that is certain is that the car has multiple lidar sensors and powerful chips that support the automatic driving function.
It was revealed that Apple Car has signed a cooperation agreement with Lexus and LG. It is understood that the car will be equipped with LG batteries manufactured by Lexus. Although new car companies usually aim to build their own factories, Apple building its own factories will delay the launch of new cars. It is safer to choose Lexus as an original equipment manufacturer that can build its own factories in the future.
The most anticipated feature of the Apple car is undoubtedly its self-driving technology. It has already been reported on the Internet that Apple originally planned not to equip the car with a steering wheel and that the first-generation product would support L5-level autonomous driving. Therefore, it is conceivable that it is too difficult to achieve L5-level autonomous driving at this stage, not to mention that countries may not allow L5-level autonomous driving vehicles on the road for traffic safety reasons.
In order to get the product to market as quickly as possible, Apple has refrained from going straight for L5 autonomous driving. The first car features L4 autonomous driving by default and retains the steering wheel. By foregoing L5 autonomous driving, it will be even more difficult for Apple cars to stand out from the multitude of models.
Apple Car’s biggest advantage is that they are backed by Apple’s intelligent ecosystem. Today, car systems are mainly based on Android or Linux, and the ecosystem is relatively scattered. With Apple, it’s different. Its own ecosystem has realized networking. As long as Apple is ready, it can bring macOS or iPadOS to the car.
In addition, Bloomberg has revealed that Apple is developing a Mac with a touch screen. With support for touch operation, it becomes more likely that macOS will come to the car. Imagine the ecology of other cars requires car manufacturers to slowly adapt, but Apple can bring the whole macOS ecology into the car, and the benefits are obvious.
From a design concept perspective, the Apple Car has great potential. It’s not just a means of transportation, but also a mobile space that integrates office and entertainment. Apple Car has the chance to make a name for itself in the automotive industry and not only become the benchmark for luxury cars but also drive the development of the industry.
