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Apple Signs Deal With Volkswagen For Driverless Cars (nytimes.com)
Apple has reportedly signed a deal with Volkswagen (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source) to turn some of the carmaker's new T6 Transporter vans into Apple's self-driving shuttles for employees. The deal comes after the tech giant failed to partner with luxury carmakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz to develop an all-electric self-driving car. "[T]talks with those companies have ended after each rebuffed Apple's requirements to hand over control of the data and design," reports The New York Times. From the report: Apple's deal with Volkswagen, which hasn't been previously reported, and the failure of its talks with other automakers reflect the continuing travails and diminished scope of the company's four-year-old car program. The project has suffered from repeated changes in direction that have hurt morale and led to hundreds of departures from its peak of more than 1,000 members two years ago, five former Apple employees said. They added that the team was now mostly consumed with developing the self-driving shuttle but the project lacks a clear plan beyond the vans.
Or do they really mean self-driving, but not really because you can't actually trust it enough to drive itself?
Or we talking about cars in some sort of nonphysical reality that doesn't need to worry about things like pedestrians, other traffic, or concrete barricades?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Days of old... "Do not connect that piece of shit apple to my network..."
Present day... "Keep that piece of shit car off my highway..."
EOM
Since it's VW involved at least we know all the results of testing will be super-duper awesome.
Bit of a blow to Apple's self image,
Turns out Apple isn't actually a luxury brand. Too many plebes own an iDevice.
and BMW and Mercedes-Benz are happy to let them know.
On the bright side [1] all the new white cars will reflect a lot of sunlight reducing global warming.
[1] Considering all the new reflected sunlight, a really bright side.
"The project has suffered from repeated changes in direction that have hurt morale and led to hundreds of departures from its peak of more than 1,000 members two years ago, five former Apple employees said. They added that the team was now mostly consumed with developing the self-driving shuttle but the project lacks a clear plan beyond the vans."
This is reminiscent of the state of affairs at Apple when it was developing the Apple /// to succeed the Apple ][ and, meanwhile, Lisa was being developed. The technology (in this case, self-driving car tech) is floating around, in various forms, but there doesn't seem to be a modern day Steve Jobs to form a "Macintosh" group that could steal from both and operate "under the radar."
FarfegNewton
Table-ized A.I.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act basically says "nope". You can get it serviced with non-OEM parts, and by non-dealer/OEM staff, and not void your warranty.
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
but apple does not work that way.
https://venturebeat.com/2018/0...
https://forums.macrumors.com/t...
Most cars are sold driverless to the customers
Yep. Apple is clearly violating the Act, but hey - laws are for the little people and small companies, not Apple! Apple cannot refuse service to a phone repaired with 3rd party parts/3rd party service unless they can prove subsequent damage was from the 3rd party parts or service.
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
I honestly thought they already had a deal with each other for the looky feely of the iphone and the VW bug.
And then lie about it.
sitting in the car in the wrong way.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
"You're holding it wrong" meets “defeat devices” ... what could go wrong?
It could even best the Uber-Volvo pairing -- "safest cars in the world" meets "remove the pesky safety stuff".
The "dieselgate" scandal was (and in some way still is) a huge thing for VW; it really hurt them financially and reputation-wise.
(Somehow the other car manufacturers - who all gamed the system but in a somewhat less blatantly criminal fashion - managed to escape).
Since everyone else has given a stout "fuck off" to Apple, and their own vehicle development program is in the tank, then this leaves this unlikely alliance of the "weak", (note: both companies have enormous capabilities & resources, and lots of cash).
However, both companies also have strong, and strongly-different, cultures, big egos in management and complex behind-the-scenes politics; this won't go anywhere....
Reminds a lot of that one time when Nokia signed an contact with Microsoft to build Windows phones and ended up almost dead. Will Volkswagen be the next Nokia?
Would you climb into a self-driving car that's programmed by a company that cheated with their programming on EPA standards to make more money? I wouldn't either...
Unlike BMW and Mercedes, VW is willing to take a bath on the draconian contract terms that Apple is clearly expecting any partner on this project to take. And they're hoping that Apple can give them back the tech cachet they need.
Come on Apple. You're better than this. They can't even cut ties with Diesel after having execs imprisoned. Sorry, no second chance is in order here, they need to dig themselves out of the whole all on their own. There are plenty of companies looking into driverless tech. Pick any other horse.
"Teenager Signs Deal With John Deere" - he bought one lawnmower to use on his own street - that kind of non-news
dealer only service even an DIY oil change voids your warranty and right to get an other service or parts for the car.
Well, if you do DIY oil change on an electric car, you've already proven you are an idiot.
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
...in the US. Legislation elsewhere is much more sane.