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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'
EOM
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.
Apple could buy either of them for cash though.
FarfegNewton
Table-ized A.I.
Sounds like, from the body of the article, that Apple is mostly a customer in this deal. States they don't have any deal beyond the transit buses, and sounds like the plan is just to run them around the Apple campus. So no need to worry about data sharing... if Apple is mostly just using VW buses for testing.
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.
"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".
States they don't have any deal beyond the transit buses, and sounds like the plan is just to run them around the Apple campus. So no need to worry about data sharing.
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....
"The project has suffered from repeated changes in direction
Did they mean that literally? Sounds like when a kid first rides a bike.
Down-modded LoL! - someone must own a Jetta
What's in it for Mercedes/BWM to deliver a small number of cars and earn some peanuts for customization?
If it becomes a fiasco (most likely) they get a PR hit. If it succeeds (hah) Apple licenses it to everyone any way. Only way this really makes much sense is as a joint venture. Otherwise Apple should just buy the cars and modify them themselves.
You know that VW is the second largest auto maker in the world, right?
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
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?
Yeah, because VW doesn't own any luxury badges (Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti)
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
What's in it for Mercedes/BWM to deliver a small number of cars and earn some peanuts for customization?
If it becomes a fiasco (most likely) they get a PR hit. If it succeeds (hah) Apple licenses it to everyone any way. Only way this really makes much sense is as a joint venture. Otherwise Apple should just buy the cars and modify them themselves.
Worse yet, Merc/BMW risk brand dilution by partnering with Apple. I'm not surprised that Stuttgart gave them the cold shoulder, what have they got to gain compared to what they have to lose.
This wont be popular, but Apple pretty much are the Volkswagen of the computing/communications world. They produce mediocre stuff and pretend its superior even though people on benefits can buy it, they even try to pass themselves off as a premium brand to try to justify higher prices when the difference between a Polo and a (Ford) Fiesta is nil and often trade entirely on past glories.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
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.
"sounds like the plan is just to run them around the Apple campus."
I'm guessing it'll probably run at very low speed along a programmed path and have big red stop buttons the passengers can press in case of an emergency.
Im sure apple has worked out the code to throttle the engine when the emissions get too high.
Errm, yeah, emissions on an electric car. If you are smoking something - I'm sure you are. Is that's what you are worried about? That your car will not actually self drive when you need that the most? When you are stoned so much you can't sit without falling over (not that you would notice because you are floating)?
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
Bit of a blow to Apple's self image,
Turns out Apple isn't actually a luxury brand.
More like a blow to the blowhards who keep claiming Apple is a luxury brand.
Of course news about a fake are Fake 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.
And then lie about it.
Why mention Google in this debate?
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
What's in it for Mercedes/BWM to deliver a small number of cars and earn some peanuts for customization?
If it becomes a fiasco (most likely) they get a PR hit. If it succeeds (hah) Apple licenses it to everyone any way. Only way this really makes much sense is as a joint venture. Otherwise Apple should just buy the cars and modify them themselves.
Worse yet, Merc/BMW risk brand dilution by partnering with Apple. I'm not surprised that Stuttgart gave them the cold shoulder, what have they got to gain compared to what they have to lose.
Funny that the guys who own Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini aren't scared. Note how I don't even mention Porsche?
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.