Why an Apple Car makes sense

BY now you've probably heard plenty of speculation surrounding the reports that Apple plans to build an iCar, and perhaps some pretty funny parodies of the idea.

News broke last week that Apple has assembled a 1,000-person team and poached high-profile talent from car companies to work on a top-secret self-driving electric vehicle project carrying the code name "Titan." (Nissan has got to love that.)

It's also been reported that Apple has met with automotive suppliers in Europe, mirroring Google's recent move to line up Detroit-area companies to help it build its self-driving cars.

Nextcar Bug artAs with anything Apple-related, there's been an outpouring of press reports, with most suggesting that Apple's automotive end-game is to build a self-driving car to compete with Google and Uber in the growing ride-hailing trade.

Reactions have been split between yeas and nays on Apple's rumored first venture outside of consumer electronics, with the company's acolytes cheering the prospect of owning an iCar and critics warning that auto manufacturing could be a cash-burning dead-end for the company.

The idea of an iCar is nothing new. It's well documented that Apple co-founder, CEO, and tech icon Steve Jobs had dreams of the company building a car someday. And the C-suite at One Infinite Loop is stacked with automotive enthusiasts, including Eddy Cue, senior VP of Internet Software and Services and a member of Ferrari's board of directors, and Phil Schiller, SVP of Worldwide Marketing, whose Twitter bio lists "Apple, Sports, Cars, Science, and Rock And Roll" among his favorite things.

A recent New Yorker profile of Jony Ive examined the long-time Apple design guru's automobile obsession, and mentioned his close friendship with celebrated industrial designer and fellow car buff Marc Newson, who joined Apple last year and previously created a concept car for Ford.

PCMag