Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

AP/Press Association Images

First computers, then phones - now Apple is getting in on the car business

World domination beckons.

LAST WEEK IT was reported that a mysterious Apple van was making its way around San Francisco.

After writing about how the van could be used for a self-driving car, we got an unsolicited email from an employee at Apple about “vehicle development” at the company.

This person said employees from electric car maker Tesla were ”jumping ship” to work at Apple.

“Apple’s latest project is too exciting to pass up,” the person said. “I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.”

Apple has about 50 employees who previously worked at Tesla, according to LinkedIn. Many of those hires were engineers who interned at Tesla.

Most of the engineers Apple has hired from Tesla specialize in mechanics, manufacturing, and robotics.

We can think of a couple of possibilities here. Apple may indeed be building some kind of vehicle, although this seems way outside the company’s core.

More likely, it’s working on new iPhone-to-car experiences that will be better than what Tesla offers in its own vehicles.

Apple has an initiative called CarPlay that lets you control certain a car’s entertainment and other systems with your smartphone. It was supposed to come out in 2014, but has been delayed, and has only just started to emerge on cars like the 2015 Hyundai Sonata.

Tesla Texas Paul Sancya / AP/Press Association Images Paul Sancya / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

iPhone entry?

So perhaps this Apple employee is talking about things like using your iPhone to unlock and drive a CarPlay-partner car without needing a key — Tesla began offering this with its 6.0 system update last year.

Or perhaps a much deeper set of integrated experiences with navigation, audio, and other systems.

Whether or not Apple is working on a car of its own, the company seems to compete with Tesla for top talent.

Tesla has hired about 150 people from Apple so far, according to Bloomberg, and Apple has reportedly tried to appeal to potential Tesla hires with $250,000 signing bonuses and huge salary hikes.

READ: Are Samsung’s Smart TVs really listening in on your conversations? >

READ: Google responds to Uber rumours with a cryptic tweet >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Published with permission from
Business Insider
View 28 comments
Close
28 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds