“Apple Inc. has dozens of software engineers in Canada building a car operating system, a rare move for a company that often houses research and development projects close to its Cupertino, California headquarters, according to people familiar with the matter,” Mark Gurman and Gerrit De Vynck report for Bloomberg.
“Many of the engineers working in Canada were hired over the past year and about two dozen came from BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX, a leading automotive software provider, the people said,” Gurman and De Vynck report. “The engineers now work at an Apple office in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, about a five-minute walk from QNX, the people said. Apple targeted QNX employees because of their experience developing fundamental components of operating systems and power management, a former QNX executive said.”
Gurman and De Vynck report, “The car operating system is the software core of a future Apple car platform, in the same way iOS powers the iPhone.”
MacDailyNews Take: vehicleOS®.
“A separate Apple team is developing software that would guide future self-driving cars and run on the operating system, one of the people said,” Gurman and De Vynck report. “The fate of these features depends on Project Titan’s overall strategic direction. Bob Mansfield, who took over the project in April, has given engineers a deadline of next fall to prove the self-driving technology before deciding on next steps, people familiar with the matter have said.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, Apple wants to snuff out beleaguered Blackberry utterly and completely.
SEE ALSO:
Apple scales back ‘Project Titan,’ effort no longer includes building own car – October 17, 2016
Apple’s Bob Mansfield reboots Apple Car project, lays off several dozen employees – September 10, 2016
South Korea company’s never-before-revealed battery technology expected to be Apple Car’s ‘secret weapon’ – August 9, 2016
Apple Car: Everything we know about Apple’s mysterious ‘Project Titan’ – July 29, 2016
Apple Car: An operating system licensed to other auto-makers? – July 29, 2016
Apple hires founder of QNX with Apple Car project increasing focus on self-driving software – July 28, 2016
Apple taps Bob Mansfield to oversee Apple Car project – July 25, 2016
Apple veteran Steve Zadesky overseeing electric-car project leaving company – January 22, 2016
Apple is building their largest startup ever – October 1, 2015
Why it’s time for an Apple Car – October 1, 2015
The deeper reason for an Apple Car – September 23, 2015
Volkswagen emissions scandal spotlights need for an Apple Car – September 23, 2015
Morgan Stanley: Apple Car, if true, ‘one of the most important moments in transportation’ – September 22, 2015
Former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz: Apple Car ‘is going to be a gigantic money pit’ – September 22, 2015
Apple speeds up electric-car efforts, aims for 2019 ‘ship date’ – September 21, 2015
Apple meets California DMV officials to discuss ‘autonomous vehicle’ – September 18, 2015
Documents confirm Apple is building self-driving car, Project Titan further along than many suspect – August 14, 2015
Apple Car development proceeds apace – July 27, 2015
Apple hires veteran Fiat Chrysler auto industry executive – July 20, 2015
What’s up with Carl Icahn’s sudden obsession with the Apple Car? – May 18, 2015
Survey: 77% of hybrid or electric vehicle owners would likely buy an Apple Car – May 13, 2015
Apple’s ‘Project Titan’ could reshape the auto world – February 22, 2015
Bob Mansfield’s new role at Apple is to focus on chips – August 3, 2013
Is Apple flying the pirate flag again? Mansfield move means something special is in works – August 1, 2013
Gruber: Nothing to read between the lines, Bob Mansfield really is working on ‘special projects’ for Apple – July 29, 2013
Apple’s Bob Mansfield to focus on ‘special projects’ – July 29, 2013
Apple removes SVP Bob Mansfield from executive team; will remain at Apple reporting to Tim Cook – July 28, 2013
Un-retired: Why Bob Mansfield is back at Apple in a big way – November 1, 2012
Tim Cook takes full control of Apple: John Browett and Scott Forstall out; Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi get expanded responsibilities – October 29, 2012
Apple CEO Tim Cook expands executive team, Senior VP Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield will not retire – August 27, 2012
Brain drain? Apple’s Bob Mansfield is 2nd key exec to leave since Steve Jobs died – June 29, 2012
Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, to retire; Dan Riccio to take over – June 28, 2012
Being Canadian, it’s great to see Apple give some R&D love to Canada.
Though I’m a U.S. citizen I’ve worked quite often in Calgary and other Alberta locations and always loved the country and working with Canadians, many fast friends. I know firsthand how talented and capable they are. And fun too. Nice to see this.
Come to Montreal, where there’s actually some culture ! (sorry western Canada, but you know its true) 🙂
Sorry to have to inform you but Vancouver has about 3X as much culture due to the incredible diversity of peoples. (Montreal and Toronto may think that they are the centre of the universe but alas, they are not!)
Depends if you like a culture of arrogance I guess.
I’m so SAAAAAAD…
think I’m going to console myself and walk my dog to the beach (one block away) and look at the cruise ships in the harbour and enjoy the balmy sunshine (my neighbour is drying clothes outside) here on a West Coast island….
yeah, Vancouver , Seattle is one and half hours by ferry away and all the culture i want.
Peace from Beautiful BC.
Like the States where regions vary greatly Canadian provinces are as you say quite different from each other. I love the wide open gorgeous spaces of Alberta but I’ve been to Montreal too and enjoyed that much more sophisticated city as well. Enjoy the many facets of Canad’r!
My wife has a newer Acura MDX and after reading this article to her, she stated “when they come out with one, I’m getting it”.
“vehicleOS” is too many syllables. “carOS” would be better, and goes along with CarPlay.
Or, shorten “automobile” to get “autoOS”… which could be pronounced “Ottawa’s”, which would be pretty cool since that’s where it’s being developed 🙂
Is the “road approval process” far off?
MDN, its “vehicleOS, eh?”
So inside a few weeks insiders have given us both inside information that there isn’t going to be a car and other inside info that the car will have a deadline of being finalised next year, and a self driving one at that. I’m beside myself with confusion. Who said Cook couldn’t make decisions, he must be making different ones on a monthly basis at this rate.
This is a smart move. Silo the core development of each component and the AI group can use the API published by the drivetrain group.
It makes a lot more sense than the original plan of a full car on the first run. The time frames they were talking about sounded ludicrous.
The big auto makers make it look easy but it’s taken 100+ years of process refinement to get us to this point. Tesla is learning how capital demanding it can be to make a new concept vehicle. When will they be profitable?
This news restores my faith in the project and Apple’s direction into the market.
That is where they are developing the Moose-avoidance algorithm.