We’ve been hearing rumors that Apple’s been working on an “Apple Car” since it was referred to as the “iCar.” But, why would the Cupertino Colossus want to build an “Apple Car” anyway?
Reed Stevenson and Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
For Apple and other behemoths that are diving into self-driving tech or have grand plans for their own cars, that push isn’t just about breaking into a new market — it’s about defending valuable turf.
What’s at stake, essentially, is something even more valuable than profitability: the last unclaimed corner of consumers’ attention during their waking hours.
The amount of time people spend in cars, especially in the U.S., is significant. Americans were behind the wheel for 307.8 hours in 2016, or around six hours a week, according to the latest available data by the American Automobile Association.
That’s a fair chunk of someone’s life not spent using apps on an iPhone, searching on Google or scrolling mindlessly through Instagram. Any company that’s able to free up that time in a meaningful way will also have a good chance of capturing it…
Although Apple has dominated phones, tablets and smartwatches and put up a decent fight over computers for the past few decades, it’s been a laggard in the artificial intelligence, voice and smart-speaker spaces, areas now led by Google and Amazon.
The company would benefit from the release of a breakthrough new product. While it’s had successes with the watch, released in 2015, and services, such as Apple TV, Apple Arcade and Apple Music, which are now a major new source of revenue, nothing has come close to the success of the iPhone, which has redefined entire industries and become Apple’s most lucrative product since its 2007 release.
MacDailyNews Take: Comparing anything to the iPhone – the best-selling product of all-time – is nothing more than a lame attempt to make whatever product to which you’re referring look weak.
Apple Watch is the world’s best-selling watch (and has been for years). Not just smartwatch, watch.
As for the “Apple Car,” it will offer something(s) significant that no other vehicle maker can offer or the company will not release it.