There has been a metric-ton of news lately about Apple building a car and for the most part, I think that are people excited. I’ve also seen some confusion from consumers but to me it makes sense. (Disclaimer: I want one.) It makes sense for the following reasons.
Cars are made of electronics – Back in the day, a person could fix there car if there was a problem because cars were mechanical. Today’s autos have complex onboard computers and the chances that your mechanic has a computer science degree has doubled in the last two years. Rumor has it that Apple is pretty good with Electronics.
Apple’s Eddy Cue is on Ferrari’s Board – Eddy joined in 2012. Apple’s familiarity with high-end autos surely didn’t start there but Mr. Cue’s exposure the automotive reality can’t hurt. (Also, just in case your unsure: Apple is a luxury/lifestyle brand.)
Google – Google’s driverless car has been making news for the past two years and Apple is competing with them for the IoT market (your body – Apple Watch vs. Android Wear, your house – Nest vs. ???, your car – CarPlay vs. AndroidAuto)
Tesla said no – Last year, Adrian Perica, Apple’s acquisition chief met with Elon Musk to discuss acquiring Telsa. Needless to say, Mr. Musk said no. (If Steve was still alive they would have already released a car just because Elon said “no”.)
Jonathan Ive loves cars – Ive is the Head of Design at Apple and he loves cars. Enough said.
Apple has too much cash – I know that doesn’t sound possible but as of right now, Apple has a stutter-inducing $178 billion in cash. Again, enough said.
In the end, I’d love it if Apple got into the auto industry. They’re design aesthetics are the best and I need something to drive around in when I use my iPhone while wearing my Apple Watch.
Note: The image above is from one of the designers Apple brought on named Marc Newsom. The car is a Ford O21c.Â
