Apple CEO Tim Cook isn't the one to give away details on unannounced products, but he has hinted at the company's plans on developing a car during an interview with The New York Times. Hold your horses! Tim Cook didn't make any commitments or confirm the car's existence. But he kept beating around the bush, which was enough to give a peek into what's coming.
There has been a steady stream of speculations surrounding the Apple car. However, it was still unclear whether the Cupertino-based firm plans on developing a self-driving tech for other companies or is working on an entire vehicle by itself. Well, Tim Cook's latest comments point towards a brand new Apple car.
Tim Cook said, "The autonomy itself is a core technology, in my view. If you sort of step back, the car, in a lot of ways, is a robot. An autonomous car is a robot. And so there's lots of things you can do with autonomy. And we'll see what Apple does."
Cook also emphasized that many projects are investigated internally, but not everything sees the light of day. However, he did say, "I'm not saying that one will not."
Well, building an autonomous vehicle means going head-to-head with Elon Musk's Tesla. On being asked about Musk's comments about a failed deal to sell Tesla to Apple, Cook responded saying, "You know, I've never spoken to Elon, although I have great admiration and respect for the company he's built."
It also raises questions about whether an autonomous car can surpass what Tesla has achieved. Tesla cars are attractive, faster than any other car, are relatively cheaper to buy, and helps maintain a pollution-free environment.
However, Tesla hasn't done wonders in the autonomy department. Despite offering a self-driving tech on its cars, it still hasn't reached the complete autonomy stage and requires human attention behind the wheel all the time.
It's safe to assume that Apple can develop an algorithm that can beat Tesla's autonomous tech, but again it would be too soon to speak. Practically speaking, Apple doesn't need to build an entire EV to take on Tesla, it needs to develop a more secure system that could promise a safe autonomous drive to the buyers.