Apple is investing in autonomous car technology and is defining it as its ‘mother of all AI projects.’ According to an analyst, the tech giant might as well come up with its own self-driving cars within a couple of years.
Guggenheim’s Robert Circa pointed out the contrary that Apple hasn’t yet committed to a car. Having said that, he also added: “Yet we see its entire business model based on vertically- integrated control, so think it unlikely Apple sells modular AI to third-parties. We expect Apple to get all-in or all-out over the next 2 yrs. We are thinking all-in given the draw of technology disruption and sheer size of TAM [total addressable market.].”
As per reports in 2015, Apple had been working on its own car during that time. But in 2016, it switched its focus to a platform. Latest reports suggest that it is chasing down the ride-hailing market. It might be in the process of initiating a partnership with Didi Chuxing of China and more in the future.
Apple would, of course, want to have its own ecosystem, but its entry into the concerned market would still have barriers. Firstly, it doesn’t have manufacturing capacity for autonomous vehicles and would have to look for partners. Also, competing with the likes of Tesla and other already established automakers is not going to be a cakewalk.
What do you think Apple would ultimately settle on? Share your opinions in the comments below. Check back with us again to get more updates on projects and activities around the market for Apple autonomous cars.
