The ambitious Apple Car project, known internally as Project Titan, was canceled earlier this year after nearly a decade in development. But all this amount of work doesn't disappear overnight. What's left? What happened to the employees brought in to work on the project and the technology they developed? Will Apple divert resources into new avenues, or is it all a total loss?
In this article, we look at how Apple is handling the fallout from its car project, what it learned from the failure, and the impact it all has on the company and the tech industry as a whole.
Apple's mysterious fleet
As of January 2024, Apple has a fleet of 68 autonomous test vehicles and 162 registered drivers. Despite the cancellation of the project, Apple has decided not to decommission these vehicles. According to media reports, the test vehicles remain fully registered. However, the number of drivers has been drastically reduced, from 172 to 15. The licenses are valid until April 30, 2025.
Why does Apple keep its fleet? A possible explanation is that the company wants to sell the intellectual property of the project and the vehicles could serve as demonstration units to present the developed technologies to potential buyers.
Another possibility is that Apple archives the research data obtained in order to use it for future developments. The remaining employees could play a central role in the orderly management of project resources.
Shutterstock.com / Joaquín Corbalan P.
Why did the Apple Car break down?
Project Titan was launched in 2014 with the aim of catapulting Apple into the automotive industry. The goal was to develop an autonomous electric vehicle that met Apple's high standards, but despite a financial investment of around $10 billion and the collaboration of more than 2,000 specialists, the project failed.
One of the main reasons was the lack of clear direction. The project has changed strategy several times, moving from an electric vehicle to an autonomous vehicle and vice versa. These constant realignments led to confusion and frustration within the team. Additionally, the technological hurdles were greater than expected. Developing a safe and reliable autonomous vehicle has proven more complex than Apple initially anticipated.
Internal differences of opinion and personnel changes exacerbated the problems. The direction of the project changed several times and each new leader brought their own vision. External factors, such as challenges in the automotive sector, concerns about safety and slower-than-expected progress in autonomous driving technologies, also contributed to this failure.
(Read next: Crash of the Titan: The Long and Winding Saga of the Apple Car)
A lesson for the entire industry
The cancellation of the Apple Car project is not only a setback for Apple, but a worrying signal for the entire industry. This shows that even large technology companies face significant challenges when entering new sectors. The automotive industry is complex and requires specialized expertise that cannot be easily transferred from other sectors.
Apple is now focusing on other pioneering technologies. The remaining Project Titan employees were brought into the Special Projects Group (SPG), led by John Giannandrea, head of Apple's AI division. They are now focusing on generative artificial intelligence, an area in which Apple wants to become more active.
The accumulated knowledge and technologies developed under Project Titan could still be integrated into future products. Possible applications include AI-controlled devices or innovative user interfaces. The legacy of the Apple Car could thus continue indirectly in other projects and strengthen Apple's position in the technology industry.
Foundry
Apple's automotive dream lives on
Even though the Apple Car project was abandoned, the company has not given up on its dream of breaking into the automotive industry. With CarPlay 2, Apple plans to significantly expand its presence in vehicles. While CarPlay has long offered a way to integrate multiple apps from your iPhone into your vehicle's dashboard, the second major iteration of the software takes things to the next level. It allows complete control of all screens in the car, including the climate control.
CarPlay 2, first revealed at the WWDC 2022 developer conference, provides seamless integration between iPhone and vehicle systems. By working with several automobile manufacturers, Apple wants to revolutionize the user interface of vehicles. The goal is to create a standardized, user-friendly interface that increases convenience and functionality.
For automakers, this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. On the one hand, they benefit from Apple's expertise in user experience and software integration. On the other hand, they have to give up some control. Some manufacturers, like Porsche and Aston Martin, have already announced that they will fully support CarPlay 2. Others are more cautious and are concerned about data and brand identity.
Porsche
CarPlay 2 could be an indirect way for Apple to enter the automotive industry without producing its own vehicle. The Apple Car is dead, long live the Apple Car! By expanding its software platform, Apple is strengthening its position and creating new opportunities for in-vehicle services and applications. And in this endeavor, the experience and technologies of Project Titan could prove very useful.
This article was originally published on our sister publication Macwelt and has been translated and localized from German.
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