Rumours of an Upcoming Apple Electric Car Persist
- 13/07/2015
- Transport
- Posted by Tessa Romarez
- Leave your thoughts
For a number of weeks, rumours of Apple involved in an electric car project have been persistent.
They were bolstered by reports claiming that such rumours are true and these came from respected publications such as the Wall Street Journal.
In the case of The Journal, it published a report saying that Tim Cook, Apple CEO, had already given the approval of the creation of a thousand-strong EV research and development team.
Clearly, opinions and supposedly factual news abound stating that Apple has plans to revolutionize the auto industry. But in fact, there has been no clear reason why Apple would want to go into the auto business.
One reason why Apple will not venture into this industry is marketability. The company knows that the market for cars is small compared with that of its flagship products, such as smart phones for instance. The profitability that the car market offers does not impress Apple to actually make the company want to become a new player.
Apple will make Tesla a model to follow
People, however, would like to think that Apple will make Tesla a model to follow. The latter is not an old-time player, makes EVs, and experiences problems along the way, yet it is able to hang on. Many believe that Apple will do the same.
If the company does produce an Apple electric car, it has to be a profitable one. Apple is widely known to be a company that makes highly profitable products.
Moreover, Apple’s top officers have always said that the company will only engage in a new market if it has something new to add to it. As Greg Joswiak, an Apple executive explained, “If you can’t enter the market and try and be the best in it, don’t enter it. You need that differentiation. At Apple if we can’t be the best then we are not interested in it.”
Apple is also aware that with an industry filled with innovative companies like Volvo and Tesla, it has to exert more effort to introduce something new. So far, the car industry is a highly vibrant one that doesn’t lack innovation.
A recent report from Apple Car disclosed that the company has a supposed car team that consists of 200 tech experts and workers, and is still growing.
However, the figures are not enough to build an innovative car. They are unimpressive compared with Tesla’s 10,000 employees, Porsche’s 22,000 workers, and BMW’s strong 100,000-man workforce.
There is also the question of where Apple is going to sell its cars.
This again magnifies the company’s weakness of being a newcomer in the industry and clearly lacking in the necessary infrastructure.
In order to sell conveniently, it should consider Tesla as a model, with the latter’s use of company-owned dealerships.
If the company truly plans to build its own car, it has to start from scratch. All the impressive records that it produced as the maker of the iPhone have no relevance since car making is an entirely new field.
Many do believe that Apple is not about to release a car of its own by 2020. But instead, the company has gathered the best people to form a team that will formulate the best car that deserves its name.
If in case along the way the team finds out that it can’t be up to par with what the current players have, then Apple might decide to quit its plan before they can even start implementation.
Apple is known to perform its best in every field it plays in. It will not enter a new market unless it knows it will perform excellently.