Apple has been long rumored to be working on foraying into the automotive industry. As per a recent report, the tech giant’s Project Titan division is now hoping to master autonomous driving. Bloomberg reports that Apple has started focusing more on its car-building project.
The vehicle is said to be fully electric and the development team hopes to incorporate advanced automated tech into the platform. While numerous companies from the car and tech industries have thrown their hats in the ring, everyone agrees that several legal and technological hurdles stand in the way of a widespread release.
Apple’s autonomous car coming by 2025?
The report adds that developer Kevin Lynch, the man behind the Apple Watch, is also leading the Project Titan. His aim is to release a fully autonomous car by 2025; that sounds ambitious. If the technology isn’t ready by the middle of the 2020s, Apple could either push the launch ahead or bring the vehicle to the market without the ability to fully drive on its own, Bloomberg noted.
Mastering autonomous driving would give Apple an edge over its competitors, but that’s not the only motivation for the team. It’s a feat that will enable engineers to offer lounge-like interiors to the car. In theory, Apple’s car will have no steering, no pedals, no dashboard, and a re-designed interior.
Competition to get fiercer
The report also suggests that the company is more inclined towards selling the car to private motorists than in amassing a fleet of shuttles for major cities. This business model can put more pressure on the team developing the car because the margin for error would be very low. Apple has also hired several experienced engineers from the automotive side of the industry.
Besides, Tesla also showcased its massive supercomputer to train its self-driving system. As per the figures released, it could be the fifth most powerful supercomputer in the world. Elon Musk’s company said that it’s using its new computing prowess to train the Autopilot feature on its vehicles. Moreover, it will also train the unreleased self-driving artificial intelligence systems.
