I had a dream about Apple Car
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 148
Five years ago, I started writing this blog. Five days ago, I had a dream about the launch of Apple Car.
It was not what I expected. Tim Cook launched it, sure, but it was in a smaller venue, I was present (again, it was a dream), and it felt more like an internal product presentation than a big Apple event.
The car wasn’t what I expected either. It was a small two-seater in a wedge-shaped design, that looked like it had a ton of leather wrapped around its body. It did not have a steering wheel, so I think it might have been a self-driving pod.
Contrary to my beliefs so far, this dream changed my perspective once again, and reignited my passion for the hobby of thinking about Apple Car as a lens for the future of the automotive industry.
What the rumors say
Also this week, rumors reignited. We will go over them in separate posts, but one thing is clear: Apple Car is still on.
It seems we are looking at a four to five year timeframe for it to happen. This should be in line with battery prices, autonomous technology, and further decline in (as well as legislation against) ICE cars. The rise of EVs and micromobility is unstoppable and only accelerates as more people wake up to the transportation sector’s contribution to the climate crisis.
I was of course overoptimistic in any timeline I suggested previously. No launch keynote in 2020, no car-focused WWDC yet – but I stand with the expectation for Apple to announce the product much earlier than actual production and shipping starts. First, to make sure no leaks appear from the long process of regulatory approval. Second, to make bold visionary statements of how far ahead the product is in comparison to any incumbent automaker.
This, on top of all the hints we have heard in the past, will make rumors continue to build. However, this blog is more about the design and user experience questions than covering all possible gossip. What we will continue to investigate is not only here-say, but how a car can look and work like when we consequently apply design principles we can observe from all other current work of Apple.
Hop on for the ride.
