Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 159
When this year’s World Wide Developers Conference kicked off, it wasn’t what I hoped for. But there were more signs that cars are top of mind at Apple than I expected. So let’s have a little fun and dig into the clues that we did get.
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 158
This blog is mostly about Apple Car’s design, and although we touch on other things like business and technology, I keep coming back to the basic principles of industrial design for mobility.
One of those cornerstones is the question of aerodynamics and what role they really play.
When I started blogging, one of the first articles was about that question:
In it, I made the case that the vehicles most depending on efficiency – trucks and trains – don’t have great aerodynamics.
Digging deeper over the years, there are conflicting theories making rounds. …
Hundreds of demonstrators on bikes gathered in Aspern, in the Northern outer district of Vienna, to protest against a planned additional city highway. The project would cost at least €500 million in taxpayer money for initial construction, about €150 million per kilometer, and millions in maintenance over the decades. It is planned to tunnel underneath a state-protected natural resort called Lobau, one of Danube’s most important wildlife areas near the city. For years, activists and politicians worked to avoid advancements of the project, but car and construction lobbies kept pushing. This year looks to be the final stand-off.
I join…
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 157
One aspect of driving in Apple Car we did not cover so far, is night driving. The experience of driving in a car by night is special, and has inspired humanity and especially pop culture for decades. It’s more dangerous, it’s mysterious and somewhat an even more direct experience of feeling like a prehistoric cave man sitting in a shelter staring out in the dark. I think the memories we have to that driving mode are even more engrained, since they start at an early age when we used to sit in the back of our parents’ car, going home…
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 156
In The Circular Couch Theory, I explained the rationale between installing the complex hardware tech required for an autonomous car and hiding it with a superimpose design.
Based on this foundational concept, Stefan built and rendered the beautiful images below, showing Apple Car as we envision it.
This is still not showing how it works, only how it looks, but you get a feel for the simplicity of its appearance, hiding away the complexity of all the tech that is required for selfdriving cars „under the hood“ (that won’t exist anymore).
GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE MARCH 2021
This year’s strike was different than any before. During a lockdown, the challenge was to have as many people in a safe and legal environment. The brilliant idea of the organisers was a chain of people around the city’s imperial ring road, each individual with a three meter distance to the next.
I joined just before noon to listen to speeches and music acts doing cover versions of mainstream songs, dubbed with new climate crisis lyrics. …
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 155
About a year ago, I drew the sketch above into my notebook. It was the result of my fascination about Micromobility and its connection to autonomous cars. Both are already here and will be living in co-existence, but in this sketch I took the connection of the two literally.
A day ago, the story broke that the Apple-Hyundai-Kia-Canoo love triangle may be more than just about autonomous cars. Apparently, the companies are looking at eight different areas in transportation together. One of them could be scooters.
…discussing cooperation in “last mile” mobility, or transport to complete a final…
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 154
Bikes are a fun business: There is no market leader, there are gazillions of makes and designs, and since the bike was invented back in the 19th century, it is in use in every corner of the globe by all ages and demographics. Bikes are a tool so universal, it’s actually hard not to overlook.
One thing that stood out to me watching the Micromobility Revolution unfold, is the fact that there are again lots of startups and new ideas that have sprung up all over the world. One example that stuck with me is Bikxie from India, a bike…
Thoughts on Apple Car, Part 153
A half an hour ride from where Tim Cook graduated, in Auburn, Alabama, Kia operates its Georgia based manufacturing plant which is rumoured to be partnering with Apple in creating Apple Car.
A volume auto brand of Hyundai, Kia is said to be among the most reliable car brands out there. And reliability is just what Apple seeks in a partner.
However, rumours are far from confirmed and Hyundai themselves appear to be still uncertain whether to partner with Apple, or not. …
Thoughts on Apple car, Part 152
One aspect of the coming mobility revolution that we haven't covered so far is the change in consumption versus non-consumption. Through the lens of Apple, we can observe which industries they have entered and essentially ground the overall market in an industry. They have done that by converting non-consumption: people who previously did not use a product or service have been converted to do so. When this happens on a large scale and covers all age groups and demographics, we call it market expansion.
Horace Dediu recently broke down the industries Apple is in and compared it to the car…
