Why The Vision Pro Might Just Have Us Believing In The Apple Car
The Apple Vision Pro is out in the wild and Apple has once again accomplished what it does best: revolutionizing existing technological concepts. Long ago, the company forever changed the fledgeling MP3 player ecosystem with the iPod. Surfing the internet on a phone existed long before the iPhone existed, but Apple made it an enjoyable and seamless process compared to the competition. Apple put tablet computers in every household with the iPad and wireless earbuds in every ear with AirPods. One can't forget Mac either, for being the de facto computer choice for creatives for decades.
Apple is perhaps the best in the business at finding an existing technological niche or product and making the absolute best version of it at the outset. Indeed, the risk represented by the first-generation Apple Vision Pro and the rest of Apple's repertoire of products makes the thought of Apple finally taking the leap into the automotive market and building an Apple Car seem much less far-fetched.
Apple's talent for making waves
To be clear, Apple has never made any official commitments to building a production car. Although if it did, every social media site online would spontaneously catch on fire with the sheer volume of thoughts and comments the announcement would generate. But just because Apple hasn't made any concrete steps towards entering the automotive industry, that doesn't mean it's totally outside the realm of possibility — or not within Apple's wheelhouse — to "disrupt" the industry as is the common parlance.
Sony, another absolute giant in the technological world, announced last year that it was working with Honda to produce the "Afeela" an electric car brand which will, maybe, possibly be on the market by as early as 2026. If all goes to plan, in the future you'd be able to buy a car from the same company that makes your set of noise-canceling headphones. Apple is in a position where it could be one of those companies.
Apple knows a bit about cars
Although there are no concrete or even announced plans to build an Apple Car, "Project Titan" rumors have been circulating online for several years now. As for what Titan entails, exactly, that's still a source of contention. It's almost assuredly related to Apple's ambitions to play in the autonomous car market, among other areas of vehicle platform design. It also confirms that Apple has at least considered the idea, even going as far as hiring a large number of engineers and staff with experience in the automotive industry.
That's on top of an existing footprint in prime dashboard real estate. Apple CarPlay has already made listening to music and navigating in cars a lot more intuitive, so successfully that doom is predicted for automakers skipping such functionality. Far from being content with that footprint, Apple has already teased a new infotainment system that controls much more than music, reaching into the instrument cluster and more. Future models from Aston Martin and Porsche are already slated to feature the new CarPlay. Apple may have never made a car before, but it's no stranger to the automotive industry.
Automakers aren't software companies
On the automotive side, companies like General Motors, Toyota, Honda, or even Tesla are automakers first and only make software to run their respective infotainment systems or to run the subsystems of electric cars. Ford, for example, has been making trucks for a century, but it's decidedly not a software company. That's why car infotainment systems are often lackluster in the usability department.
In addition to having a much firmer grasp on software than your average automaker, Apple makes its own hardware too, That means the company is familiar with how to produce complex products at scale and deliver such products in a time frame that keeps customers happy. It's quite the leap to go from making smartphones and laptops to a 4,000 pound car, but Apple is at least very familiar with getting physical products into people's hands.
Given the popularity of Apple products all over the world, it may just know delivery better than most companies. The same can't be said for many major automakers, especially EV companies, where missed deadlines and overpromising and underdelivering are just par for the course.
The potential to be an automaker
If Apple were to decide to try its particular way of doing business in the automotive industry, it may have more of an advantage than a lot of other companies attempting to make a car. Yes, to start, it might seek help from an established automaker to get the automotive aspects ironed out, like Sony and Honda's partnership. But once the wheels get figuratively and literally spinning, the mythical Apple Car could be a behemoth all of the Cupertino firm's own making.
With the VR headset industry now arguably led by Apple with the Vision Pro, and the global success of nearly every product it has ever made in each respective segment, Apple could believably work its patented brand of magic in the automotive industry. Yes, it would be expensive, and yes, it would take time, but Apple's willingness to undergo just that journey with the Vision Pro and augmented reality suggests it's not shy of tough, long-term challenges. There would, of course, be no shortage of potential buyers for an Apple Car, and the company would likely sell out the exact second it started sales.
Apple's track record of making waves in a number of industries is completely unmatched. As farfetched as an Apple Car may seem today, can you think of a better company to decide to become an automaker?