Apple Eyeing End Of Cars Or Its Vision Just Worm Food?

Is the impending death of the car exaggerated? Even in its “Apple & the End of the Car as We Know It,” the WSJ doesn’t sound so sure. True, the paper’s analysis of current trends assures “as cars become computers with wheels, Apple is joining other tech companies in eyeing the $5 trillion auto market.”

And yet, “eyeing” like “seeing” is not always the same as “doing” or “believing.” While computer cars, especially those using an electric rather than combustible engine, would have far fewer moving parts than today’s current gas guzzlers, it’s software would have what a normal person might think is a mindboggling “complexity” of binary codes & algorithms that would inevitably break down & trigger expensive repairs or serious safety lapses. Already, today’s cars have scores of “computers” in them that drive steering, brakes, entertainment systems & so on. For the most part, they’re working well.

But, a wholly “autonomous” computer car is another animal in terms of cost and complexity. The WSJ notes: “Fully autonomous driving is turning out to be much harder than anyone predicted.” And, those head scratchers includes the hi tech Don Quixotes at Apple: ”It’s quite possible that Apple will end up spending billions on attempts to develop an electric car without ever releasing a product. Or maybe it offers a product or service [e.g., a transportation system] that fizzles. It’s possible that transportation is so different in scope and complexity that the only way to succeed is through the kind of grand-scale collaboration Apple isn’t known for.” On the other hand, isn’t that what naysayers said about the I-phone’s “trillion-dollar revolution”?

Davd Soul