Apple Car

Designer Marc Newson responds to Apple Watch criticism, talks fashion and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 4, 2015

Marc Newson, a reputable industrial designer whom Apple hired last September to help shape future products, recently sat down with the London Evening Standard newspaper in his first print interview since formally starting his new role at Apple.

In the article that the paper published Thursday, Newson offers his view of the design world, comments on Apple's newly found focus on fashion and touches briefly on the subject of a rumored Apple car project.

The Sydney-born designer, 51, whose part-time role at Apple is taking up 60 percent of his time, also responds to the criticism coming from the fashion industry regarding the Apple Watch being too mass market for it to be a true luxury item and becoming outdated.

Jeff Williams: the car is the ultimate mobile device

Cody Lee ∙ May 27, 2015

In addition to Apple Watch talk, Jeff Williams made some other interesting comments at the Code Conference on Wednesday. During his interview with Recode, Apple's SVP of Operations seemingly confirmed the company's rumored interest in cars.

"The car is the ultimate mobile device," Williams nonchalantly noted, in response to a question regarding what the Cupertino firm will do with its staggering cash hoard beyond returning money to investors. "We are exploring a lot of different markets."

Carl Icahn puts faith in Apple’s mythical 4K television set and sketchy Apple Car rumor

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Activist investor Carl Icahn today issued yet another open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook. In it, he predictably pushes for an ever expanding increase of Apple's share repurchase program.

More important than that, this time around Icahn is basing his valuation of the Cupertino firm in part on the prospect of the mythical Ultra HD Apple TV set and the Apple Car project, another sketchy rumor that had briefly entertained the press earlier in the year.

The feared investor is now valuing Apple at $1.4 trillion, expressing his belief that AAPL should be trading at more than $100 higher than its current valuation.

Apple, A123 Systems settling lawsuit over battery engineer poaching

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple and A123 Systems, maker of advanced batteries, submitted a court filing this week saying they are nearing a settlement regarding their engineer poaching lawsuit, reports the Boston Globe. They've "reached an agreement, signed a term sheet, and are in the process of drafting a final agreement."

The lawsuit made headlines earlier this year, when A123 claimed that Apple was hiring away its top scientists and engineers to build a competing battery business. The news broke amidst reports that the Cupertino firm had taken an interest in electric cars, and had begun work on larger battery packs.

Tesla’s Musk welcomes ‘Apple Car’, says Tesla is poaching 5:1 more employees than Apple

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Elon Musk, CEO of electric car company Tesla, had kind words for Apple when asked by an analyst during the company's quarterly earnings call on Tuesday if he feared an electric car from Apple, given its large customer base and giant cash pile for plenty of research and development spending.

"I actually hope Apple gets into the car business, that would be great," the outspoken Musk said, showing no concern for the rumors that Apple has plans to launch an electric car in the coming years.

Apple car project reportedly underway at secret Sunnyvale campus using shell firm

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2015

Apple is running its rumored electric car project, code-named “Titan,” through a shell company called SixtyEight Research from a small top-secret office building in Sunnyvale, California, just minutes away from the company's 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino, according to intriguing findings published Friday by AppleInsider.

Citing two people with knowledge of the project, the publication claims the Titan building, itself code-named “SG5,” is home to recruits from Tesla and Apple's other automotive related hires. One person claims that some of the projects underway there have been kept “very secret” within the company.

Jony Ive and Tesla’s Elon Musk reportedly ‘inseparable’ at Oscars afterparty

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Apple's Jony Ive and Tesla CEO Elon Musk were acting pretty chummy at a party following the Academy Awards Sunday night, reports AppleInsider. The publication says that the pair were "basically inseparable" at Madonna's A-list afterparty, and exited together around 5am.

The conversation is interesting to us given the recent chatter that Apple is building an electric car. While we doubt they talked about automotive design all night, it seems unlikely that two of Silicon Valley's most influential people spent the entire night discussing the weather.

Analyst weighs on why auto industry needs Apple, Mercedes-Benz exec laughs off Project Titan

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 25, 2015

As big media rides on the 'Apple researching an electric vehicle' bandwagon, one analyst lays out why the Cupertino firm could ultimately become a force to be reckoned with in autonomous cars.

Commenting on an influx of stories related to Apple's rumored Project Titan, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty explains (via Forbes) why the world’s richest, most valuable company taking on the world’s most disruptable business makes a lot of sense.

Samsung buys rumored Apple Car battery partner Magna International

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 23, 2015

The Apple Car rumor just took a more interesting twist with news that Samsung is acquiring Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

Samsung SDI, the South Korean firm's material and energy solution providing arm, itself confirmed the acquisition in a media release Monday, saying it was acquiring Magna International’s battery pack unit.

Magna, which has its headquarters in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, sells its vehicle battery technology to Tesla and other car makers and has recently been linked to Apple's secret electric car project.

Apple reportedly planning to produce electric car by 2020

Jake Smith ∙ February 19, 2015

Bloomberg reports that Apple is working to start producing its electric car by 2020, to take on Tesla and other key players in the automotive industry. The report on Thursday follows word from the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg earlier this week that Apple is planning an autonomous vehicle.

Electric car battery maker suing Apple for poaching critical employees

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Electric car battery maker A123 Systems filed a lawsuit against Apple earlier this month for poaching its employees, reports Law360. The company says the Cupertino firm began an "aggressive campaign" around June of last year to recruit some of its most critical staffers for a new large-scale battery division.

This directly violates the company's noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, says A123 Systems, and the poaching has resulted in a substantial loss of investment and left them scrambling to find replacements. It's asking the court for undisclosed damages and a 1-year order, barring them from moving.

Apple’s automotive hires strongly indicate a car project rather than work on CarPlay

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2016

Talking to sources, 9to5Mac has put together a list of key experts Apple's hired and assigned to its rumored car thing, code-named Project Titan. The project is led by product design Vice President and former Ford executive, Steve Zadesky.

Another big hire is Johann Jungwirth, President & CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America.

He specializes in integrating smartphone functionality and developing advanced user experiences. All told, the Cupertino firm is reportedly is assembling a thousand-people team under Zadesky. Hundreds of them are from an automotive hardware background and were hired recently or around the time Tim Cook reportedly approved the project.

Here are some of them.