Spent Trillions Over 10 Years and Still Failed... Technology Even the Great Apple Abandoned

Apple Car Developed with Level 5 Autonomous Driving Goal
"Obsessed with Autonomy Instead of a 'Sufficient Car'"
"Trillions Spent by the Time Failure Was Realized"

What was the reason behind the failure of Apple's nearly decade-long electric vehicle development plan? It has been pointed out that 'arrogance' was the fundamental cause, drawing attention.

The US 'Bloomberg News' recently published an article closely analyzing the tragic history of Apple Car's development. Previously, Apple announced the cancellation of the Apple Car project and stated that it would focus its capabilities on generative artificial intelligence (AI) going forward.

Apple's nearly decade-long investment in electric vehicle development was criticized for 'arrogance' as the reason for its failure.
[Image source=Pixabay]

Bloomberg evaluated that "Apple was doomed to fail from the moment it started the Apple Car project 10 years ago." The media reported that the electric vehicle Apple wanted was a 'fully autonomous vehicle.' A fully autonomous vehicle refers to level 5 autonomy, which can make decisions on its own without driver intervention, a stage no company has yet completed.

Bloomberg explained that Apple wanted to replicate the success it achieved with the iPhone in the electric vehicle. However, this project goal stemmed from arrogance, and it was suggested that if Apple had released a conventional electric vehicle like Tesla, the situation might have been different.

Concept Image of the Canceled Apple Car

The media said, "Although the Apple Car might not have revolutionized the automobile market, if Apple had integrated its unique design sensibility and vast Apple ecosystem into the car, it would have been a decent product."

However, Apple obsessed over investing in autonomous driving, and by the time it realized that product realization was impossible, it had already incurred billions of dollars in sunk costs.

An Apple insider told Bloomberg, "It was like skipping all the early iPhone models and jumping straight to the iPhone X," adding, "Instead of planting the first flag with the goal of a 'good enough car,' Apple bet everything on the wrong goal of autonomy."

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, tweets on X [Image source=X]

There is also the practical reality that the electric vehicle market is different from the smartphone market. The automobile market has many more competitors and a far more complex supply chain than smartphones. Even if Apple had aimed to develop a conventional level electric vehicle, it was uncertain from the start whether it could have achieved Tesla-level impact.

Earlier, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also reacted to the news of the Apple Car cancellation. He retweeted the related news on X and posted a salute emoji followed by a cigarette emoji in sequence.