Do you remember that system for autonomous cars, which Tim Cook revealed that Apple is working on? Well, now some sources have told the New York Times that the company would be developing a vehicle to transport employees between the various Apple buildings – with details of how the transition from the idea of ​​a complete vehicle (with Apple hardware and software) to a self-guided vehicle system would have been.
The most recent plans, according to five anonymous sources, point out that Apple would be developing what they call PAIL (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop): an autonomous vehicle that would drive employees through the various Apple buildings in the Silicon Valley area.
While the vehicle itself would be from an already established manufacturer, the system responsible for self-driving would be Apple’s; in this way, the company can offer a simpler way to transport its employees and, at the same time, test the software for wider use in the future. Regarding the name, John Gruber suggested that it is a bit outdated, since it does not include Apple Park.
Since the buzz surrounding a possible Apple car began, rumors have taken different forms until culminating in Cook’s confirmation – when we heard something very different from the initial news of the “Project Titan” in 2014.
The sources this time said that the company’s plans have indeed changed over time. The team responsible for the project would have been composed of several Apple veterans, as well as some contract engineers who had experience in building cars and not just in the software for an autonomous vehicle. That is, everything to be more the face of the company, which prefers to control all aspects of a final product.
The sources said that the project team had thought of several options, such as a vehicle with motorized doors that would open and close silently, without a steering wheel or accelerator, screens including augmented / virtual reality, a more discreet LIDAR sensor on the top of the car and even different wheels.
Apple even tried to reinvent the wheel. A team inside the Titan investigated the possibility of using spherical wheels – round as a globe – instead of the traditional, circular ones, because the spherical wheels could allow the car to make a better lateral movement.
Over time, plans would have become more blurred, with delays and some leadership problems. The sources even cited that the project would have had problems due to its magnitude and lack of a clearly defined vision of what Apple wanted in a vehicle.
Among the problems, employees complained that priorities repeatedly changed, deadlines were “arbitrary and unreal” and, furthermore, they had not yet decided whether the car would be completely autonomous (an idea supported by Jony Ive) or if the driver could, any time, take back control of the vehicle – which would be ideal for Steve Zadesky, responsible for the team that left Apple last year. Ive, as always, wanted “the company to rethink the automotive experience”.
In addition, the language of the software (supposedly a “carOS”) would also have entered into debates: some suggested Swift while others, C ++. However, as John Gruber pointed out in Daring Fireball, most likely, the “good old” C language would be used (preferably something like MISRA C).
But, as we have already told here, the rest is history: Bob Mansfield took over the project, several people were fired and the company started to focus on a system of autonomous cars.
Currently, we have already seen a Lexus RX450h being tested by the company, roaming the streets of California – and we will probably see this PAIL now (there will certainly be no lack of news and images when it appears in public).
via The Verge
Update Aug 24, 2017 at 16:30
According to Business Insider, after the large stampede of employees of the team responsible for the autonomous car system, Apple is hiring again – and with a new intention.
The aim of the Apple, now, would be in people who have experience in autonomous vehicle software – as so many other companies have been in the business for a long time, there is certainly a very fertile ground for good professionals.
In addition, a source told the BI that Apple would be targeting, with its autonomous car system, the ride-sharing market. However, Apple has no plans to become an Uber, a Lyft or something; in fact, it is expected to move even closer to Didi Chuxing, a Chinese company in which it has invested about $ 1 billion. Thus, it will certainly obtain more and more information and experience to try to enter the market once and for all.
via AppleInsider
