New Rumor du Jour: Apple Is Working on a Car

Bryan Chaffin, writing for The Mac Observer:

But what I learned is that Apple has been looking for — and acquiring — the kind of people from Tesla with expertise that is most suited to cars. So much so that I went from being a doubter to a believer almost instantly.

From another source who travels in more rarified circles than yours truly, I also learned that a lot of people at the top in Silicon Valley consider it a given that Apple is working on a car. This is circumstantial, at best, but if you’re going to crowd-source wisdom, you could do a lot worse than polling the C-suite.

I should add that when I asked one of my sources flat out to put a percentage chance on Apple working on an actual car — rather than some kind of car-related technology — I was told, “80 percent.”

I know nothing of any such project, and my first thought when Business Insider started this rumor was to roll my eyes. If you wanted me to bet, I’d bet against it. But, two thoughts:

  1. Cars are a huge industry. As with phones, just a few percent market share can lead to enormous profits, especially with a higher-end product.

  2. I know a lot of people at Apple, at all levels of the company, who love watches. I also know many who love cars.

★ Wednesday, 11 February 2015