‘The Information’ has reported that tech giant Apple’s self-driving car efforts are stuck in low gear. Its team is plagued by setbacks as rivals race ahead. The company’s quest to produce a viable self-driving car remains stalled despite years of work.
According to the report, change in ever-shifting goals and leadership along with a lack of faith in the project by high-ranking Apple executives is the reason that self-driving cars have not been introduced by the company.
What is this Apple car?
Since the death of its iconic co-founder Steve Jobs in October 2011, there has been buzz surrounding a potential Apple car. Moreover, the vehicles are touted as the first new “big thing” from the company. Citing interviews with people who worked on the project, ‘The Information’ reported that self-driving Apple cars have had trouble on streets near its Silicon Valley headquarters.
They strayed from its lanes, bumped curbs, and almost hit a jogger legally crossing a road. During an interview released by the New York Times, Apple chief Tim Cook early last year portrayed self-driving cars as an ideal match for the technology titan.
Cook told journalist Kara Swisher’s “Sway” podcast “An autonomous car is a robot and so there are a lot of things you can do with autonomy. We will see what Apple does.” Hinting at an option to build an autonomous-driving technology platform used by automakers, Cook expressed admiration for electric carmaker Tesla.
In 2016, Apple first revealed its self-driving tech aspirations. It viewed autonomous driving systems as a “core technology” for the future.