Not so long ago Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly admitted that the company is interested in creating a technology that allows the car to drive without a driver. Apple, company until recently did not have an accurate idea of their further actions in this direction. Contradictions in the team are available now, but the management of Apple at least came to understand that the company does not want to produce cars independently, and prefers to focus on control algorithms.
The project with the code name Titan Apple has been accompanying since 2014, and during this time priorities have been repeatedly changed. In the early stages, Apple has traditionally tried to control both hardware and software, and therefore attracted experts in the development of automotive components and interior designers. The latter tried to understand what the "car interface" of the future should look like when a person does not need to touch the controls throughout the trip. Even with regard to the degree of management process automation , the opinions within the Apple team were divided: some experts believed that a person should not interfere in the management at all, others did not believe that the authorities in the foreseeable future will allow the operation of cars without the steering wheel and pedals.
The so-called "lidar" Apple also tried to make it more organically fit into the exterior of the car - the current prototypes with their rotating cones on the roof are not very elegant. Since recent attempts to develop the car itself in Apple have ceased, and now the company prefers the development of control systems. However, this is not without controversy: the operating system CarOS can rely on the common language of C ++, and on the "proprietary" Swift.
As the source summarizes, at present Apple prefers developing control systems using the "chassis" of third-party manufacturers. In addition to three prototypes based on the Lexus RX 450h, a minibus should appear on California public roads, which can automatically move Apple employees miles away. As a basis for the prototype, a finished car of a third-party production will also be taken.