Reportedly, Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), has scaled back its automotive aspirations, at least for now. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the California company's decade-old autonomous vehicle project has gone from planning a fully autonomous car to an electric vehicle more similar to that of other type companies Tesla. It is now projected that the so-called “Apple Car” will be launched no earlier than 2028, two years after the company's last reported target date.
The car's autonomous features have reportedly been downgraded from a Level 5 system, which is a full automation system, to a Level 4 system, which is a full automation system in some circumstances or situations, and now to a level 2+ system, just partial automation. That would mean it offers limited autonomous driving features, such as lane centering and braking or acceleration support, but requires the driver's full attention.
Apple Car's new autonomous driving system
Tesla Autopilot is rated as Level 2. Level 2+ is not an official designation, but is sometimes used informally to describe a more advanced version of Level 2.
What Apple once envisioned as a car without a steering wheel or pedals, and perhaps having a remote command center ready to take control from a driver, now looks more like a Tesla-like entry into the market.
Apple sees the downscaling of the project internally as “a pivotal moment.” People familiar with the plans Apple supposedly believes that delivering the reduced Apple Car with reduced expectations could make or break the entire project.
"Either the company can finally deliver this product with reduced expectations or senior executives can seriously reconsider the existence of the project," Gurman wrote.
Apple has reportedly spoken to potential manufacturing partners in Europe about the updated strategy. The company still wants to offer a Level 4 autonomous system at some point, even after its supposed 2028 launch.
After many meetings and efforts in vain on the part of Apple, autonomous cars had no place in the company throughout 2023, but it seems that the project continues in silence, and although it is delayed, we will see something in 2028.
Apple Car release date
Apple's Project Titan has been the subject of rumors since at least the mid-2010s. The company has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the initiative. He has worked in “powertrains, autonomous driving hardware and software, car interiors and exteriors, and other key components.”
Considering how many times they've changed the details of the expensive project, don't be surprised if they do it again.
It must be taken into account that it will no longer be an autonomous car (Level 4 System) but rather steering and braking and acceleration assistance, but the driver maintains control of the vehicle and must pay attention on the road constantly, which is called a level 2 or 2+ system.
A successful launch of electric vehicles would put Apple in direct competition with automakers like Tesla, Ford, GMC and Rivian.
Vehicle manufacturer executives such as Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have recently cast doubt on the profitability and safe application of fully autonomous vehicles.
The autonomous driving features currently offered by Tesla vehicles include self-steering on city streets and the ability to reach stops with driver supervision. Full vehicle autonomy, according to Tesla, depends on “achieving reliability far superior to that of human drivers” and regulatory approval.
Conclusion
Since the Cupertino guys began developing a car about a decade ago, the electric vehicle market has exploded. Tesla is now the most valuable car company in the world, thanks in part to its emphasis on technology and the creation of a sleek, Apple-like user interface.
At the same time, the world's technology companies have become increasingly involved in the automotive industry as software becomes more prevalent in vehicles. Sony is teaming up with Honda in a new technology-packed electric vehicle brand called Afeela.
But developing safe, fully autonomous cars has taken much more time and money than the automotive world previously expected. In recent years, both Uber and Ford have closed their self-driving car programs. An Apple Car would, in theory, be a game-changer just by virtue of the company making it, but it's hard to fathom what it could bring to an increasingly tough market.