Crash of the Titan: a short history of Apple’s doomed car project

Apple’s highly anticipated driverless car project, known as Project Titan, has been put on hold without an official announcement of its cancellation. Despite working on the secretive project for nearly a decade, Apple rarely spoke about it publicly. Project Titan was evident from the outside, with the company hiring automotive industry experts and conducting public testing of self-driving cars. However, Apple tried to maintain the project’s mystery, with CEO Tim Cook responding cryptically to inquiries about it.

This week, it was revealed by Bloomberg that Apple has decided not to pursue the development of a car, disappointing fans who had hoped for an Apple-designed vehicle. The idea of an Apple Car dates back to 2008 when Nest founder Tony Fadell disclosed that he and Steve Jobs had considered the concept while both were at Apple. Despite the initial excitement, the company felt too preoccupied with other projects at the time.

Over the years, Apple explored the possibility of creating a car, with reports emerging in 2015 about a self-driving car being developed under Project Titan. The project faced various challenges and setbacks, leading to changes in leadership and shifts in focus towards autonomous driving software. Despite acquiring autonomous driving startup Drive.ai in 2019, Apple ultimately decided not to move forward with the development of its own car.

The journey of Project Titan serves as a cautionary tale about the limitations of even the world’s most valuable company. Apple’s foray into the automotive industry, while ambitious, ultimately proved to be a challenging endeavor that the company was unable to see through to fruition.

Source link