The news that Apple’s decade-long car project has reportedly ended has been met with a mix of reactions, from disappointment to perhaps, a sense of inevitability. For years, the tech world buzzed with anticipation of an Apple-branded vehicle, fueled by patents, hires, and industry whispers. However, as someone closely following Apple’s trajectory for over four decades, the idea of them becoming a traditional car manufacturer always seemed a deviation from their core DNA. While the dream of “Apple Cars” in every garage might be fading, the underlying vision of Apple transforming the automotive experience is far from over.
To understand Apple’s automotive ambition, it’s crucial to look beyond the physical car and focus on their strength: software and services. This perspective isn’t new. Back in 1995, Sony’s former CEO Akio Morita articulated a similar vision when explaining Sony’s acquisition of Columbia Pictures. He described movies as “just software” for Sony’s hardware. This foresight proved accurate, as digital media reshaped the entertainment landscape. Steve Jobs, a known admirer of Morita, adopted this hardware-software synergy as a core principle for Apple’s resurgence.
Lenovo, a leading PC manufacturer, seems to be echoing this sentiment. They are venturing into the automotive space not to build “smart cars” in the conventional sense, but to become a provider of the computing infrastructure that powers future vehicles. Lenovo views cars as “new computing platforms,” leveraging their expertise in computer hardware to innovate within the automotive sector.
This platform-centric approach is likely the key to understanding the now-concluded “apple cars” project. It was less about competing with Ford or Toyota and more about pioneering the software and technological framework for the next generation of vehicles. The billions invested in research and development aren’t wasted; they are being redirected towards Apple’s true automotive goal: to make cars a seamless extension of the Apple ecosystem, a platform for delivering their apps, content, and services.
Apple CarPlay is a tangible example of this vision already in action. It brings Apple’s interface and services to millions of vehicles. The research from the car project is poised to significantly enhance CarPlay, potentially introducing augmented reality features in Apple Maps, advanced Siri integration, and AI developer kits for third-party automotive applications.
While the physical manifestation of “apple cars” might not materialize as initially imagined, Apple’s ambition to revolutionize the car experience remains firmly in place. The future of Apple in the automotive world is likely not about building vehicles, but about powering them, enriching them, and integrating them deeper into the Apple universe through software and services. The journey of “apple cars” may have shifted gears, but Apple’s drive to innovate in the automotive space is far from over.
