Apple Plans An iCar Before 2020
The electronics firm Apple seems to want its part of a rapidly expanding market; according to the most recent rumours, it seems that the brand otherwise known for its iThings (iPod, iPad, iWatch, iMac...) has decided to enter the fray and will build an electric car.
This rumour in itself is interesting, but the details are even better: Apple supposedly wants to launch a vehicle before 2020, which is a very short time to develop, test and launch a vehicle all over the world.
To make sure they can actually get a car out in the next 6 years, Apple is working overtime: according to various other companies, like Tesla, some of their employees have been poached. For the most talented candidates, signing bonuses of $250,000 and a 60% increase in pay were offered. The fact that a lot of engineers were taken from battery firms indicates that the Apple car will be electric, but we don't know anything more about it.
In the automotive industry, the manufacturers are not exactly surprised about this move; GM's last CEO, Dan Akerson says that ''Apple has no idea what they are in for''. Others are thinking that an alliance with an established automaker (possibly Chinese) is inevitable if Apple wants to meet its goals. Volkswagen is also not afraid of Apple's incursion in their market; even more, it tells them that they might even have a chance in the electronics business...