Autonomous cars: What to expect from Apple

The autonomous car race is heating up. Major players like Apple, Google, Uber, Tesla, Baidu and General Motors are expected to release the first mass-produced autonomous cars soon. Apple’s driverless project has received little publicity compared with Google or Tesla, but it is likely that the tech giant will pull off a surprise. The company has given the world revolutionary products before, including the first portable mp3 player and the first touchscreen phone; it is likely that the Apple Car will have revolutionary tech that will change the way people drive. Not only that, they want to make it a more entertaining experience by adding features such as a screen, where users can access the Internet, games and more – fun for a long trip. There is an excellent array of online games on websites such as https://kabono.com/.

History of the Apple Car 

As far back as 2008, Steve Jobs was rumoured to have been working on a car project, but it was put on hold to focus on the iPhone. Apple renewed interest in this project in 2014 with Project Titan, which was was again frozen, but revived in 2020. The initiative is overseen by Apple’s AI and Machine Learning lead engineer John Giannandrea.

In an interview with Reuters, Apple analyst Ming-Ching Kuo suggested they will be ready to launch the car in 2025-2027. The biggest challenges in this race are a long-range battery and LIDAR technology, and Apple are working hard to make the car completely autonomous with a revolutionary chip.  

Smart technology 

In developing autonomous cars, tech companies have no previous model to refer to for inspiration as there are none on the road yet. It is therefore likely that Apple are working on an entirely new car from the ground up, but with some aspects of current systems involved. For example, the entertainment system will be controlled from the user’s smartphone apps or car seat touchscreen.

5G capability 

5G will play a big role in the functioning of the Apple Car. The developers have already made the iPhone 12 5G capable with speeds at 20GBPs and more. This technology will be capable of handling the heavy data streams from the vehicle’s sensors.

With 5G, any form of entertainment will be possible, including heavy online gaming.

Directions from Apple Maps

Google currently leads in mapping technology with Google Maps. Apple would have to pay heavily to use this technology, so the company is working hard to develop its proprietary mapping. 

With work beginning 2017, the mapping is expected to carry more data since Apple is relying on 3D views, and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). There was some buzz at the start of the project when Apple hired a fleet of vehicles to pilot the mapping programmes in California. The iPhone 12 has also already been set up with LIDAR.. 

The Apple Car is one of the most watched projects in the autonomous car race. The company has delivered revolutionary technologies in the past, and this latest is likely to be no less amazing.  

The editorial unit