Apple's supposed interest in building a driverless car is gaining a lot of attention, from those in the tech world and outside the tech world.
While the rumors could be just rumors, the fact that Google is developing autonomous vehicles gives the rumors a little more credibility. But would it be a good business idea for Apple?
Apple certainly has the cash to be able to hire personnel to develop and build cars. In fact, the reports indicate Apple is doing just that - hiring employees in the car industry, who are working in a secret lab away from the Apple headquarters in Cupertino.
Building cars would be a huge undertaking for Apple, and would be completely unlike anything the company has ever done before. Upgrade cycles in the car market are far longer than in the computer and smartphone market. Not only that, but the research and development that goes into building a car is huge.
The Silicon Valley has begun seriously investing interest into the auto industry. As mentioned before, Google is building autonomous cars. Not only that, but Tesla has been reportedly poaching employees from Apple.
Apple has been developing an in-car entertainment system, CarPlay, for a while now, first showing off the system last year. Many companies are doing the same, offering their own in-car systems or features.
The rumors suggest Apple is looking at developing an electric car, which is appealing for a number of reasons. With gas prices only set to rise again and a growing interest in climate change, Apple being among the first to develop an affordable and fashionable electric car could be a big deal.
It's also highly likely that Apple is working on its own technology for autonomous cars, especially because Google is working on one. At the very least, if Apple is in fact working on a car, it will more than likely experiment with autonomous cars.
The rumors surrounding a car from Apple suggest the company has been working on the project for around a year and that it has a team of less than 100 people. Because of this, it's likely that if we ever see a car from Apple, it won't be for at least a few years. If it is ever released, however, it could change the auto industry, as well as change the definition of a tech company.
