Apple and the Auto Industry

• Apple was already making serious auto industry in-roads and at a stroke has changed entire markets.
• The Wall Street Journal said Apple sought to “control every aspect of the user experience” and at a stroke changed entire  markets when it rolled out the iPhone and iTunes.
• Apple’s mysterious plans could mean it was working on a car,  tech platform, or mobility service, but as of Spring 2021, Bloomberg reported Apple prioritized plans for the “Apple Car.”
• In 2014, Apple began working on “Project Titan,” with 1,000+ employees developing an electric vehicle at a secret location near its headquarters. In early 2021, Apple was in talks with Hyundai and Nissan over a vehicle, but both talks broke down, with the Nissan talks falling through after Apple wanted Apple-branded vehicles, effectively downgrading Nissan to a supplier. Apple has laid the groundwork to move into the auto industry,  including 2014 CarPlay rollout, 2019 autonomous vehicle company Drive.ai acquisition, and a 2020 patent for vehicle alerts. Apple  supplier Foxconn was even building out its own auto-making capabilities and in March 2021, it raised the  possibility of manufacturing an EV and hinted at additional partnerships with U.S. companies into the auto industry.