Tim Cook Confirms Apple's Concentrating on Self-Driving Technology
Apple wants to be a leader in self-driving technology, according to CEO Tim Cook. This doesn’t mean a so-called “iCar” is coming anytime soon, however.
In a long-ranging interview with Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang, Cook explained “We’re focusing on autonomous systems,” noting “It’s a core technology that we view as very important.”
Apple has long been rumored to be working on a car project. This is the first time, however, Cook said the company was concentrating on self-driving technology, which he calls “probably one of the most difficult A.I. projects actually to work on.”
Known internally as Project Titan, Apple’s work on automotive technology has taken many paths in recent years.
It once looked like Apple was planning on introducing a car to call its own that would compete with Tesla. More recently, however, insiders said the group’s focus has shifted almost exclusively to self-driving technology.
An iCar could still happen, however, just not in the short-term. As Bloomberg concludes:
Cook was hesitant to disclose whether Apple will ultimately manufacture its own car. ‘We’ll see where it takes us,’ Cook said. ‘We’re not really saying from a product point of view what we will do.’
You can see part of Cook’s Bloomberg interview here: