Apple, Volkswagen creating the iCar?
For years, an Apple-designed car has been both the butt of jokes and the dream of many an Apple fanboy. Could a fashionably cool car from Cupertino be on the horizon? German publication Sueddeutsche reports that Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn has been talking to Apple's CEO Steve Jobs about something, though exactly what isn't totally clear. If you're a follower of Apple product development, you know rumors and speculation can run absurdly wild years before the company unveils anything official. Combine that fact with Google's ability to translate German (Google says Martin winter grain is the head of VW, for example) and the two might have only gotten together for a rousing game of Donkey Kong on Jobs' iPhone.
[Sources: Sueddeutsche via MacDailyNews, Financial Times Deutschland via EE Times, and Snopes]
There's only a report in EE Times about a quote in Financial Times Deutschland that has a VW spokesperson saying Winterkorn and Jobs did indeed meet, that negotiations are ongoing and that there are "lots of ideas but no specific plans."
Very interesting indeed, especially to many of the Mac evangelists and confirmed gearheads here at Autoblog. The world has waited long enough for a car that runs on sunlight, is reliable, five times as fast and is twice as easy to drive. Even though Apple's long-rumored car supposedly only works on about 5% of the nation's roads, that shouldn't concern most drivers, since they hardly ever drive on the other 95% anyway.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Steve 12:04PM (4/17/2009)
I think this hits the nail on the Head, GM, Apple and Better Place = iCar by 2013 http://digg.com/apple/Apple_To_Save_GM_and_Introduce_The_iCar
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geo.stewart 5:55PM (8/29/2007)
yeah, volkswagens with an apple interface make sense to me.
both target the same type of demographic.
letting Steve Jobs redesign the competition to BMW's iDrive is probably the best move that could happen in the automotive world.
not many understand the concept of simple gui better than apple.
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RWD fan 6:13PM (8/29/2007)
What demographic are you referring to?
I love Macs, but I wouldn't own any VW newer than a 1970.
Macs are perceived as expensive, but the truth is opposite, sadly it's the other way around with the VWs these days.
seoultrain 6:30PM (8/29/2007)
RWD, could you explain how macs are not expensive? The apple macbooks are pretty reasonable, but pretty much everything else they sell has a big (sometimes huge) premium.
Master Jedi Dan 7:03PM (8/29/2007)
@ seoultrain
Better OS, more stability, no crappy trial software that comes with the computer when you buy it, when you're done buying the software equivalents for iLife (which comes free with the Mac) for the PC, you've spent another $800, great technical support, the software and hardware are made by the same company, fabulous hardware, etc.
zamafir 7:24PM (8/29/2007)
except maybe audi with it's constantly lauded MMI.
lotusmover 8:50PM (8/29/2007)
Having access to inside information I know for a fact that one of the projects Apple is working on is a new interface for mmi in Audi vehicles and it should be ready for testing by next summer. Not only will the interface be very fluid and user friendly but will also be integrated with the navigation and internet browser.
Jorge 11:22PM (8/29/2007)
seoultrain First you have to understand that apple product are seprated into two group. One is consumer and another is professional.
The consumer product include macbook, imac, mac mini. These product are for the masses. So the include mainstream components, not the latest and best.
The professional product include macbook pro and mac pro. These are design for work and productivity so they are price accordingly. They use the high end components which is latest and greatest available. If you want performance you have to pay more.
tikirob 6:12PM (8/29/2007)
Nice, but can I charge it via my USB!
http://www.movie-cat.com
Rob
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HSM 6:16PM (8/29/2007)
Chick cars and chick computers - a match as perfect as chocolate and peanut butter. Geo.stewart is right, both of these companies target the same demographic so it's a natual that they might want to team up. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this although the New Beetle is icky sweet enough that you could have told me it was made by Apple and I might have believed you.
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rv 7:11PM (8/29/2007)
Chick computers??? Uhh, I'll have to let my friend's production house and most of the other editing houses in LA know so they can switch all their Avid suites to manly PCs... Heck, I'll have to let all the local recording studios know too. Thanks for the heads up, you manly man, you. And heck, lords know only real men use Vista.
Good PR 6:20PM (8/29/2007)
"Announcing the iDub, available in Shiny White, or for $400 extra: Shiny black!!!!"
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Ian 7:15PM (8/29/2007)
Which would be a perfect fit for a German car maker since msot of them charge extra for colors that don't suck.
Other iCar features:
You can put anytying you buy in the iCar, but only if it is purchased at the Apple Store. Inexplicably if you steal something, or make it yourself then it will fit in the iCar just fine.
If the fuel tank is damanged it cannot be replaced.
The iCar has one control where the stering wheel is alos the brake and acclerator. You turn off the iCar by holding on to the stering wheel really tightly for a long time.
None of the nozzles at the filling station will fit the iCar. You need an adapter.
There is no way to repair an iCar.
The ICar scratches really easily.
As time passes the iCar gets worse and worse gas mileage.
The iCars stereo sounds like crap if you even touch the "bass" button.
paul34 6:23PM (8/29/2007)
Hmm, you know, it might not be a bad idea for Apple to realease a few car *accessories*, such as GPS units or full screen LCD-based headunits.
While there are many quality GPS units already available, the interface of many of those full screen headunits is rather lacking, or otherwise rather crude. Yes, even the Pioneer AVICs, Eclipse whatnot, etc. They're okay, but compared to the interfaces of quality Garmin or TomTom products, they still have a ways to go.
It'd be interesting to see Apple take a stab at it. And considering many people are buying GPS units now, it might not be a bad time for Apple to jump into the segment and popularize it even further with the ignorant general public (ignorant of technology, that is).
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zamafir 7:27PM (8/29/2007)
considering Google and VW announced some time ago that they were working together on a new navigation setup, and google and apple partnerned on the iPhone, I don't think an apple-ish headunit with cluster display is that far off. VW's always loved their MFDs.
Matt 6:36PM (8/29/2007)
10 bucks says the hood comes welded shut. Apple never lets you even think about modifying anything. And in order to get gasoline, you have to go to Apple IStations, specifically designed for the ICar. Also, you cannot bring anything into the car that is not a certified Apple product.
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Andy 6:35PM (8/29/2007)
The first version would only reach 25mph, would cost $100K, and would only turn right.
But it would look great and you could watch skateboarding dogs on the dash interface.
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syed 7:16PM (8/29/2007)
i love all the JEALOUS comments by PC owners.....have fun with your 1985 primitive virus-ridden calculators....SUCKAZ!
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rv 7:36PM (8/29/2007)
LOL - being stuck using Windows breeds a special kind of bitterness. Too cheap to buy a Mac and not creative enough to know what to do with one if they had one - what do you expect?
I guess the PC-Car is spyware/virus ridden - most people who drive them barely know how to do more than drive it in first gear, and depending on the combination of hardware, people spend more time peforming updates on their PC-Car than driving it. See the Mac versus PC commercials from Apple to get more ideas of what a PC Car would be like...
Cheers!
Matt 8:00PM (8/29/2007)
Silly Mac fanboys... Not only can you not stay on topic, but you pretend like theres some magical "PC car" out there as well. OK, just tell me you don't think it's dumb that you are required to use ITunes with an IPod and that the IPhone is so hard to unlock that the first guy to unlock one got a Nissan 350Z for his efforts. I just hate how Apple takes away your freedoms when you buy their products.