My guess is they will rethink what a "car" fundamentally is all about. They'll create a vehicle that has new features that play to their strengths, even if the "car-ness" isn't a big improvement on existing models in the market.
Back when the iPhone first came out a lot of people dismissed it because it wasn't a very good phone - the audio quality and reception tended to be worse than a good Nokia. Who cares if it has all these extra whiz-bang features like a touch screen and a web browser if it's not a very good phone, the thinking went. A lot of people didn't appreciate that Apple was creating a communication and information retrieval device, and not just a traditional phone with some extra features.
I suspect Apple will create a car that provides a great experience for people getting from point A to point B. It will probably not be a great car to drive. But it will probably be an awesome car for passengers. My guess is that they are betting that there will be more passengers relative to drivers over the next decade or two, and that passengers will, in a perhaps indirect way, become a bigger force in car buying decisions than they have been in the past.
So, by the metrics traditionally used to compare cars it will probably be only an incremental improvement over existing models - or it might even be a step backwards. But by the metrics that we'll use to evaluate cars in ten or fifteen years it will be an amazing improvement.
> Back when the iPhone first came out a lot of people dismissed it because it wasn't a very good phone
You're describing the launch of the Prius and the GT86, both of which were bagged for tyre size, horsepower, and other metrics. Both have done quite well for Toyota.
Oh, absolutely. They loved the handling and similar less quantifiable qualities. The people bagging it were the people saying, "Only 200HP? Why are the tyres so small?" while the folks looking at the overall picture were saying "this is a hugely fun car in a very practical way."
It is. And the move towards autonomous cars is part of the reason why there will be more passengers relative to drivers on the road. But it's not the only factor, or the only way to improve the passenger experience.
For example, I'd gladly forget about Lyft and Uber and use a new ride service if their drivers all had cars that offered me a better experience than what a Toyota Camry provides today.
Also, in-car entertainment has become hugely popular for family cars like mini/sport-utility vans.
My guess is that Apple will create an in-car infotainment system that makes current systems look like phone web browsers from 2005.
> I'd gladly forget about Lyft and Uber and use a new ride service if their drivers all had cars that offered me a better experience than what a Toyota Camry provides today.
Why don't you use a limousine service, then? There are surely services in your area offering to drive you around in a long-body S-class or 7-series, which are actually purpose built for back-seat comfort.
My guess is you can't afford that. Why would you then be able to afford whatever premium Apple car ride service in the future?
I'd consider it a failure if all Apple added was a better entertainment system. It's nice (possibly) and it seems to fit with the rest of Apple's products, but it'd fail to get to the core of the whole "car" concept.
Back when the iPhone first came out a lot of people dismissed it because it wasn't a very good phone - the audio quality and reception tended to be worse than a good Nokia. Who cares if it has all these extra whiz-bang features like a touch screen and a web browser if it's not a very good phone, the thinking went. A lot of people didn't appreciate that Apple was creating a communication and information retrieval device, and not just a traditional phone with some extra features.
I suspect Apple will create a car that provides a great experience for people getting from point A to point B. It will probably not be a great car to drive. But it will probably be an awesome car for passengers. My guess is that they are betting that there will be more passengers relative to drivers over the next decade or two, and that passengers will, in a perhaps indirect way, become a bigger force in car buying decisions than they have been in the past.
So, by the metrics traditionally used to compare cars it will probably be only an incremental improvement over existing models - or it might even be a step backwards. But by the metrics that we'll use to evaluate cars in ten or fifteen years it will be an amazing improvement.