The Current State of Apple's Self-Driving Car

It's a weird thought to think that Apple could one day sell cars, cars that drive themselves no less. And I think the first thing anyone thinks of when thinking of an Apple Car is how expensive it would be. But for that price, you'd hope it would be top of the line and safe. However, thanks to The Last Driver License Holder, we have a report from the DMV of the disengagement rate of self-driving cars that are being tested in California. A disengagement occurs when the car requires a human to take over. The data we have is across many brands and ordered. Apple currently ranks last with roughly one disengagement per every 1.1 miles. In comparison, Google's Waymo is in first with one disengagement every 11,154 miles. That is a striking contrast. While there are plenty of competitors that are far off from Waymo's disengagement rate, if a user has to intervene about every mile, why buy a self-driving car at that point? Hopefully, Apple can improve and figure out how to make the disengagements less frequent. To see the full report, please check out The Last Driver License Holder's post on the topic.

Using iPhone to Unlock a Car

The Car Connectivity Consortium has released the specification for Digital Key Release 1.0. This is a standardized way to allow smartphones to unlock cars using NFC. In addition, Apple is part of the Car Connectivity Consortium, so we can expect this feature in iPhones. You would also be able to lock and start the engine of the car securely from your phone. A second release of the specification is due in the first quarter of 2019 as well.

Car Sounds from Apple Building

According to AppleInsider, there have been loud noises of a motor from a building that Apple leases. People are spectating that this is the building where the Apple Car is being developed. Not only that, but a resident has complained about these noises.

"(Do) there have to (be) motor noises at 11:00 p.m. at night like last night? Even with the windows closed I could still hear it."

- Resident's Letter to City of Sunnyvale

Although nothing is confirmed and these may simply be constructions noises, we can be pretty confidant that we're seeing an Apple Car in a few years. It's in very early stages, but with Apple hiring people from companies like Tesla, it looks like this project is a go.

Mercedes-Benz CarPlay Lineup 2016

I don't usually talk about lineups for CarPlay, but Apple and Mercedes-Benz have an interesting relationship. For one, Steve Jobs drove around a Mercedes-Benz without any license plates. Also, Apple is also often called the Mercedes-Benz of technology. Now with Apple CarPlay coming to Mercedes-Benz, there's sure to be a very refined in-car system that bridges the gap between your car's computer and your iPhone. As you can see in the picture below, CarPlay in a Mercedes-Benz looks reminiscent of an iPhone. The screen looks awesome, as if it's being levitated in midair. So, here's the lineup for which cars are compatible.

December 1, 2015 and later

2016 B-Class 

2016 CLA 

2016 CLS400 

2016 CLS550 

2016 CLS63 S 

2016 E400 Coupe 

2016 E550 Coupe 

2016 E400 Cabriolet 

2016 E550 Cabriolet 

2016 GLA

January 8, 2016 and later

2016 GLE300d 

2016 GLE350 

2016 GLE400 

2016 GLE450 

2016 GLE63 

2016 GLE63 S

Toyota Has No Plans To Support Apple CarPlay

Toyota, one of Apple CarPlay's partners, has announced that they have no plans to support Apple CarPlay. For those who don't know, Apple CarPlay is an Apple version of an "infotainment system" for a car. It can use Siri, iMessage, iTunes, and more. It should be noted that a few months back, Toyota had a leak that showed a Prius using CarPlay and that it would be available in 2015. This is a let down for many people, including myself. As I will be turning 16 this year, I was hoping my first car would be a Toyota Prius equipped with Apple CarPlay, and I'm not a fan of aftermarket systems. What really killed me was this quote from John Hanson.

 "We may all eventually wind up there, but right now we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions."

This is a bad move from Toyota because they, along with many other car brands, are famous for producing some of the most awful infotainment systems. It's like I said the other day with my whole puzzle metaphor. In this case, Toyota should stick to making cars and let Apple and Google provide the software that works well with their devices. Let's hope Toyota changes their mind.

My Thoughts On The Apple Car

Recently in the Apple world, rumors have started that Apple will make a car. Believe it or not, I'm not very hyped that they're making a car. The reason I say this is because I feel that companies should stick to what they're good at. Of course, I'd love to see Jony Ive's version of a perfect car, but at the same time, this is a whole new boundary. When Google started making all of their new products, they took off a bit slowly. When Sony started making the PlayStation, was it the best thing ever? The way I see it, companies are like pieces of a puzzle. Competitors have a separate puzzle set. When it comes to Google's puzzle set, they might have Nest somewhere in there, along with a bunch of other companies they own or endorse. They have a company that does good at the one thing they do for each section of the puzzle. One of those pieces might be home automation. Granted, Google does a lot of things, but they're Google. Anyways, those are my thoughts...