Apple has closed parts of its self-driving auto project and laid off dozens of employees attached to it as it reboots its plan for self-driving vehicles, according to The New York Times.
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However, like most companies working on autonomous cars – Google, Tesla, Ford, General Motors, Audi, Delphi, Uber – Apple admits that self driving cars are still several years away from commercial markets, most likely in 2021 after the original release date in 2020 was pushed back due to delays.
I wouldn’t make too much of Mr. Mansfield laying off dozens of employees when Project Titan has more than 1,000 team members.
The job cuts follow on from a growing number of problems which emerged as the programme grew in scale. Apple executive Bob Mansfield, recently came out of retirement to lead the Titan team after Steve Zadesky left the company.
The NYT report comes less than two months after Bloomberg reported Titan is now “prioritizing the development of an autonomous driving system” rather than the creation of a full-blown auto.
The hotly anticipated Apple Car may never make it to production, a new report out of the United States suggests.
Apple appears to be scaling back its secretive vehicle project, according to multiple reports. Apple has declined to comment. Although never admitting to working on this new technology, Apple’s leading manager, Timothy D. Cook mentioned at the beginning of the year that the automotive business is suffering dramatic changes.
Googles Lexus RX 450H Self Driving Car is seen parked on Pennsylvania Ave. on April 23, 2014 in Washington, DC. However, the technology is reportedly not yet fully ready for primetime. Google has logged over 300,000 miles testing its self driving cars around the country.
Apple is testing some autonomous vehicles on limited routes, the New York Times reported. “The initiative is now prioritizing the development of an autonomous driving system, though it’s not abandoning efforts to design its own vehicle”. Public knowledge only relies on rumors, anonymous insider accounts and the high profile hiring of engineers from other companies working on similar or related vehicle technologies such as Tesla.
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Tesla’s Autopilot has been one of the first forms of semi-autonomous driving technology to be adopted and accepted by customers, though the fatal accident earlier this year involving a Tesla Model S using Autopilot cast doubt over the technology in recent months.
