Apple's EV Car Plans Run Out Of Gas, Will Focus On AI Instead

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If you were looking forward to wearing your Apple Vision Pro while driving in your new Apple Car, we may have some bad news for you. It seems as though Apple has ended its ambitious plans to build its very own electric vehicle, wanting to focus its team on AI instead. With its "Project Titan" ending, many of the 2,000 strong team will supposedly switch to a more AI driven focus. 

The car industry is notoriously competitive and a very difficult place to do business, with ebbs and flows that can knock out even the strongest companies. Various automakers had to be bailed out during the last recession, for example, with bankruptcies looming. With the rise of popular electric vehicles from Tesla in recent years, along with changing emission guidelines, Apple started development on its own project to hedge its bets. 

While it likely deemed it financially problematic to continue, Apple DNA will continue in many vehicles where it matters most for Apple. With its  iOS CarPlay, available on many cars these days, Apple is taking advantage of the popularity of its iPhone. Users will be happy with the interface from their device being smoothly carried over to an Apple CarPlay system, with familiar apps and functionality. Car entertainment systems have always been notoriously clunky and often have aging technology, so this is certainly a positive for car makers as well. 

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Apple switching the team members to AI segments of its development is certainly in the zeitgeist currently. Devices such as the Apple Vision Pro can only benefit from a refinement of AI capabilities, together with Apple's entire ecosystem of hardware. All technology companies seem to be focused on AI, so it makes sense for Apple to apply its resources in the most fertile grounds possible to maintain future competitiveness. 

Electric vehicles have so much more technology embedded within them aside from the drive components themselves. Apple had reportedly been developing self-driving systems, which seems to be one of the primary challenges in EV vehicles that needs to be conquered in the future. 

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Apple is likely satisfied with the adoption of its iOS CarPlay in many vehicles, giving it a stronghold and mindshare for user interactions with their vehicles. In this way, it can still continue to develop and present users with its own technology through the tight integrations in other auto maker vehicles. This allows them to focus on the software side, and let the car companies take the brunt of the challenges that accompany car manufacturing. 

With its focus on AI going forward, no doubt its CarPlay system will be further improved, along with its staple hardware such as the iPhone and Mac computers. Perhaps with the insight that Apple developed into the difficulties of manufacturing a car, they can apply those to allow the software experience to improve the user experience overall.