Editor’s letter
The autonomous car is a staple of film and television. For decades, K.I.T.T., the Batmobile, Herbie the Love Bug and Total Recall’s Johnny Cabs - to name a few - have teased our imaginations with what the future might hold. Well, thanks to some incredible new tech from the likes of Audi, these self-driving marvels are closer to your driveway than ever before.
March 2014 / Issue 158
You can forget about Google’s Prius. The standard for the self-driving car is now set by Audi’s driverless A7. Sleek and classy, it’s a seamless blend of classic Audi looks and revolutionary technology. The A7 is the first driverless car we actually want, free from hideous roof-mounted guidance equipment and turning heads for all the right reasons. For more information on what Audi and, indeed, the entire motoring industry have in store head over to p37. The driverless future is looking bright.
On a more depressing note, while we all enjoy the latest advancements in tech via nifty gadgets like smartphones and remote-controlled drones (p18), it’s a sad fact that the single greatest force behind all of this progress is war. Yes, nothing brings out the greatest in human ingenuity like the urge to kill one another. This month T3 investigates the military origins of tech that most of us use on a daily basis. Plus, we take a look at the gear that will soon be stepping out of the fog of war and into our everyday lives.
One example of that futuristic military sheen is Apple’s Mac Pro. Looking like Darth Vader’s computing companion of choice, Cupertino’s latest piece of kit is destined to become an icon of design, loved my some and loathed by others. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we’re in the love camp, but it’s hard not to pause when you see that price. As a result, the Mac Pro is not something we can recommend to everybody, but for more details check out the full review on p63.
Finally, we all need to get away now and then to maintain our sanity, so check out the best tech-tastic holiday destinations and kit from p44.
Enjoy the issue.