No big deal about Apple – Elon Musk
The world may be eager for a glimpse of Apple’s rumoured electric car, dubbed ‘Project Titan’, but Elon Musk isn’t quite so interested.
The boss of car maker Tesla told a German newspaper that cars are much more complex than the phones and watches Apple is famous for, and he isn’t worried about the competition.
He also dubbed the firm a ‘Tesla graveyard’ full of his ex employees who didn’t make it at his firm.
The entrepreneur made the highly charged comments in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt.
In recent months, Apple has hired a number of engineers with backgrounds in automotive and battery design, including a senior engineer from Tesla, according to a LinkedIn posting.
Apple’s electric car could launch in 2019, report says An electric car created by Apple could be a reality in as little as four years in wqas reported last month.
Sources claim the company is tripling the number of engineers on the project, code-named Titan, and has set a ‘ship date’ of 2019.
The Wall Street Journal said the date could just be a target for engineers to sign off on the design, not necessarily when a car would be available for sale.
Apple has not commented on rumours it is working on a car, which have been swirling for months.
The report said a selfdriving car is still a part of Apple’s long-term plans, but the first model will require someone to be behind the wheel.
In recent months, Apple has hired a number of engineers with backgrounds in automotive and battery design, including Jamie Carlson, a senior engineer from Tesla, according to a LinkedIn posting.
At least six others with experience developing selfdriving technology and systems have joined Apple, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
The cutting comments perhaps mark a change of heart for the entrepreneur who was rumoured to be in possible acquisition talks with Apple in 2014, Business Insider reported.
In May, Mr Musk said it would be ‘great’ if Apple entered the car market.
While Mr Musk agrees it is logical for Apple to move into electric cars, he does not think its car will be a threat to Tesla, despite the fact the auto company has yet to make a profit.
Mr Musk said he hopes Tesla will be profitable next year and is investing in ramping up production of the Model X and Model 3, adding that there are no plans to slow the company’s growth for the sake of profitability.
Speaking about Apple’s ambitions for a range of cars, he said: ‘Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch? (laughs) No, seriously: It’s good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction.’
He continued that cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches, before adding Apple won’t be able to go to Foxconn, which makes devices such as the iPad and iPhone, and ask it to build a car.
And he quipped that a new pencil or bigger iPhone won’t be enough to keep Apple’s innovative reputation alive.
Rather than Apple, however, Mr Musk instead told Lukas Bay the real threat to Tesla comes from China.
He said there are four billion dollar China-funded electric vehicle start-ups in the US alone and import taxes are far higher in China than in the US, putting Tesla at a disadvantage when it comes to exporting its cars to the eastern superpower. DailyMailonline