Apple Ends Development of Its Electric Car After 10 Years
Apple Corporation has decided to halt the development of its electric car, which it has been working on for the past 10 years. Instead, the Cupertino-based company will focus its efforts on developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), Bloomberg reports.
According to journalists, at a meeting on February 27, 2024, Apple informed employees of its Project Titan automotive division about the project's closure. It is noted that approximately 2,000 people were involved in the development of the Apple electric car. Now the company intends to transfer almost 30% of the project team to other divisions, some of which will be directed to work in the field of AI, while others will be involved in improving the new Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset.
At the same time, approximately 70% of Project Titan employees may face layoffs. This includes specialists involved in the development of autonomous driving equipment, car design and interior, as well as automotive electronics. These employees have been offered to independently seek employment in other company departments. However, some specialists who worked on the Apple electric car have already received termination notices.
Apple will also concentrate released resources on implementing AI in its current products, including the iPhone and iPad, to keep up with competitors such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. The company plans to introduce new AI capabilities, including more automated software development tools and features for summarizing news articles, at its developers' conference in June 2024.
The first new features are expected to be included in the iOS 18 operating system, which is likely to be released in September 2024 alongside the next generation iPhone.
Earlier, The Gaze reported that following an investigation by EU regulators, Apple would open NFC features in the iPhone to European developers, which were previously exclusive to its Apple Pay and Wallet software, The Wall Street Journal reports. The tech giant agreed to open up payments to third-party providers after the EU antitrust watchdog warned the company about anti-competitive practices.