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● Inbox: Steve Jobs
One day in May 2010, Brian Thompson, the designer of the U.S. auto startup V-Bichkle, received an e-mail. The title was Steve Jobs. At the time, V-Bichkle was building a small and light car, and Jobs, who was in charge of informal consulting, contacted me to meet him.
Thompson visited Jobs’ home outside Paloalto, California. The British Guardian described it as a modest schoolteacher-style home. Jobs’ son was complaining that the iPhone prototype was not working properly while he shook hands with Jobs, who was skinny and wearing jeans. The two talked about V-Bichael cars. A lighter body than conventional steel, a cream-and-white hatchback, and a dashboard made of synthetic resin and wood pulp.
The V-bichael business, which Jobs praised as “soulful,” eventually failed. The company changed its name and fell for another company. A year later, Apple founder Steve Jobs also passed away. In June 2016, the Guardian reported this in an article titled “The Secret Car that caught Steve Jobs’ eye.” It also added a supplementary explanation called “a clue to Apple cars,” which was rumored at the time.
For the next six years, “Apple Car” drifted around the world like a ghost.
News of Apple’s development of self-driving electric vehicles has been continuously reported. There was no official comment, but the news from an “anonymous source” continued. No one seems surprised by the news that Apple is making cars anymore. Apple was so secure that it sent the employee who leaked the information home immediately, but people didn’t let Apple go. This is because Apple led mobile innovation with ‘iPhone’.
Apple recently recruited talented people. Bloomberg reported on the 3rd (local time) that Apple has hired Desi Uzkashevich, a veteran engineer from Ford, a carmaker. Having worked for Ford for 31 years, he is an expert with automobile expertise such as vehicle safety systems, engineering design, and body interior engineering. He participated in the development of vehicles such as Ford Escape and Explorer, and also developed electric vehicles. I certainly don’t think I’ll make an iPhone.
Is Apple really serious about developing cars? Why do they want to make cars? Just as the keyboard was removed from mobile phones in the past, will the wheels of cars be removed? I looked up a number of clues.
● Project name: ‘Titan’
News of Apple’s car development first came out of nowhere. Apple Vice President Phil Schiller, who served as a court witness in 2012 when Samsung and Apple filed a patent suit, made a bombshell remark that “Apple discussed car development even before introducing the iPhone.” “We had a discussion inside Apple about cameras, cars, and other things,” he testified.
The interview of former Apple Vice President Tony Faddell afterwards is more specific. In an interview with Bloomberg News, he said, “We discussed the issue of making cars several times with Jobs,” adding, “The car and the iPhone are similar in that they have a mechanical structure such as batteries, systems, and motors.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) unveiled its secret project Titan in an article titled “Apple, Ready to Challenge Tesla in Electric Vehicles” in February 2015. It is about Apple making a minivan-style electric car. The project, approved by Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2014, was led by then vice president Steve Zadeski, a former Ford engineer. WSJ said there were hundreds, but there were reports that there were more than 1,000 team members. The team also has the authority to transfer anyone from Apple.
