November 23, 2015
Following in the footsteps of many other tech giants, rumors have been circulating that Apple will be entering the driverless car space, with intentions to have something on the market by 2019.
While Apple is eager to try their hand at the auto industry, they may have met their match with government regulations on smart car construction. The pioneering brand has the prerequisite knack for extreme attention to detail, but will have to relinquish control of standards as they take on transportation. The federal government has strict guidelines in place that dictate even the most minute details.
A recent article in Wired does a great job of dissecting the process, explaining that even the vehicle’s identification number must meet particular criteria, and be displayed in a specific font class.
While the company has been historically built on small tech, its recent foray into luxury with its smartwatch was a success, so who’s to say that going bigger – ok, a lot bigger – and building a car won’t be?
When compared to the likes of Tesla, it’s hard to deny that Apple has a cash advantage over a typical startup, and only time will tell if in four years it’s possible to go from the ground up in the face of the checks and balances of the governmental regulation of intelligent transportation.