Apple CEO Tim Cook opens up about autonomous iCar tech

File image of Apple CEO Tim Cook (Image: Reuters)

Apple has been working on the ‘iCar’, which is not just a pipe dream anymore. This time around, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave his views on this new direction that the company was taking.

Project Titan, or ‘iCar’ as we would like to call it, is not all that people are making it out to be. As it stands currently, it is yet to be known if the company is going to build their own car or if they are going to outsource just the tech to manufacturers with the means and capabilities for big production.

Apple has never dabbled in the world of automobiles and this would be a far cry from what they currently do. However, Cook is of the opinion that - even without that experience - Apple does have its strengths thanks to their experience in the world of technology and internet of things (IoT).

Tim Cook says it's unlikely he'll be at Apple for 10 more years

In a Sway Podcast released by New York Times, Tim Cook says, "An autonomous car is a robot and so there are a lots of things you can do with autonomy; we will see what Apple does."

“We love to integrate hardware, software and services, and find the intersection points of those because we think that's where the magic occurs," Cook said.

Apple’s biggest competition, like for most of the auto world, will come from Tesla. Tesla is a virtual giant when it comes to electric vehicle tech as well as autonomous vehicle tech and auto manufacturers are just playing catch-up at the moment.

Cook, too, praised Tesla in the interview saying, “Tesla has done an unbelievable job of not only establishing the lead but keeping the lead for such a long period of time in the EV space.”

However, if Project Titan does manage to make it to the streets, be it in the form that we would love to see it, the ‘iCar’ or even as tech spliced into another auto manufacturer’s mass-produced vehicle, it is very likely most of us won’t be able to afford it. There is however, a very big chance it will be a game changer if things go right for the project. The lead that Tesla has owned for so long, for example, will see a very serious threat.