What are Apple next service opportunities?



	September 6, 2021

Apple is still working to launch a self-driving car, and right now, plans to release a vehicle in three to six years. Reuters has said Apple is aiming for 2024, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes a car won't launch until 2025 to 2027 at the earliest, and Apple is still overcoming leadership and management issues.

The leading new hire previously worked at Mercedes, focusing on mass production of vehicles, vehicle steering, dynamics, and software and project management. The hire, now working as a product design engineer at Apple at its "Special Projects Group," also previously worked at Porsche, undertaking similar responsibilities. A second engineer who previously worked at Mercedes has also recently been tapped by Apple to join the company, MacRumors has learned.

The Apple Car, internally codenamed "Project Titan," is one of the company's most secretive projects. Despite a myriad of rumors, Apple's ultimate goal in the automotive space remains unclear. The most recent hires by Apple joins a list of former engineers and executives the Cupertino tech giant has tapped in from some of the world's largest car makers.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the car will be Apple's "next star product" with Apple able to offer "better integration of hardware, software and services" than potential competitors in the automotive market, with Apple-designed chips manufactured by TSMC. An EETimes analyst suggests the chip could be called the "C1" and could perhaps be based on the A12 Bionic processor.

While Apple has invested in its in-house talent over the past years, it will also need to rely on third parties to help it get the wheels moving. Apple is reportedly in discussions with several suppliers, including its most significant, Foxconn, and carmakers regarding a partnership.

Foxconn, which serves as the mass producer for the iPhone, is likely to be tapped to play some role in the supply chain of an Apple Car, said to be at least half a decade away. One of Apple's most recent aforementioned hires previously held responsibilities in the mass production release schedule of Mercedes cars, which could be an asset to the company.