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Battery technology is the #1 problem pervading tech right now. From robots to iPads, we need about 10x battery storage for the same weight as we have now. Havi

Battery technology is the #1 problem pervading tech right now. From robots to iPads, we need about 10x battery storage for the same weight as we have now. Having said that, it's shame to see all of this work in cars. I get the feeling that Apple is just going for a huge "me too" play, hoping to make the car into the next iPad. But if that's what it takes for us to finally see progress? Count me in.

puranjay 12y ago
How are cars less important than robots or computing devices? Poor battery capacity is one of the biggest reasons for slow adoption of electric vehicles. Improve batteries and you will drastically improve EV sales. Combine that with Apple and Tesla's investments in solar, this means reduced pollution. Surely, cutting emissions and weaning the world off its oil addiction is more important than robotics and iPads?
UUMMUU 12y ago
Since the iphone all Apple seems capable of doing is playing the "me too" card. Their innovations have stalled and they've gone from being that awesome company that makes great dev/design laptops and really cool smart phones into Microsoft 2.0. Tim Cook == Steve Balmer??
- tashoecraft 12y ago
  That's pretty harsh and also ignores how Apple creates its products. It didn't just see that everyone was doing smart watches and decided to hop on the band wagon like Samsung or LG. They have been building and designing a product they thought would actually do well in the market. They do purposefully try to become the first to announce just because they can. The iPad was considered a flop by every news outlet when it was announced. Mocked openly about how stupid it was and how no one would buy it. They aren't producing as many "market breaking" products, but I am sure they are working on them. Apple needs to be careful to release products that do very well, as sales that would be excellent for most any other company are considered a failure for Apple. That's not at all to say they haven't been leaving behind a lot of old products. I will be very happy if IOS 9 is focused on debugging the software and improving the overall experience. I just hope the next os x will be doing that as well.
  - prapam2 12y ago
    They did hop on the phablet band wagon which i believe was mocked just like the iPad.
    - dba7dba 12y ago
      The best ever quarter Apple has had definitely was helped by hopping on the phablet band wagon, started by Samsung. I remember the universal mockery most reviewers had when it was introduced. Also Samsung (Samsung Chemical) has been involved with battery business for a long time but they recently got rid of it.
tessierashpool 12y ago
Excellent point about the importance of batteries, especially re robots. If Apple's building a car, what that really means is that they're building a robot. Cars are currently sized for human occupants. A robot car could be almost any size. In the first Star Wars, there's a tiny robot car which scuttles around the Death Star. The future probably holds millions of those things. Technically, this is a robot car: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/incredible-hospital-robot-saving-lives-also-hate/ http://www.wired.com/2015/02/incredible-hospital-robot-savin...

puranjay 12y ago

How are cars less important than robots or computing devices? Poor battery capacity is one of the biggest reasons for slow adoption of electric vehicles. Improve batteries and you will drastically improve EV sales. Combine that with Apple and Tesla's investments in solar, this means reduced pollution. Surely, cutting emissions and weaning the world off its oil addiction is more important than robotics and iPads?

UUMMUU 12y ago

Since the iphone all Apple seems capable of doing is playing the "me too" card. Their innovations have stalled and they've gone from being that awesome company that makes great dev/design laptops and really cool smart phones into Microsoft 2.0. Tim Cook == Steve Balmer??

tashoecraft 12y ago
That's pretty harsh and also ignores how Apple creates its products. It didn't just see that everyone was doing smart watches and decided to hop on the band wagon like Samsung or LG. They have been building and designing a product they thought would actually do well in the market. They do purposefully try to become the first to announce just because they can. The iPad was considered a flop by every news outlet when it was announced. Mocked openly about how stupid it was and how no one would buy it. They aren't producing as many "market breaking" products, but I am sure they are working on them. Apple needs to be careful to release products that do very well, as sales that would be excellent for most any other company are considered a failure for Apple. That's not at all to say they haven't been leaving behind a lot of old products. I will be very happy if IOS 9 is focused on debugging the software and improving the overall experience. I just hope the next os x will be doing that as well.
- prapam2 12y ago
  They did hop on the phablet band wagon which i believe was mocked just like the iPad.
  - dba7dba 12y ago
    The best ever quarter Apple has had definitely was helped by hopping on the phablet band wagon, started by Samsung. I remember the universal mockery most reviewers had when it was introduced. Also Samsung (Samsung Chemical) has been involved with battery business for a long time but they recently got rid of it.

tessierashpool 12y ago

Excellent point about the importance of batteries, especially re robots. If Apple's building a car, what that really means is that they're building a robot. Cars are currently sized for human occupants. A robot car could be almost any size. In the first Star Wars, there's a tiny robot car which scuttles around the Death Star. The future probably holds millions of those things. Technically, this is a robot car: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/incredible-hospital-robot-saving-lives-also-hate/ http://www.wired.com/2015/02/incredible-hospital-robot-savin...