7 ms·

But why doesn't Apple doesn't try to create an UBER ?

by minthd 11y ago

roosterjm2k2 11y ago
Because Apple is smarter than that... they will do what they do best... Let someone work out the kinks, then step in and make it better... Why waste all the money on all of this regulatory squabbling... let Uber and Lyft do that, give all the free rides, lose money to make this thing legal... then when it's legal, swoop in and take over...
- minthd 11y ago
  It's not so simple. There are network effects at play(if we're talking about shared trips) - and those are hard to fight against , even for large companies like Google and Apple. This is why i think, Google is entering now - because UBER and Lyft started offering shared rides(which BTW grow rapidly).
eli 11y ago
I don't follow the question. Why doesn't Walmart?
- minthd 11y ago
  Apple(and Google) has unique advantages as the owners of the major platforms, and and major mapping apps, with access to all travel data. Those are major building blocks of such a travel service.
  - dylanjermiah 11y ago
    What access does Apple have to travel data?
    - minthd 11y ago
      It has access to all the location data of each of it's users.
      - untog 11y ago
        Except that they've made a big deal lately of differentiating themselves from Google by not using your data.
        dylanjermiah 11y ago
        That's what I thought, unsure if it's true. But Tim Cook was making a big deal about the lack of data collection.
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    Mapping data isn't travel data. One is useful for representing the world, the other is only useful for marketing data.
onion2k 11y ago
For the same reason they don't make washing machines, or sell apples, or build houses - they believe their money is better spent on other things. Apple think they'll make more money in the long term innovating on consumer electronics. That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see an Apple car within 5 years of the first autonomous vehicles going on public sale.
- minthd 11y ago
  Maybe we'll see an Apple car. But i suspect in general ,that self-driving cars and especially taxis would push the car market to derive much less value from branding and marketing and much more value from hardcore technology with design being much less a differentiator than today - at least for the mass market. But even if Apple sells cars to 5% of the population , it could be a big business for them.
  - OscarCunningham 11y ago
    >i suspect in general ,that self-driving cars and especially taxis would push the car market to derive much less value from branding and marketing and much more value from hardcore technology with design being much less a differentiator than today Why?
    - ForHackernews 11y ago
      What model of car was the last taxi you took? Did you pick that taxi because of its stylish design? In contrast, were you impressed that the driver knew a shortcut to avoid traffic by getting off one exit early and going through a parking garage?
      - OscarCunningham 11y ago
        Actually, I am surprised by how nice taxis are. I never find myself in an "old" taxi. But perhaps it's just that the heavy use wears the engine out before the exterior loses its shine.
IgorPartola 11y ago
Why does Google want it? It's simple. Google is an advertising company. The more free time you have where you have nothing but your phone or computer, the more time you'll spend searching for things, and therefore clicking on their ads. An average person with a 30+ minute commute would sure as hell do a lot of shopping if they didn't have to drive. While we are all waiting on self-driving cars, this is another step in that direction. They want to validate the idea that having people drive less means more profit for them. Apple is not an advertising company, they are a consumer electronics company. You won't be buying more iPhones by driving less, so they don't benefit from self-driving cars or car pooling quite as much.
- duaneb 11y ago
  Why do people talk about Google being an advertising company when, while it's a significant fraction of current revenue, it's also only a small portion of their interests and investments.
  - shostack 11y ago
    Because right now they are an advertising company as their other investments are not significant revenue drivers, or are meant to provide additional audience data for advertising.
  - cujo 11y ago
    > while it's a significant fraction of current revenue That's why. They aren't doing anything out of the goodness of their hearts. If there's no money involved, at least tangentially, it's not something they are going to do.
    - duaneb 11y ago
      Yea, but it's not like they are dedicated to making money advertising. They're dedicated to making money, period, and advertising is just the current mechanism.
      - 11y ago

But why doesn't Apple doesn't try to create an UBER ?

by minthd 11y ago

But why doesn't Apple doesn't try to create an UBER ?

Because Apple is smarter than that... they will do what they do best... Let someone work out the kinks, then step in and make it better... Why waste all the money on all of this regulatory squabbling... let Uber and Lyft do that, give all the free rides, lose money to make this thing legal... then when it's legal, swoop in and take over...

minthd 11y ago
It's not so simple. There are network effects at play(if we're talking about shared trips) - and those are hard to fight against , even for large companies like Google and Apple. This is why i think, Google is entering now - because UBER and Lyft started offering shared rides(which BTW grow rapidly).

eli 11y ago

I don't follow the question. Why doesn't Walmart?

minthd 11y ago
Apple(and Google) has unique advantages as the owners of the major platforms, and and major mapping apps, with access to all travel data. Those are major building blocks of such a travel service.
- dylanjermiah 11y ago
  What access does Apple have to travel data?
  - minthd 11y ago
    It has access to all the location data of each of it's users.
    - untog 11y ago
      Except that they've made a big deal lately of differentiating themselves from Google by not using your data.
      - dylanjermiah 11y ago
        That's what I thought, unsure if it's true. But Tim Cook was making a big deal about the lack of data collection.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  Mapping data isn't travel data. One is useful for representing the world, the other is only useful for marketing data.

onion2k 11y ago

For the same reason they don't make washing machines, or sell apples, or build houses - they believe their money is better spent on other things. Apple think they'll make more money in the long term innovating on consumer electronics. That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see an Apple car within 5 years of the first autonomous vehicles going on public sale.

minthd 11y ago
Maybe we'll see an Apple car. But i suspect in general ,that self-driving cars and especially taxis would push the car market to derive much less value from branding and marketing and much more value from hardcore technology with design being much less a differentiator than today - at least for the mass market. But even if Apple sells cars to 5% of the population , it could be a big business for them.
- OscarCunningham 11y ago
  >i suspect in general ,that self-driving cars and especially taxis would push the car market to derive much less value from branding and marketing and much more value from hardcore technology with design being much less a differentiator than today Why?
  - ForHackernews 11y ago
    What model of car was the last taxi you took? Did you pick that taxi because of its stylish design? In contrast, were you impressed that the driver knew a shortcut to avoid traffic by getting off one exit early and going through a parking garage?
    - OscarCunningham 11y ago
      Actually, I am surprised by how nice taxis are. I never find myself in an "old" taxi. But perhaps it's just that the heavy use wears the engine out before the exterior loses its shine.

IgorPartola 11y ago

Why does Google want it? It's simple. Google is an advertising company. The more free time you have where you have nothing but your phone or computer, the more time you'll spend searching for things, and therefore clicking on their ads. An average person with a 30+ minute commute would sure as hell do a lot of shopping if they didn't have to drive. While we are all waiting on self-driving cars, this is another step in that direction. They want to validate the idea that having people drive less means more profit for them. Apple is not an advertising company, they are a consumer electronics company. You won't be buying more iPhones by driving less, so they don't benefit from self-driving cars or car pooling quite as much.

duaneb 11y ago
Why do people talk about Google being an advertising company when, while it's a significant fraction of current revenue, it's also only a small portion of their interests and investments.
- shostack 11y ago
  Because right now they are an advertising company as their other investments are not significant revenue drivers, or are meant to provide additional audience data for advertising.
- cujo 11y ago
  > while it's a significant fraction of current revenue That's why. They aren't doing anything out of the goodness of their hearts. If there's no money involved, at least tangentially, it's not something they are going to do.
  - duaneb 11y ago
    Yea, but it's not like they are dedicated to making money advertising. They're dedicated to making money, period, and advertising is just the current mechanism.
    - 11y ago