The Gulf countries have been working on the unified tourist visa – similar to Schengen-style visa – for over one year
uae1 hour ago
Apple is joining the fiercely competitive race to design self-driving cars, raising the possibility that a company that has already re-shaped culture with its iPhone may try to transform transportation, too.
Ending years of speculation, Apple's late entry into a crowded field was made official Friday with the disclosure that the California Department of Motor Vehicles had awarded a permit for the company to start testing its self-driving car technology on public roads in the state.
The permit covers three vehicles - all 2015 Lexus RX 450h hybrid SUVs - and six individual drivers. California law requires people to be in a self-driving car who can take control if something goes wrong.
Apple goes mobile... in a new way
Apple confirmed its arrival in the self-driving car market, but wouldn't discuss its intentions. Its interest in autonomous vehicle technology, however, has long been clear.
The Cupertino, California, company pointed to a statement that it issued in December. "
Apple is investing heavily in machine learning and autonomous systems," the company said then. "There are many potential applications for these technologies, including the future of transportation."
Apple released that statement after Steve Kenner, a former Ford Motor executive who is now Apple's director of product integrity, notified federal regulators of the company's interest in self-driving cars in a letter.
Like others, Apple believes self-driving cars could ease congestion, prevent millions of crashes and save thousands of lives annually in traffic accidents often caused by drunk or distracted motorists.
Self-driving cars could also be a lucrative new market. And Apple has been searching for its next act for a while, one that will take it beyond its mainstay phones, tablets and personal computers.
A next big thing
Although iPhone's ongoing popularity has helped Apple remain the world's most valuable company, the company hasn't had a breakthrough product since the 2010 debut of the iPad, currently in the throes of a three-year sales slump. The dry spell has raised doubts as to whether Apple lost some of its trend-setting magic with the death of co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011.
Apple will be vying against 29 other companies that already have California permits to test self-driving cars. The list includes major automakers, including Ford, General Motors, BMW, Volkswagen and Tesla, as well as one of its biggest rivals in technology, Google, whose testing of self-driving cars has been spun off into an affiliate called Waymo.
Since Google began its work on self-driving vehicles eight years ago, Waymo's fleet of self-driving cars has logged more than 2 million miles on the road.
That means Apple has a long way to catch up in self-driving technology. But it has often been a follower in markets that it eventually revolutionized. It wasn't the first to introduce a digital music player, smartphone, or tablet before its iPod, iPhone and iPad came out.
Deep pockets
With $246 billion in cash, Apple also could easily afford to buy technology that accelerates its development of self-driving cars. There has been recurring speculation that Apple might eventually acquire Tesla, which has a market value of about $50 billion. Neither Apple nor Tesla has given any inkling that they're interested in joining forces, though.
Speculation about Apple's interest in expanding into automobiles began swirling in 2015 amid media reports that the company had begun secretly working on building its own electric car under the name project "Titan." Apple never confirmed the existence of Titan, which is now believed to be dead.
The Gulf countries have been working on the unified tourist visa – similar to Schengen-style visa – for over one year
uae1 hour ago
Renowned French pastry chef Angelo Musa, who recently introduced two dining concepts in Dubai, shares tips on how to excel in pastry art
entertainment1 hour ago
Sheeraz was generous in giving realistic and practical insights on how fame can completely change the trajectory of one’s career and brand
kt network1 hour ago
The Dh100-billion plan introduced by the city's Crown Prince aims at increasing economic productivity
uae1 hour ago
It joins other Apple products that were already in the DMA net since September: iOS for iPhones, the App Store, and the Safari browser
tech1 hour ago
Al Mansoori played an important role in the development of the economic relations in non-oil sector between Japan and the UAE
kt network2 hours ago
Mental health continues to be under-resourced in affluent nations with advanced healthcare systems
kt network2 hours ago
The work undertaken covered several types of sidewalks for pedestrians, crosswalks, service roads, and combined use
uae2 hours ago