Asked by an audience member, “are you guys going to do something with your $100 billion or are you just going to keep buying back shares,” Williams’s answer left plenty of room to read between the lines. “Well the car is the ultimate mobile device, isn’t it?”
-That answer is, of course, immensely vague. Williams could be referring to CarPlay, Apple’s vision for the future of in-dash infotainment that puts a simplified, driver-optimized version of your iPhone’s screen on your car’s dashboard touchscreen. Much like Google’s competing Android Auto, CarPlay uses the iPhone’s familiar visuals, capable voice commands, and overall quick, responsive software to fix everything that’s slow, unintuitive, balky, and technologically outdated about current infotainment systems.
-But Williams could also be hinting at the oft-reported, so-far-unconfirmed rumors that Apple wants to build a self-driving car of its own to compete with Google’s autonomous egg-mobile. The Cupertino tech company is always tight-lipped, virtually never commenting on rumors and speculation regarding upcoming products; Williams’s seeming hint at a future of Apple-branded vehicles is the most revealing thing we’ve heard from a company official regarding this possibility.
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- Chevy Brings Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to 14 Models for 2016
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- Apple CarPlay Coming to Nearly Every Automaker in 2015
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- 2015 Hyundai Sonata Is The First Car Available With Android Auto
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Of course, Apple has been seen hiring plenty of engineers and other experts with ties to the auto industry. Whether that means the company is working on a car, an in-car software, or something else entirely remains to be seen.
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via Agya
