Apple Car pegged to launch in 2028 with Level 2+ autonomy

Apple, amidst a decade-old effort to build a car, has pivoted to a less ambitious design – featuring Level 2+ autonomy – with the intent of finally bringing the vehicle to market in 2028.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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After previously envisioning a truly driverless car, the company is now working on an EV with more limited features, according to people with knowledge of the project.
Even so, Apple’s goal for a release date continues to slip. With the latest changes, the company looks to introduce the car in 2028 at the earliest, roughly two years after a recent projection, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
As of the end of 2022, the Cupertino, California-based company aimed to release a car by 2026 with advanced self-driving features for highways.
Now, after finding it wouldn’t be able to complete such a vehicle in the foreseeable future, Apple is developing more basic driver-assistance features in line with current Tesla Inc. capabilities, according to the people with knowledge of the plans. The car will use what is known as a Level 2+ system, the people said. That’s a downgrade from previously planned Level 4 technology — and, before that, even more ambitious aims for a Level 5 system…
Apple once envisioned creating a car without a steering wheel and pedals, but that idea is off the table for now.

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MacDailyNews Take: Level 2+ plan would require drivers to pay attention to the road and take over at any time — similar to the so-called “Autopilot” feature on Tesla vehicles.
As per a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals today, in 2028, or in 2038:
Seems like a difficult sell unless somehow proven in actual real-life practice, by real customers on real roads, to be extremely safe and reliable. We can see the Doonesbury strip already.
If Apple ever gets around to releasing the first iteration of their vehicle with “no steering wheel or brake pedal,” they should name that model “Boondoggle.” – MacDailyNews, July 11, 2022
Tons more abut Apple’s previous efforts and future plans in the full article here.
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