Computing power issues and a recent change in leadership are to blame for the delay. Apple is busy trying to purchase the in-house servers to capture the massive amounts of data these cars will produce or need to operate. While Tesla chose Amazon Web Services to handle that, Apple’s secretive nature means they want to do this in-house.
Additionally, the unexpected resignation of Project Titan leader Steve Zadesky has disrupted the project as new leadership is put in place. Zadesky cited “personal reasons” in choosing to leave Apple after 16 years with the company.
One thing the article does not answer are questions surrounding the car and what exactly Apple’s aim is in bringing it to market. While it is widely believed that the car will be fully electric, whether it will be semi- or fully autonomous is still unknown. It’s likely that it would be semi-autonomous at first, as this would be much easier to get to market as soon as possible.
Apple of course has ignored or deflected on questions of whether it even exists, adding to the speculation.
Whatever Apple decides to do, it will enter a market with a strong competitor already present — Tesla. The company’s CEO has already said the previous rumored 2020 release date might be too late, and just this week made big moves to position Tesla as the electric car to beat.
A 2021 launch would place Apple nine years behind Tesla, and even several years behind many traditional carmakers who are planning to cash in on a fast growing sector of the automobile industry.
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