Tesla’s latest product isn’t a new electric car but instead a $50 stainless steel whistle with a design inspired by the company’s yet-to-launch Cybertruck.
The limited-edition “Cyberwhistle” (below) landed in Tesla’s online store on Tuesday.
The blurb accompanying the new device reads: “Inspired by Cybertruck, the limited-edition Cyberwhistle is a premium collectible made from medical-grade stainless steel with a polished finish.” adding, “The whistle includes an integrated attachment feature for added versatility.” That’ll be a lanyard then.
Tesla unveiled the futuristic-looking Cybertruck in 2019 but production delays mean it’s unlikely to hit the road until 2022 at the earliest.
Within hours of the Cyberwhistle going on sale, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted a link to its store page, along with the message: “Blow the whistle on Tesla!” Whether any disgruntled Tesla workers respond to his invitation remains to be seen.
In a subsequent tweet to his 65 million followers, Musk wrote: “Don’t waste your money on that silly Apple Cloth, buy our whistle instead!” Musk was referencing the $19 Polishing Cloth released by the tech giant in October.
Don’t waste your money on that silly Apple Cloth, buy our whistle instead!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 1, 2021
It’s not clear why Musk targeted Apple in his tweet, though in the past the Tesla boss has taken a number of swipes at the company.
In 2015, for example, he said that for Apple’s rumored electric-car project, the tech giant hires the people that Tesla has fired. “We always jokingly call Apple the ‘Tesla Graveyard.’ If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple,” Musk said, adding, “I’m not kidding.”
He also laid into the iPhone maker earlier this year when he called Apple’s fees for App Store purchases a “de facto global tax on the internet.”
In another apparent dig, Musk accused Apple CEO Tim Cook of refusing to meet him to discuss the possibility of selling Tesla to Apple when the carmaker was struggling a few years back.
As for quirky products, Elon Musk clearly enjoys dropping such items from time to time. Last year, for example, Tesla launched the “Teslaquila” beverage, while in 2018 Musk’s Boring Company left many folks slack-jawed when it started selling a flamethrower.
