When it comes to Apple’s self-driving car plans, the first word that comes to mind is “mystery.”
However, just this Wednesday, with the release of the company’s voluntary safety report to federal regulators, it appeared that we finally had a chance to lift the veil on the so-called “Project Titan.”
But it’s disappointing that the smartphone giant is still keeping the most tantalizing details under wraps.
Apple’s report is almost ridiculously short: just seven pages, compared to an average of 39 pages for other companies to submit reports.
In this report, Apple describes its efforts to save the world from a broad, world-saving perspective.autonomous driving systeminterest, but remarkably tight-lipped about every key detail of the project.
Not only is there nothing about future deployments or commercial applications of the technology, but there aren’t any photos or renderings to fill the length of the report.
Often the more mysterious it is, the easier it is to arouse everyone’s interest. Although Apple keeps silent on the autonomous driving project, the “pervasive” media still dug out a lot of inside information about Apple’s autonomous driving.
Apple’s Self-Driving History
Apple’s interest in cars dates back to before the first iPhone, and Apple executives discussed building a car before the device was released.
Jobs considered developing an Apple car, and even met with the maker of a light, inexpensive “V-car” in 2010, but is said to have finally decided not to develop a car in 2008, focusing instead on the iPhone.
With the iPhone becoming Apple’s most profitable device, Apple has turned to other research and development avenues, once again exploring the possibility of car-related projects. In early 2015, the first details of the Apple car began to leak.
In February 2015, a mysterious van rented to Apple was seen driving down the streets of Northern California. The van has a camera rig with multiple cameras, leading to speculation that Apple is using it to develop a product similar to Google Street View.
More outlandish speculation centered on the possibility of self-driving cars, but those who spotted the vans quickly concluded that the vans had drivers.
Apple later said the vans were associated with a mapping project, but they were undoubtedly the catalyst for the discovery of Apple’s secrets in the car.
Just days after the van was first spotted, an unidentified Apple employee sent an email to Business Insider suggesting that Apple was engaged in a “rival to Tesla.” project.
Apple’s self-driving cars will also undergo mock tests in an enclosed proving ground before they meet its road-ready standards.
Still, there’s not much in the report that we don’t yet know or at least assume.
Much of Apple’s testing program is known to come from media leaks, court documents, and state-mandated disclosures like California’s much-maligned disengagement report.
Those reports released last week showed that Apple has significantly increased the number of miles it drives autonomously.
Overall, the company reported a total of 80,739 miles driven and 76,585 disengagements (the number of times the vehicle software forces a human safety driver to take over vehicle operation) during the reporting period from April 2017 to November 2018. ).
Apple notes that it initially divided breakaways into two categories: manual takeovers and software breakaways. As of June 2018, the former had 40,198 and the latter had 36,359.
However, starting in July, it has revolutionized the way reports disengage. Starting in July 2018, Apple used the new methodology, reporting 28 “significant disengagements” over 56,135 miles, or one for every 2,005 miles driven.
This ambiguity about disengagement has led many experts to dismiss the California report as meaningless. But at least there is data that can be tracked over time.
They’re not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
