Apple and VW Discuss Possible "iCar"

AP via San Francisco Chronicle:

U.S. computer company Apple Inc. and German automaker Volkswagen AG are discussing the possibility of building an "iCar" which would feature products by the producer of the ubiquitous iPod personal music player.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Volkswagen's chief Martin Winterkorn met several days ago in California, and plan to meet for further discussions, said Hans-Gerd Bode, a spokesman for VW.

Read the whole story: AP via San Francisco Chronicle

Comments

[VictorLaszlo]

12:53 AM on 09/05/2007

"Hey, we both tend to use minimalist advertising, with our products placed over stark white backgrounds... let's make something together!"

[sculptor]

03:01 PM on 08/30/2007

Here's the deal, millions of aging baby boomers are going to be clogging the roads during the next four decades so cars will have to "learn" to drive themselves or all hell will break loose. For a minute there, I thought that's what this announcement was all about. Silly me, Apple's more about style than substance so what was I thinking?

[RandyRanson]

12:56 PM on 08/30/2007

The car will be run on pixels, the hard drive, will get excited by the pressure of your foot on the pedal, and ignite a storm of pixels to explode into nano action.

Wheels will turn based on rotative 3D imagery, and gauge controls, all terrain and terra-fir-ma, will be entered into the stream mix flux capacitor. We are on the verge of neuron drive vehicles, who's pixels will get charged up enough to make these new iCars go, by providing them with pixelated pictures of Angelina Joli, Veronika Zemanova or Amber Evans, on a good day.
You can drive the iCar right up to your place of work, back in to a plug in generator, to electro-ize your vehicle, and turn it into a mobile module office work station. Plugins are bought and paid for by your corporation for you to use, from Adobe.
If you don't like this picture, or your boss, you can use Photoshop CCCP the Russian version, to erase and retouch them right out of the pixture, my new word for a pixel picture. Bush can be seen using it to amuse himself, eliminating all sorts of countries off of the world's maps.
Last but not least, you can then park your iCar, on your iPod, and carry it around with you, as it also runs on USB2.
An Apple a day, keeps all those funny doctors away, have fun folks. Don't you just love Steve Jobs, the Disney of Computer Operations.

[trotskyxxx]

08:53 AM on 08/30/2007

Wow, a car with a built in mp3 player--who would've thunk it!

[cambridgedude]

07:41 AM on 08/30/2007

Reminds me of the old joke about how a braking system designed by Microsoft would flash the message "Are you sure you want to stop?" every time you pressed on the brake pedal. Having seeen Apple products up close, and how they used proprietary closed systems (including the ridiculous non-replacable batteries) I for one will stay far away from a car in which they have any design input.

[rektruax]

08:53 AM on 08/30/2007

In many respects, I agree. Though their software titles aren't quite as closed as some would think (it takes a bit of hacking, but I've managed to pull off a few changes to some of the iLife titles). If one HAD to choose between the 2 biggies, I'd definitely run with Mac. Linux' and BSD's endless list of non-proprietary software titles are more adaptable to the platform, and the package build is easier to me.

The hardware is another issue of course. Have you checked into some of the knock-offs from places like China?

Where the VW comes in I don't know what to think. I've owned a few in my time, but if your running with a kraut car, there really is no substitute for Mercedes Benz. Their diesels have to be violently stopped. I've never own a more worry free automobile.

[Kalima]

09:49 AM on 08/30/2007

Sauerkraut I hope. Otherwise on this very short
thread you are the only racist to date.Bully
for you!Bigot!

[Kalima]

09:00 AM on 08/30/2007

That's funny.Being the owner of a brand new
Mac OS X 10.4.9 I can tell you this computer
is very bossy.
This "Are you sure you want to stop/start
business is driving me crazy.Combine that
with the latest Firefox version and the computer rules you.Any ideas?

[freefromUS]

07:15 AM on 08/30/2007

Sounds interesting: the bright minds of Apple with the manufacturing capabilities of VW, the roads could take on a new color, with light weight moderately inexpensive electric cars, user friendly, for the old as well as the young.
DO IT!
So much progress can be made in auto manufacturing that it disgusts most of us who are looking for something new.
Has anyone seen the movie 'who killed the electric car?'
A must see.

[Kalima]

05:33 AM on 08/30/2007

That's a shame.We still have our Golf
convertible bought in 1988.
2 sets of new tires and one new fan belt
last year and she still purrs like a kitten.
Best car ever.
No to the Icar though unless it comes
complete with an Ipod and Iphone in every
pocket and compartment.

[Danind]

07:01 AM on 08/30/2007

This is officially the douchebaggiest thing I have ever heard of.

[lostnacfgop]

12:57 AM on 08/30/2007

Hitching Apple to a shitwagon like VW is sheer idiocy. My 2003 new Bleedle Lemonvertible is the worst car I've ever owned - almost as many trips to the ishop as Bush has made to Crawford, in 70,000 miles. Steve Jobs must be Fahrkenschtupid!

[bluestatelib]

12:36 AM on 08/30/2007

I already use an iPod in my VW, so I already have my iCar. I'm typing this on a MacBook at home, so I guess I have an iHouse too. If I see any more unnecessary "i"s in front of common words, I think I'll go iNsane.

[rainey]

12:27 AM on 08/30/2007

What a shame it's about more consumerism instead of efficient, low cost, low emission transportation...

[postedby]

12:30 AM on 08/30/2007

BOOOOOORRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGG

[WinstonSmith]

12:07 AM on 08/30/2007

Tell handJobs when he invents the iWhore I might be interested in anything he has to offer.

[postedby]

12:08 AM on 08/30/2007

Idaho

[FDRbyGodDemocrat]

11:03 PM on 08/29/2007

But it will only run on iRoads, and there will only be three of those.

[starrianna]

02:26 AM on 08/30/2007

How about other products, like the:

iCrap = a toilet seat wired for sound. Warning: don't tap your feet, especially if you're a Republican congressman!

[DRaymond]

09:17 AM on 08/30/2007

and maybe you have to buy all your gas from the iFuel Station, which is incompatible with gasoline used in all other cars but otherwise has no precievable benefit.

Oh, and if the battery (or anything else) in your iCar needs replacing you have to send the while car back to the factory.

[Quaoar]

11:01 PM on 08/29/2007

This sounds like an Onion article.