Driving off the lot in an Apple car
VENICE BEACH, Calif. -- The headlines this week were tantalizing. "Is Apple building a car?"
No, Apple wants to own the dash. And then finally, Bloomberg News with the authoritative: "Apple said to be targeting car production as soon as 2020."
Apple reportedly has 200 people working in Cupertino, Calif., on the project, including top former execs from Ford and Mercedes-Benz, and wants to take on Tesla Motors and General Motors with an eco-friendly electric car. Sorry folks, it doesn't look to be self-driving.
But what exactly would it look like? How would it drive? What would Apple bring to the driving experience?
Those questions naturally led off our #TalkingTech week in tech podcast this week.
"Apple could inject something different," said automotive photographer Stephan Cooper, one of the podcast panelists. "Apple could project us forward with something else."
""Apple has reinvented what design is for computers and phones," says fellow panelists Zita Cassizzi, the chief digital officer for Toms, the company known for their stylish shoes. "What will (the car) look like? Will it look like a bubble? It will probably be something totally different."
Adds panelist Erik Rannala of Mucker Capital: "Cars are getting to be more and more like electronics, so this does make sense. The industry is ready to be disrupted. Tesla has shown that."
Also on the panel: Ted Hong, founder of delivery startup Dropoff, and Allen Jones, chief marketing officer at online headhunter Ziprecruiter.
This week we also dived into Sony's announcement that it could exit the TV business; those new FAA proposed drone regulations; and the Apple Watch, coming in April. It starts at $350, but the top-of-the-line edition could cost north of $4,000. The panel all make their predictions for the final cost of the watch, so be sure to listen all the way through.
Interesting factoid about the most expensive Apple Watch, the one with the gold band. If the predictions are true, and it costs thousands of dollars, it will become the most expensive item in the Apple Store -- at least double the cost of the most expensive MacBook Pro laptop.
How will this change the buying experience at the Apple Store? Most jewelry stores have their goods locked behind cases. Apple prides itself on letting customers touch and feel their products, in a hassle-free environment. Will their be armed guards by the Apple Watch section?
And I've heard from law enforcement that the most ripped off item these days is an iPhone. The gold Apple Watch could cost 10 times more, making it an attractive new target.
The weekend #TalkingTech podcast is recorded each week at #TuneInStudios here in the heart of Silicon Beach.
Follow Jefferson Graham on Twitter