New documents prove Apple's new business direction will be cars
There have been talks about Apple's new venture into driverless cars. However, no confirmation has been released so far except until a new report supporting such claims. According to recent documents obtained, Apple has been scouting for a place to test self-driving cars. Will an Apple car succeed?
Apple reportedly expressed its interest over a facility that has been used constantly for self-driving cars. Information came from a report and documents obtained by The Guardian's Mark Harris. These documents, which were available under the US Freedom of Information Act, stipulate that Apple's engineers met with officials of a high-security test facility last May. The GoMentum Station in Concord, California used to be a 2,100-acre naval base offering 20-mile paved highways along with city streets. It also comes with tunnels and railway crossings offering real-road conditions to test vehicles.
According to the Guardian, Apple engineer Frank Fearon said in the correspondence: “We would ... like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it].” At the moment, Apple has refused to comment on the matter.
The Guardian also further added that the security of place is bound to be appealing for Apple. The company is reportedly working with hundreds of engineers on automotive technologies in an unidentified facility somewhere in Sunnyvale. The office building is around four miles from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino.
Apple's Project Titan, an autonomous electric-car project, surfaced this year following reports of a spotted mysterious van sporting an elaborate camera on the roof. The car which was seen in the Bay area was under Apple's lease. Speculations further spurred after reports also link Apple poaching engineers from across the automotive industry - some even from Tesla. Apple has not issued any confirmations or announcements so far. All details and reports should still be taken with a grain of salt.
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