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☆ Apple has been secretly building home robots that could end up as a new product line, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This device initially caught the attention of senior Apple executives years ago, though they've disagreed over whether to continue with the project, Bloomberg said. AdvertisementIt also scrapped its decadeslong, multi-billionaire car effort, Project Titan, earlier this year, shifting its focus to building AI products. After Field left the company in 2021, Bloomberg says Apple's robotics efforts zeroed in on domestic products. One idea Apple explored was a robot that could do chores like washing dishes and be used for video calls. It's not yet clear whether Apple's robots will make it to consumers.

Persons: —, They're, they've, Doug Field, Apple, It's, Apple's, Apple didn't Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Engineers, Business, Apple, EU, DOJ, Microsoft, Google, mojo, Ford, Smart, Vision Locations: China

REUTERS/Phil NobleAug 14 (Reuters) - Ford Motor (F.N) on Monday named former Apple (AAPL.O) executive Peter Stern as the president of its newly formed Ford Integrated Services unit to help build new high-margin digital and subscription services. Stern, who previously oversaw Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple News+, will report to Ford CEO Jim Farley. In his new role, Stern will focus on integrating hardware, software and services across the company's Ford Blue, Model e and Ford Pro units. Ford now has more than 550,000 paid software and services subscribers, more than 80% of them through the Ford Pro commercial unit. "The basis for differentiation is shifting from the vehicles alone to the integration of hardware, software and services," Stern said.

Persons: Phil Noble, Peter Stern, Stern, Jim Farley, Ford, Doug Field, Michael Abbott, Farley, Ford's, We're, Nathan Gomes, Paul Lienert, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Sharon Singleton, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Ford, REUTERS, Monday, Apple, Ford Integrated Services, Ford Pro, General, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, United States, Bengaluru, Detroit

DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor is making its case to Wall Street at an investor event Monday, sharing details of its plan to profitably build millions of EVs while growing its traditional operations. Ford CEO Jim Farley kicked off the day discussing the company's growth plans for its gas-powered, fleet, and electric business units. The company's traditional car business earned $2.6 billion, and the automaker's fleet operations reported $1.4 billion in earnings. Galhotra said while the company expects its sales of traditional vehicles to begin declining after 2025 in exchange for EVs, vehicles with internal combustion engines will be around "well into" the next decade, he said. Profitably balancing the shift from traditional vehicles with engines to EVs is an increasingly difficult challenge for traditional automakers such as Ford.

☆ GM hires former Apple executive Abbott to lead software unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) on Tuesday named former Apple Inc (AAPL.O) executive Mike Abbott to lead a division that will bring together three software functions within the company. Abbott, whose appointment is effective from May 22, will spearhead development of vehicle and enterprise software technologies. Automakers, including GM and Ford Motor Co (F.N), have been increasingly ramping up their investment on technology and software services amid an electric-vehicle push, as they look to cash in on subscription-based services. At Apple, Abbott led a team responsible for the development of core infrastructure for all of the company's cloud-based services including iCloud, iMessage, Private Relay, Mail and account security. Bloomberg News had in March reported Abbott would step down from his role at the iPhone maker.

☆ Elon Musk has criticized Apple for years. Apple has mostly ignored him.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kif Leswing | Lora Kolodny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

This week, Musk claimed in a tweet that Apple had mostly stopped advertising on the Twitter platform. Apple is not alone in reducing its campaigns on the social media platform since Musk took over. If the so-called “Apple Car” ever came to market, Tesla and Apple would be direct competitors. Cook and MuskHave Apple CEO Tim Cook and Musk ever spoken in depth? Around 2016, according to the book, Musk and Cook spoke about Apple potentially acquiring Tesla.

This week, Musk claimed in a tweet that Apple had mostly stopped advertising on the Twitter platform. Apple is not alone in reducing its campaigns on the social media platform since Musk took over. Whether accurate or not, Musk's allegation that Apple has "threatened to withhold" Twitter from its App Store may resonate with other developers. One of the most notable people to switch sides was Doug Field, who started at Apple, joined Tesla and then rejoined Apple. In case anybody missed the reference to Apple's App Store, which Apple maintains as the exclusive way to distribute apps to its devices, Musk then faked a cough and said, "Apple."

Instead of having Argo develop self-driving car technology for cars without steering wheels, brakes or accelerator pedals — what is known in the industry as Level 4 or L4 technology — Ford will instead pursue in-house development of a lower level of automated driving technology. Ford reported automotive revenue of $37.2 billion, a jump of $4 billion from a year ago and $1 billion more than the analysts’ forecasts. It also was hit with $1 billion in higher-than-expected supplier payments, and a $1.5 billion increase in commodity costs. But in the end, the big news of the earnings report was a major change in direction on self-driving vehicles. He said there is only so much talent available to develop the different driver assistance and self-driving features.

☆ Ford Puts Focus on Electric-Vehicles Market With Management Changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Sabela Ojea | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ford Motor said it is enhancing its position in the electric-vehicles market and global supply chain through changes in its leadership team. The auto maker Thursday named Doug Field as its chief advanced product development and technology officer and expanded Financial Chief John Lawler ’s role to cover global supply-chain operations on an interim basis.

La un moment dat, Apple și-a reevaluat obiectivele și a decis să se concentreze pe software. De atunci, Apple a progresat suficient încât să urmărească acum să construiască un vehicul pentru consumatori, au spus două surse anonime. Apple a refuzat să comenteze planurile sale sau produsele viitoare, potrivit descopera.ro. Tesla a avut nevoie de 17 ani înainte ca de a obține profituri din producția de automobile. Dar, în același timp, nu este un telefon mobil”, a spus o persoană care a lucrat la Project Titan.

Persons: Doug Field, Tesla, Trip Miller, Miller Organizations: Titan, Apple, Apple ., Project Titan, Capital

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