According to previous reports, the tech giant Apple has plans to enter the auto market. However, this might not happen as soon as some customers waiting for the first Apple car would like it to happen. This is understandable since it is a big step from manufacturing gadgets to designing automobiles and it's not some jump that is going to happen overnight.
The Cupertino-based firm is already working on its own self-driving car, as previous reports have shown. The venture is dubbed "Project Titan", according to previous sources. The American tech company is determined to conquer a piece of the automotive industry in the future. However, since Apple declined to comment on the reports, it seems that this is not going to happen so soon.
According to a correspondence between Apple and a car facility located in north San Francisco it is possible that the iPhone 's manufacturer is quietly developing its vehicle that is still in the pre-test stage.
According to the Guardian, the newspaper's investigators were able to see the correspondence between officials from GoMentum Station and Apple engineer Frank Fearon via a public records act request. From the conversation, the Guardian concludes that Fearon is looking to schedule a date for the final test of the Apple car.
According to BBC reports, GoMentum Station is the owner of a land with a surface of 2,100-acre, located northeast of San Francisco, at the old Concord naval weapons station. The land also includes an infrastructure of 20 miles of side streets and highways that can appeal a car manufacturer aiming to test self-driving technology. For this reason, it seems that Apple has chosen the place for its future tests of its driverless cars. The location has earned a reputation of being "the largest secure test facility in the world", since it is not open to the public and secured by the military.
GoMentum has become in recent years a favorite of automakers for testing their new vehicles. For instance, Mercedes-Benz and Honda have both tested some of their self-driving cars on the area.
According to reports, the Program Manager for Autonomous Vehicles at GoMentum, Jack Hall, replied to Apple in May to postpone an earlier set schedule. It is unclear yet if since then Apple was able to push through with the test of their driverless car. Considering the stage of their project, it seems we will still have to wait until able to see the first Apple driverless car on the streets.
As the company is bound by a non-disclosure agreement, GoMentum has refused to issue a statement on the matter. The only facts they could confirm is that they indeed talked with some Apple officials.
