Apple’s silence hurts efforts to take drivers out of cars: opinion

In this Saturday June 15, 2019 photo customers leave an Apple store on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif. Apple has bought a struggling self-driving car startup as the iPhone maker continues to explore the potential market for robotic vehicles, despite recently curtailing its work on the technology. The Cupertino, Calif., company confirmed its acquisition of Drive.ai Wednesday, June 26, without disclosing the price. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

It should be obvious that a car is not a smartphone. Apple Inc is acting as if they’re the same.  

It’s no secret that Apple is working on self-driving vehicle technology. Apple is among dozens of companies that have California permits to test autonomous cars on public roads. Chief executive officer Tim Cook, in his way, acknowledged the driverless transportation project in a 2017 Bloomberg Television interview. News outlets regularly report on the ups and downs of this initiative. The company this week confirmed earlier reports that it had acquired autonomous vehicle startup Drive.ai.