Opinion: An Apple-Tesla showdown will happen on the factory floor

Two decades ago, founder and then-CEO Steve Jobs recognised that Apple’s strength wasn’t in manufacturing Macs, but in designing and marketing them. — Reuters

It was kind of inevitable that Tesla Inc’s biggest challenger wouldn’t be a car company. Apple Inc makes for the perfect nemesis and could teach its California cousin a thing or two about reliability and delivery.

For years, there’s been speculation that Apple would join the electric vehicle race, with teams formed and development under way. Yet the programme also seemed to lack focus, leading to job cuts and changes in direction. Now, there’s renewed hype that an actual Apple-branded car may be in the works, and the aggressive timeline is taking even the company’s fans by surprise.