In 2014, about 20% of the American population owned an iPhone. With this domination in the market, Apple is looking to expand even further. In 2019, Apple is rumored to release a car into their repertoire of very impressive products. Apple has always been a secretive company; products are not usually announced until they are about to be released. Because of this, Apple has not directly said that an Apple car is on the way, so much is still not known.

However, based on public knowledge on Apple’s activities, many speculate a car is on the way. Some sources claim the car will be an electric vehicle, while others think the release will just be an operating system for cars similar to the already existing iOS. Either way, the public does not know a lot regarding the vehicle. 

There is evidence to back up the car claim. Apple, over the last few years, has begun to hire many auto engineers, as well as automotive executives from existing car companies. Still, without an official announcement the Apple car is very speculative.

When asked about the car by Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, responded with jokes, but did not say anything to support or deny a car being created.

Competitors are having mixed feelings on the new Apple car rumors. A123, a maker of electric car batteries, sued Apple because of the mass hiring Apple was doing from its company. At the same time, Elon Musk, owner of Tesla Motors, is very supportive of the Apple Car.

“I certainly hope Apple gets into the car business. That would be be great,” Musk said early this year.

One competitor to the rumored Apple car is the Google car, which is known to be in development. The car is self-driving, and as of now it is just an early prototype. In time, however, the Google car and Apple car may be the main competitors in the new era of car industry.

“The idea of an Apple car is cool. I still think Google will outdo them though, since they’re usually a much more innovative company,” Jiedong Duan, junior, said.

If Apple does make a car, the effects in the car industry would likely be massive. With one fifth of America owning an iPhone, a car that links with iPhones would definitely appeal to a large majority of the population. 

“I think the Apple car will be especially relevant to the current generation of high schoolers, since it will be released as we’re getting our first jobs and buying our first cars,” Sammy Schein, junior, said.

Apple has also began to make many new products besides phones recently, so the idea of an Apple car may not be as far-fetched as some claim. Apple has announced a watch, television, and drawing pad recently, which all branch off significantly from Apple’s notorious iPhones.

If Apple plans to link many of these devices, such as the watch and car is also unknown. In the past Apple has had a history to allow devices to communicate, like the watch and the phone. 

Either way, the Apple car is bound to be an exciting technological breakthrough, no matter what form it comes in. Once more information is released, it will become increasingly clearer on what the Apple car will be like. Until 2019, however, it is up to speculation.  

Top Image: Ben Lipka, Reporter