AUTO

Apple on Wheels

Will 2024 be the Year of the iCar? 

Reuters reports that the company is moving forward with plans for an Apple-branded passenger vehicle, complete with self-driving capabilities and “breakthrough” battery technology. 

The long and winding road 

It’s been about six years since Apple launched Project Titan, its electric and autonomous vehicle effort. Since then, the path has been more dirt road than Sunday drive. There’s been a reported scaledown in project scope, leadership shake-ups, and in 2019, nearly 200 layoffs. 

• But a former Project Titan employee told Ryan that the autonomy team has been full-steam ahead for years: “One misconception is that Apple ever stopped or put a brake on autonomy development. That’s a false narrative.”

Tech developments have Apple feeling ambitious enough to internally target 2024 for mass-market vehicle production, pending additional Covid-19 delays, reports Reuters.

But, but, but: The auto industry is tough to break into and even tougher to secure a foothold in. Apple would likely tap a manufacturing partner and outsource certain system elements, such as lidar sensors, but the company would still face supply chain struggles. 

Then again, nothing’s impossible, especially for—subtle flex—the world’s most valuable company. And Apple’s reportedly got a pocket ace… 

The “monocell” battery 

Think: Steve Jobs’s minimalist approach to Mac design...but for a car battery pack. It cuts down on internal containers and pouches, which frees up space for more “active material” that could extend vehicle range and lower battery costs, reports Reuters. 

Plus: It may be safer. Apple is reportedly exploring a battery chemistry called lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which is less likely to overheat than other lithium-ion options. 

Vroom out 

Apple’s stock closed high on Monday, while Tesla’s dropped. And after reports that Apple may seek a partnership for sensor tech, stock soared for lidar startups like Velodyne (~23%) and Luminar (27+%). 

Worth noting: There’s always a chance Apple could narrow the focus to its autonomous driving system and partner with an existing manufacturer, rather than produce its own vehicle. 

But the former Project Titan employee believes the team is set up for success due to advantages in the most important pieces of the puzzle: user experience and autonomous tech. 

• “The hardware is the least important of all, as in, who is making the car,” the source said. “Apple will own the design, experience, and technology—the autonomy. That’s the killer combination.”

CONNECTIVITY

Rip Up, Replace, Maybe Look to Space?

The pandemic has shown us the opportunity costs of the digital divide. Citizens without reliable, high-speed internet often can’t attend class or work remotely, shop online, or access telehealth services. 

In the recently passed coronavirus aid package, Congress tucked away $7 billion in funds for broadband expansion efforts. The breakdown, per Axios: 

• $3.2 billion for a new program that provides a $50/month broadband subsidy for low-income families 
• $1.9 billion for “rip and replace” of Huawei and ZTE equipment
• $1 billion for Tribal areas 
• $300 million for rural areas
• $285 million for communities around HBCUs
• $250 million for an FCC telehealth program
• $98 million for broadband mapping

“Rip and replace” = shorthand for removing Chinese-made telco gear from U.S. networks. Smaller, rural U.S. carriers sourced competitively priced 4G parts from these Chinese network gear manufacturers. Replacing those 4G parts—and adding new 5G ones—doesn’t come cheap. 

And laying new fiber could be even worse. That’s why we expect internet service providers to increasingly tap wireless technologies like 4G, 5G, and low Earth orbit satellites. It’s a good time for SpaceX’s Starlink to be running its “Better than nothing Beta.”

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Big Brain Discount

Not every day do you come across an email ad containing a Big Brain Discount.

Then again, it’s not every day CuriosityStream sponsors the Brew. With a CuriosityStream subscription, you gain access to thousands of streamable documentaries and nonfiction TV shows on History, Nature, Food, Travel, Science—you name it.

More a quality over quantity kinda person? CuriosityStream has somethin’ for all you brain-growers. Their hand-picked team of experts has curated 35 collections, so you can refine your consumption.

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XR

The Sky Is Calling

As of yesterday, the digital aviators of Microsoft Flight Simulator can fly in VR. But there are buts: They need a supported headset tethered to a PC. And the PC can’t be any run-of-the-mill rig—it needs to have pretty powerful specs. 

The acclaimed flight simulator has also added “real-time snow and true-to-life ice coverage.” For those keeping score at home, that means Microsoft's digital map of Earth will continuously update snowcaps. 

The 30,000 ft. view

1. Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Apple, Snapchat, and Niantic are building digital twins of our world (for AR and other applications).
2. Many companies are trying to develop virtual worlds (or metaverses, if you’re sci-fi-fancy). 

Gateways are slowly opening to these immersive, high-fidelity virtual worlds. Smartphones are the easiest path for a critical mass of users, but they’re also limited in mixed-reality functionality. Headsets and/or glasses will eventually unlock more opportunities, but those are constrained today by price, hardware, and battery.

BITS & BYTES

Non-sus stat: Among Us had nearly half a billion monthly active users in November, according to unofficial numbers from SuperData. Parent studio InnerSloth was a team of three when it released Among Us. 

Quote: “During the darkest days of the Model 3 program, I reached out to Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla (for 1/10 of our current value). He refused to take the meeting.”—Elon. 

Listen: Business Casual took on sextech in its latest episode—from VC funding to the struggle to find tech platforms willing to host content. 

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WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• The SEC is suing Ripple, saying the company violated securities laws by selling XRP to retail traders. Before the lawsuit was announced, XRP was the third largest cryptocurrency by market cap. 
• More SEC: The agency approved the New York Stock Exchange’s plan for direct listings, an alternative to the IPO. 
• DJI says it “has done nothing to justify being placed on the Entity List.” 
• Ouster, a U.S. lidar startup, will SPAC at a valuation of $1.9 billion. 
• Facebook and Google struck a bargain to “cooperate and assist one another” if they ever faced antitrust investigation, per an unredacted draft version of the Texas-led lawsuit (h/t WSJ).
• Facebook offered to license its code and social graph to other companies as an antitrust olive branch, WaPo reports. 

TRIVIA

In honor of the influx of cheesy holiday rom-coms—and fireplace YouTube videos playing on a constant loop—our trivia is television-themed. 

Take the quiz here.

TECH THROWBACK

Fifty years ago, Japan kicked off research into high-definition television. Eleven years later, in 1981, the first HDTV demo took place in the U.S.—but it didn’t become a broadcasting standard until the mid-1990s. 

And a final housekeeping note: The Brew starts its holiday break this afternoon. Regular service resumes Jan. 6, but we’ll have a couple special editions for you between now and then.  

ICYMI

Catch up on the top Emerging Tech Brew stories from the past few editions: 

• Washington clips DJI’s wings 
• Fallout from a “grave” cyberattack on the U.S. continues 
• OpenAI turns five: a Q&A with cofounder Greg Brockman