Apple Car

[Sandvinsd]

Interesting article on seeking Alpha about how Apple is no longer a tech company, but rather a “Must Have Luxury Brand.” They dominate every category they decide to enter, hence the long discussed Apple Car, and what what would that be worth. I would love to see Lucid and Apple hook up on this venture!

Apple: Buffett's Favorite Company Just Changed The Game (AAPL)

Apple Inc. has evolved from a tech company into a full-blown aspirational luxury brand, and Warren Buffett apparently likes it. Click for our thoughts on AAPL.

seekingalpha.com

Attached a pdf of the article

 

[Rogue]

The fanatical Apple owners strike again. My younger siblings are this way. Even when presented with superior products, the social constructs to own Apple would have them discard any other brand to conform to the "luxury lifestyle" image.

An Apple car implies the backseat of all other operating systems and brands. The commercial success of this would be interesting. Would it be possible to drive enough consumers, even with possible brand and OS restrictions to Apple only, to purchase a high end luxury vehicle? There are certainly many, many things Apple gets right. Their business model is all or nothing though with their product ecosystems.

 

[Bobby]

The fanatical Apple owners strike again. My younger siblings are this way. Even when presented with superior products, the social constructs to own Apple would have them discard any other brand to conform to the "luxury lifestyle" image.

An Apple car implies the backseat of all other operating systems and brands. The commercial success of this would be interesting. Would it be possible to drive enough consumers, even with possible brand and OS restrictions to Apple only, to purchase a high end luxury vehicle? There are certainly many, many things Apple gets right. Their business model is all or nothing though with their product ecosystems.

For me, I care less about image. Being ugly my whole life has helped. I just like that all of my Apple products (watch, phone, headphones, tablet, TV, computer, CarPlay) work seamlessly together. If I "copy" an item on my phone, I can sit down at my desktop and "paste" it. My watch unlocks my computer. CarPlay maps pulls my destination off the calendar. I could go on and on.

 

[OCDC]

I just like that all of my Apple products (watch, phone, headphones, tablet, TV, computer, CarPlay) work seamlessly together.

This. They seem to be the most thoughtful about how their products interact and work together, and their missteps are rare.

 

[borski]

This. They seem to be the most thoughtful about how their products interact and work together, and their missteps are rare.

Precisely. I give absolutely zero crap about image or luxury when it comes to my phone, watch, computer, etc.

I care immensely about the fact that all of them are designed extremely well, and as a result of being vertically integrated, they... just work. And they work seamlessly. If you can live within the ecosystem, it is exceptionally pleasant.

Android, for example, can certainly be as seamless. But it isn't *guaranteed* to be; whereas every time I buy an Apple device, I generally can rely on knowing that it will work exceptionally well both as an individual device and with the other devices I own.

 

[Rogue]

I have vast appreciation for both opinions given. Quality and usability are the highest factors of any purchase of mine as well. Personal taste and priorities being the differentiation and deviation from Apple.

So let's pose a different question for those of you integrated in the Apple environment.

What would a Lucid and Apple collaboration end result be from a user standpoint? What would you expect or want from an "Apple" car not available in the Lucid (or pick your choice of vehicle)? What is the draw of the collaboration?

 

[joec]

The fanatical Apple owners strike again. My younger siblings are this way. Even when presented with superior products, the social constructs to own Apple would have them discard any other brand to conform to the "luxury lifestyle" image.

An Apple car implies the backseat of all other operating systems and brands. The commercial success of this would be interesting. Would it be possible to drive enough consumers, even with possible brand and OS restrictions to Apple only, to purchase a high end luxury vehicle? There are certainly many, many things Apple gets right. Their business model is all or nothing though with their product ecosystems.

If Apple does make a car, it will not be high-end luxury. It will be a Toyota, not a Lexus.

The biggest trick the devil (Apple) ever pulled was convincing people they were a luxury brand. Luxury brands don't have a billion customers.

What Apple sells is the feeling and experience of luxury at a fraction of the cost. All the prestige of a Rolex in a mass-produced package. It's a remarkable achievement. One that no other company has ever come close to accomplishing.

There are a few luxury brands who could theoretically make a phone with the materials and tolerances of an iPhone. But no one else could make 14 million of them per quarter. And none of them would touch the software capabilities.

 

[borski]

If Apple does make a car, it will not be high-end luxury. It will be a Toyota, not a Lexus.

The biggest trick the devil (Apple) ever pulled was convincing people they were a luxury brand. Luxury brands don't have a billion customers.

What Apple sells is the feeling and experience of luxury at a fraction of the cost. All the prestige of a Rolex in a mass-produced package. It's a remarkable achievement. One that no other company has ever come close to accomplishing.

There are a few luxury brands who could theoretically make a phone with the materials and tolerances of an iPhone. But no one else could make 14 million of them per quarter. And none of them would touch the software capabilities.

This is 100% correct. I could not agree more, except for one aspect; what is luxury? It doesn’t mean “rare.”

In my estimation, it also doesn’t mean “has the most features.” It means “the features it does have are exceptionally sturdy, feel well built, and feel built to extremely exacting standards.” Apple spends so much time on just how a phone *feels in the hand* it’s absurd.

A great example is any MacBook. Grab one, and lift the screen. You’ll note the bottom of the laptop *does not move*. It is extremely intentional. Now go grab a Dell laptop. Lift the screen. The whole thing moves, requiring two hands to open it. Is this a big deal? No, of course not. But the former *feels well built, sturdy, and effectively unbreakable*. The latter feels flimsy, breakable, and has the feel of plastic everywhere. Apple doesn’t make their laptops out of aluminum because it’s cheaper that way; they do it because when people touch metal, it feels more solid, well-built, and luxury. Look at all the stainless steel appliances in kitchens; replace the faceplate of the appliance with a piece of white plastic, and the price drops in half, despite literally nothing else changing.

Luxury is about one thing: how a product *feels*, both from a tactile perspective and from a usability perspective.

What you’re describing I would refer to as “fashion.”

Luxury does also tend to be more expensive; the new Apple multi-reality headset is likely to be about $3000. It’s certainly not unattainable for many (hell, their phones are $1k almost), but it is more than 3x the price of the next closest competitor.

Apple manages to walk the line between “unattainable” and “cheap” very very carefully. Pricing is a science there.

 

[Spin Doctor]

The frustrations of some Android owners in getting the mobile key to work are quite telling.

If we needed a second vehicle without the range, performance and luxury of the Air, and an Apple car did come along, it would be a strong contender - assuming it had the high-end look and feel, and the "it just works" functionality, described above.

As so many examples have shown us, though, making cars is hard. So I'm not holding my breath.

 

[hydbob]

Don't sell us short! Plenty of Apple users here also having problem