Dear Apple, Google and friends! Please stay away from cars and stick to phones, computers and other tech products | Opinion

Apple's iCar has been in development since 2015, but should it become a reality?

A few years ago I had an Apple MacBook Pro which ran into a problem. First, his battery burned out about every 18 months - fortunately, the first replacement was covered by warranty ... but not the second ... or third.

When I asked "Genius" about this recurring problem, they told me, "The battery is a consumable item, just like the tires on your car" - right? Isn't the battery more like an engine? Do you know the car's power supply? 

Anyway, I replaced it. Only a small component broke a few months after the last battery was installed (video card or something, to be honest I'm not an IT person so I don't remember the details).

When I took it in for repair, I was told that Apple didn't have a replacement part, and in fact I was told that my laptop, which had been replaced by a newer MacBook Pro a few months earlier, was "mostly antique" and the only solution was to buy brand new laptop.

Needless to say, I haven't been a big fan of Apple products since then. So, the news that the tech giant is still working on its so-called "iCar" filled me with a sense of dread. Based on my experience, I don't think the company has any idea of ​​how the automotive industry works and customer expectations.

For example, while we should all be happy to change tires regularly, I think few of us will be forced to change an engine every 18 months. I suspect that any car company offering such reliability figures would run into a repeat business problem.

Obviously this is extreme, but the fact remains that there is a huge difference between the tech and automotive industries, despite the increasingly blurred line between the two, as software becomes vital to both sides.

And yet, as electrification lowers the barrier to entry (no need to learn how to make dirty internal combustion engines), Apple is not alone, as there are several tech companies that have been linked to the foray into the auto industry, including Google, Sony, Amazon, Uber. and even a Dyson vacuum cleaner specialist.

Google has been working on cars since 2009, going as far as building its own prototypes and creating its own separate company, Waymo, before focusing on self-driving technology.

Right now, Waymo is buying existing cars — most notably the Chrysler Pacifica and Jaguar I-Pace SUVs — but is determined to make autonomous cars a practical reality (which, frankly, is a different story).

Last year, Sony went even further by unveiling the Vision-S concept at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show. While not meant to be a preview of a production car, it was designed to showcase the brand's standalone hardware and software as the company attempts to push further into the automotive world. .

These companies may have been encouraged by Tesla's ability to break into the automotive world, but even Tesla's most ardent supporters must admit that it wasn't easy. Tesla suffers from delays in the production of each model, which highlights how difficult it is to turn an idea of ​​a car into a real car. 

The latest report regarding Apple's plans says it is looking for a third party to physically build the car and related technology, specifically a South Korean specialist like LG, SK or Hanwha. While this is a smart move, it still raises questions about what Apple plans to bring to the industry that would be unique or different from others.

Every serious car company is working on autonomous technology, so Apple, Waymo and Sony don't offer anything special. And, as Tesla tragically demonstrated with her crashes, it's not an easy task, and it goes further than most people expect. Personally, I'd rather entrust its development to an industry that's experienced in preventing physical car accidents rather than a computer that I need to reboot.

There seems to be a sense of arrogance within the tech industry that computers are the solution to every problem. Google CEO Larry Page has gone on record saying that fully autonomous driving is the only way forward, believing humans are too unreliable. Well, as someone who has had to reset their Google-powered smartphone, I can assure Mr. Page that computers are not infallible. 

Companies such as the Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis are aware of the unique challenges associated with car manufacturing, especially safety aspects, and as Tesla has demonstrated with its own problems, these challenges are not easy to solve. For Apple and Waymo to think they can enter the automotive industry and compete with brands that have been making cars for 100 years is, in some cases, the height of arrogance.

Perhaps Apple should learn from the experience of Dyson, the British vacuum cleaning specialist who may have come the furthest in his path into the automotive industry. Dyson hired 500 employees and planned to invest over £2bn in the project, including a manufacturing facility in Singapore. But after spending £500 million and getting to the prototype stage, the car's owner, James Dyson, was forced to admit that even when it was positioned as a premium car, the company simply couldn't make money and compete with the established players.

And if Apple does decide to enter the automotive industry, I hope it understands that tires are a consumable item, but a source of energy is not.