Two Apple car partnerships may be dead, according to a new report. While many believe Apple is still working on an automobile, it may not involve BMW or Daimler.
Interestingly enough, the project may have been killed by iCloud. Citing industry sources, Handelsblatt claims that when it came time to decide which company would lead the project, talks broke down.
BMW left the negotiations late last year, and more recently Daimler stepped away. Apple reportedly wanted to store driver information in iCloud — which is rumored to be in the midst of a security-minded overhaul — while BMW and Daimler wanted “ownership” of the data.
Of course, whatever automotive project Apple may be working on is in full stealth mode, so none of the companies would comment on this news.
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Handelsblatt goes on to say Apple is seeking “German technology and specialists for the project” out of an office in Berlin, but if BMW and Daimler are out of the mix, that narrows the scope quite a bit.
A front-runner could be Austrian firm Magna, which describes itself as a “Vehicle Engineering & Contract Manufacturing” company. That reads a lot like a firm that can shore up manufacturing, leaving Apple to brand the car as it sees fit.
Just like it does with the iPhone.
via 9to5Mac
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