Amid rumors that Apple is working on a top-secret automotive project ranging from its own electric car to a CarPlay-related technology platform for vehicles, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler AG remains open to "different types" of cooperation with Apple, reports Reuters.
"Many things are conceivable," Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in an interview with quarterly magazine Deutsche Unternehmerboerse published on Friday.
Silicon Valley is becoming increasingly important for automakers as vehicles become more deeply integrated with the latest technologies such as CarPlay and Android Auto, and companies such as Apple and Google could play an even bigger role as self-driving vehicles hit the streets over the next five-plus years.
"Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle," Zetsche said. "That can be interesting for both sides."
Last September, Apple hired former Mercedes-Benz R&D President and CEO Johann Jungwirth, who has over a decade of experience working on connected cars, autonomous driving, testing and regulatory affairs and more. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked at Daimler between October 1997 and September 2014 and is now Director of Mac Systems Engineering at Apple.
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect.
There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect.
The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design.
It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information.
Relocated Charging Port
While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent.
A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things.
Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out.
That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook.
Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
I only see this happening if Mercedes can manufacture a car so thin that an adaptor is required to hold passengers, which will also need to be redesigned.
I'll say it again, I don't see Apple putting technology in someone else's product. The last time they did that was Motorola ROKR and we all know how that turned out. Right now I see CarPlay as iTunes on the ROKR.
I owned the ROKR - two actually. But your point is important. Apple first install their software on someone else's hardware and in the process learned about phones. Later they built their own phone. The same could be true here.
CarPlay-related technology platform
This could be their first step into the car business. My sense is that apple isn't like google that likes to make big splashes with half baked ideas. They will get there slowly and methodically and end up with a significantly more polished product in the end. Apple has never been first (except for the original apple computer that was the first commercially successful personal computer), but they have consistently come in and done it better (except for some of their services, like Music, Maps, and iCloud).
Owning a Sprinter 2013, I deeply wish Apple stay clear of Mercedes... Mercedes are real unreliable POS. Check Rating on Consumer Reports and other rating source like :http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32332210 REMEMBER JUST AN UNRELIABLE POS!
I can't speak of the Sprinters but my 2003 C240 is going strong at 153,000 miles with nothing but regular oil changes, brakes, and tires. My dad's ML320 had 450,000 on the clock before he got hit head on by a semi truck and survived. I say having it be made by Mercedes would make it very reliable and safe at that.
Unlike the 2002 BMW X5 we had that had nothing but electrical problems.
BMW provided platforms and engines to Wiesmann, Mercedes provides AMG engines to Pagani and will provide engines, platforms and electronics to Aston Martin (has 5% stake in it)
How about neither? Apple didn't go to Tag and say lets do a Watch together, they did their own. I don't know if BMW manufactures for others but if they do I could see Apple partnering in that way as I don't see Apple doing their own manufacturing.
None of the big automotive companies are single source manufacturers anymore. There is so much platform sharing it's hard to say what's from whom in cars today. BMW and Toyota are partnering on a platform that will become a small hybrid/EV sports coupe for both companies. Different sheet metal but the same architecture. There's no doubt if Apple produces a car it will be based off architecture from current manufacturers and contract assembled, that's if the car is intended for mass production. If the volumes are boutique like Ferrari or Lamborghini, the car could be manufactured anywhere.