A former Chrysler proving grounds for automotive testing outside of Phoenix, Arizona, that has been rumored to be used by Apple was recently purchased for $125 million by the firm that has been leasing it for the past five years, according to AZ Big Media.
Back in 2017, it was reported that a company by the name of Route 14 Investment Partners LLC had signed a lease to use the facility, with rumors suggesting Apple was behind the deal, although there was no definitive proof of the link. Route 14 is represented by the Phoenix office of law firm Greenberg Traurig, hiding the true ownership of the company.
Route 14 has now exercised an option to purchase the property, which consists of 34 separate parcels, for $125 million in cash. The purchase agreement is dated June 25, 2021, with a deed and assumption of an existing development agreement with the City of Surprise both dated July 30 and seen by MacRumors.
We have still not been able to concretely tie Apple to Route 14, but it's clear that whoever is behind the firm has deep pockets and a long-term interest in the testing facility.
Rumors about Apple's work on both autonomous driving systems and actual electric vehicles have ebbed and flowed over the last several years. The most recent report just this week claimed that Apple has been visiting with Toyota as it seeks to develop a supplier network with an eye toward producing an Apple-branded car starting in 2024.
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Friday February 21, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence
There is a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most...
Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Friday February 21, 2025 8:01 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has confirmed that its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e has nothing to do with the device's lack of MagSafe support, according to Macworld.
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, there was some speculation online about how MagSafe magnets might have interfered with the C1 modem's cellular connectivity performance, and this was considered to be a potential reason for the...
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e.
The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16.
Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
I don't know if this confirms anything but a friend who lives nearby says that around July they saw workers making the asphalt thinner, removing all markings from the roadways, and chamfering the edges on all the buildings. Weird.
Apple has been wasting time on this car project. It is too many years behind Google and Baidu. By the time Apple comes up with something usable, the market would have been fully taken up. When Apple is not the creator of a market, it never made meaningful splash. In another word, Apple is never good at competing in a field others created.
Phones, tablets, watches, bluetooth headsets. Apple didn't invent the cell phone, table or bluetooth headset, yet they made quite a splash in those areas over the years.
Apple has been wasting time on this car project. It is too many years behind Google and Baidu. By the time Apple comes up with something usable, the market would have been fully taken up. When Apple is not the creator of a market, it never made meaningful splash. In another word, Apple is never good at competing in a field others created.
According to you, the autonomous car market is all wrapped up but I'm still trying to summon a single self driving car to come pick me up. What am I doing wrong here?
Apple has been wasting time on this car project. It is too many years behind Google and Baidu. By the time Apple comes up with something usable, the market would have been fully taken up. When Apple is not the creator of a market, it never made meaningful splash. In another word, Apple is never good at competing in a field others created.
Apple has been wasting time on this car project. It is too many years behind Google and Baidu. By the time Apple comes up with something usable, the market would have been fully taken up. When Apple is not the creator of a market, it never made meaningful splash. In another word, Apple is never good at competing in a field others created.
Apple almost always comes into a market already established. But it brings in something better. Music, phones, tablets, personal computers, services, etc etc etc. the list is literally endless.
