Apple's nearly four decades as a company have been filled with repeated disruption of otherwise settled industries, leaving many to wonder if the world's most valuable company may be preparing to upend the auto industry with an Apple car.
"Apple is very good at disrupting things at a grand scale, from the music industry to music players and smartphones," Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy told ABC News. "And here you have a company with more money than anyone else. With that said, they can do anything they want to."
The iPhone maker reported in January its biggest quarter yet as it sold more than 74 million iPhones. Apple's $18 billion earnings were also the best quarter in terms of profit any public company has ever reported.
A lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court this week by A123 Systems alleges Apple poached five of the lithium-ion battery maker's employees, fueling more speculation the iPhone maker may be quietly working on an electric car.
Apple declined to comment on the lawsuit and reports it is building an automotive team.
With Tesla on the cutting edge of the electric car market, Moorhead said Apple will need to develop some strategic partnerships to bring a hypothetical Apple car to the market.
"They need to focus on what they're really good at and partner with companies and acquire companies who know how to do everything else," he said. "For instance, I don't see a core competency in braking systems that Apple would bring to the table or a new way to do tires."
Not only will Apple's worth give it a competitive edge, but the company also has the advantage of employing a brain trust of some of the best designers and user experience experts in the world, Moorhead said.
Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apple-car-compete-tesla/story?id=29100772
