The man who led the engineering development for some of Apple’s greatest successes, including the iPad, is now heading up its Apple Car project according to reports.
Longtime executive and hardware engineer Bob Mansfield, who oversaw the teams which developed the iPad, the MacBook and more, is reportedly now heading up Project Titan.
Apple’s internal codename for its electric autonomous car project, the Wall Street Journal cites company insiders as saying that the tech giant now has 600 people working on it.
Developed iPad, MacBook and more
Mansfield, who joined Apple under Steve Jobs’ tenure in 1999, stepped back from the development side in 2013 but said he would still report to CEO Tim Cook on “special projects”.
Yet another piece in the ever-evolving Apple Car puzzle, although Apple has yet to officially confirm that it’s working on a car, all signs suggest that it is indeed working on a rival to the Google car.
Late last year, Tim Cook told the automotive industry to expect “massive change”, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said that he believes Apple to be working on a vehicle.
Apple Car on sale by 2019?
Most recently, Dieter Zetsche, the CEO of Mercedes’ parent company Daimler, told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the Apple Car is probably further along than most people think.
Apple already makes its CarPlay infotainment system in an attempt to bring “the iPhone experience” to drivers, and recently hired several high-profile automotive and automated driving system experts.
Other reports have suggested that Apple is aiming to have its Project Titan car ready and on sale by 2019, but so far nothing has been confirmed.