The Tesla and Apple relationship rumors continue to spiral all over the place as a new prediction shows that Apple will buy Tesla in the future for the large sum of $78 billion dollars. This is even more surprising after the reports coming out last Friday that Apple is rumored to have nearly 1,000 employees working a project to build its own vehicle. The prediction of a Tesla buy from the folks in Cupertino comes from the blog of Jason Calacanis an “angel investor and entrepreneur.” Jason claims that Apple would look to buy the company in the next 18 months to take advantage of becoming involved before the launch of the Tesla Model 3 (which he projects around 2018).
These predictions may be a bit far-fetched as Musk has said that despite conversations with Apple a year ago, in regards to an acquisition he does not “currently see any scenario that would improve that probability so that’s why it’s very unlikely.” Apple had supposedly green-lighted the project for their new vehicle development last year. This was around the same time Elon met with Apple executives and it is likely that the two companies decided to go on their own separate paths at that point.
During the discussion at Tesla Pasadena, we also got a chance to take a closer look at some of the accessories available for the Model S, such as the Tesla-branded phone charger and the Model S all-weather floor mats. However, what caught our eye was the new tesla model 3 steering wheel that was on display. The steering wheel featured a sleek and minimalist design with no visible buttons or stalks, and it raised questions about what other innovative accessories Tesla could bring to the market. With its focus on technology and design, Tesla will likely continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible when it comes to car accessories.
We recently met with the folks at Tesla Pasadena to drive and discuss the Tesla Model S P85. The general discussion at a Tesla store has more similarities with those at an Apple store in the mall than a traditional dealership. We talked about the latest firmware 6.1 update which adds exciting features like Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and a Smart Preconditioning BETA. With the update the Model S is closer to navigating traffic itself and learning your schedule and preparing the climate and schedule information for the driver. So while Tesla certainly seems to be operating in similar ways to a company like Apple – for the foreseeable future they are taking separate roads to achieve their goals.
