Apple has reportedly hired a former vice president in charge of autonomous driving sensors from Hyundai MOBIS as it continues work on its own Apple Car project.
The report notes that Gregory Baratoff has now left the car component maker and is now likely working on similar projects for Apple, although the company hasn't confirmed as much.
Wheels are turning
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing via his weekly Power On newsletter, Baratoff previously "worked at the German automotive component maker Continental AG" and is likely to find himself working for Apple on "one of the most important components in a self-driving car."
The Apple Car project is one that has been trundling along for years, with execs and engineers coming and going at regular intervals. It still isn't clear exactly what the project is working to achieve, however. Some reports have Apple looking to build a full electric vehicle with the help of companies like Hyundai and KIA, while others suggest that Apple is instead working on creating the technology that others could use. Such technology would feature self-driving capabilities similar to Tesla's Autopilot, if the rumors are to be believed.
Apple is already trying to change the way we use our cars via its CarPlay iPhone feature. The iOS 16 announcement in June saw Apple outline its plans for CarPlay, with multi-screen cars set to benefit from a new look in terms of the software they interact with. The big CarPlay update won't come until 2023, but Apple says that it will be able to hook into in-car systems more closely, assuming carmakers sign on.
The rest of iOS 16 will be available to the world later this month following a number of beta releases since June's debut. The same goes for tvOS 16 and watchOS 9, while those looking forward to macOS 13 Ventura and iPadOS 16 will have to wait until October.
