No, Apple Hasn't Just Confirmed The Autonomous iCar

The Internet has gone crazy with claims that Apple is definitely building a completely automated car, nicknamed the iCar, to rival the hideous little Google monstrosity. But that’s not actually true at all.

The company has written a letter to the car enthusiast’s good friends at the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, explaining its interest in the technology surrounding automated cars.

It said: “The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.

“Executed properly under NHTSA’s guidance, automated vehicles have the potential to greatly enhance the human experience – to prevent millions of car crashes and thousands of fatalities each year and to give mobility to those without.”

Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity and the man who wrote the letter, stopped short of any concrete statement confirming the existence of an Apple car. That’s significant, despite the fact that the brand is clearly working on the necessary technologies.

Some media outlets are claiming that Apple has shifted its focus away from building a complete car, and towards simply providing autonomous driving systems that other manufacturers can buy off the shelf.

Bloomberg claims that, after hiring the former head of Blackberry’s automotive software division, Apple is looking to partner with car makers without abandoning its attempt to build a car of its own.

But whichever way you slice it, no, Apple hasn’t confirmed an automated car. Yet.