Lots of developments coming out of the Apple camp suggest that we will actually have a car from the company hitting the streets in the next few years. After a decade of struggle, Apple has gotten its act together enough to provide realistic release timelines, but it's still unsure about exactly what type of car it will be.

Here are all the design, functionality, software, and partnership news available, so you can use your imagination to get a vision of what the Apple Car will actually look like.

The History of the Apple Car's Development

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Since 2014, Apple has been working on what it has called "Project Titan" at its facilities in California. This project, as it turned out, was centered on developing the first electric car Apple would ever undertake.

The next few years of development saw internal issues and other problems surface that caused Project Titan to be delayed. In 2016, one of the head engineers left the team, and in a slight pivot to autonomous driving in 2019, Apple laid off more than 200 of their employees.

This shift seemed to suggest that Apple had its eyes on the software behind the car and less about the car itself. It wasn't until 2018 when an Apple analyst stated the company was, in fact, still working on developing a car.

The constant internal struggles, change in management, and the layoff of employees led many people to believe the project was being shelved altogether. But developments as recent as December of 2020 suggest Apple still plans on finishing what they started. Reuters reported this story, and said that the company wants to have a passenger vehicle by 2024.

The only question is whether or not Apple will continue to invest in a future line of vehicles or stick primarily to the software behind the car's functionality. At this point, all signs from the Apple camp suggest we should see a fully realized vehicle available to the public.

Many versions of what the final car will end up being have been teased by Apple but until the car is actually released we have to go on hearsay and public filings.

What Will the Apple Car Look Like?

When the Apple car was still being called Project Titan, there were talks of it modeling the BMW i3 as a base. Since then, there have been many different iterations of what the Apple car may possibly look like.

The only realistic view of what Apple may have in mind comes from the patent filings, rumors, and speculation raised. The innovative sleek design style that helped Apple change the phone industry and personal computer industry would be used with a new car design.

Related: Features We Want From Apple's M2 Macbook

Motor Trend created visuals of what the Apple car could look like and it included wide-swinging doors that eliminate the middle door panel between the front and back seats. AR and VR technology have also been added in the talks of potential car designs as well as in-screen displays, privacy lighting, and innovative sunroof designs.

The more Apple leans to fully autonomous vehicles, the more radical shift in design we could potentially see.

When Will the Apple Car Be Released?

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There is one thing we can count on from Apple about its release date, it's not to be trusted. Despite the many claims of when we could see an Apple car in the past, none have come to fruition. In 2016, Apple said we could expect a car by 2020. But as they ran into management issues, they pushed that date back to 2021.

The more leadership changes and employees that are laid off, the longer it will take for the development to finish. One Apple analyst, in particular, Ming-Chi Kuo, has been leading the communication of when we should expect a release.

Even though Apple has changed its estimation again to 2024, Kuo believes it's unlikely we will see a car anytime before 2025—as reported by Apple Insider. That's if Apple is able to partner up with a manufacturer and take advantage of technology changes that are advancing the automotive industry.

There might not be an Apple car coming anytime soon, but the company does—according to reports in South Korea and as mentioned by Reuters—plan on building prototypes and having these finished by 2022.

Possible Features of the Apple Car

There are no filed patents that can shed more light on what features will be included in the Apple car, but the company has taken actions that point to several directions.

Here are some things that could feature when the Apple Car is released.

1. Autonomous Driving

Apple has openly tested self-driving tech on the streets of California and has had public filings with government regulators about testing the software on public streets. It's clear this feature is becoming central to their plans for a future vehicle.

Related: What You Need to Build Your Own Autonomous Robot

2. New Battery

Apple has reportedly been working on creating a new type of monocell battery that will decrease its size while simultaneously increasing its length of use. This battery could be a big selling point for Apple if other rivals like Tesla don't also have plans to do likewise.

The battery would take up less space than other electric vehicles and provide even longer driving times without needing a recharge. Making the new Apple car a clear advantage over competitors if it can ever get to market instead of going through endless delays.

3. LiDAR Sensors

In order to make a car fully autonomous, Apple will have to use a load of sensors all around the vehicle that can read the incoming data and make quick road decisions. These are the same type of sensors that have been used in the iPhone and iPad.

Almost all other electric vehicles also use LiDAR sensors except for tesla, which uses a computational vision system.

4. Lithium Iron Phosphate

Most batteries use a lithium-ion solution in their batteries but Apple plans on changing that norm and using lithium iron phosphate instead, according to Tom's Guide. The reason being, the chemical promises to cause less overheating than the original, making the car much safer for owners.

The Apple Car Is Coming

The Apple car has gone through numerous delays in production due to management issues and pivots in the strategy. Even with all these issues, it still looks like the Apple car is set for release sometime around 2025, with innovative design and functionality elements. If the Apple car is getting you excited, you'll geek out over the new Apple products that are being released.