The trick to ruling the car industry? Copy Apple.
Steve Jobs transformed Apple because he looked, not at what others were doing, but at what others weren’t doing.
Smart phones weren’t easy to use, touch screens were rare, style was nonexistent…
Apple changed the whole game of technology by spotting what people needed and providing it. In other words, innovation.
The video above is the latest concept demo from Volkswagen, bragging about self-parking car technology.
It’s new, it’s easy, it does what it’s supposed to do, and, best yet, it solves a hassle most people would rather not worry about.
But it’s not enough.
Apple didn’t change the phone industry by adding a touch-screen to a cell phone. It changed the industry by adding a touch screen, Wi-Fi, applications, and an iPod (among other innovations), into one phone. That was the selling point: Multiple breakthrough devices in one.
In the same way, autonomous parking is great. But it’s not going to revolutionize the industry.
Apple sells more smart phones than anyone else because it took a risk in going where no other company had.
That’s the challenge for car companies. If Volkswagen, or any other company for that matter, wants to dominate the road, it has to do it all by itself.
And when I say all by itself, I mean the cars have to drive all by themselves.
It may take thousands of prototypes, several years, and a partnership or two… but it can be done. If Apple could squeeze the unthinkable into a phone, car companies can build a fully-autonomous car. Like Apple, it’s a battle of risk and reward, but innovation for the sake of society seems to pay off.
Bonus clip:
Great post. I couldn’t agree more. There are too few companies that are good at setting their own benchmarks of achievement. Apple does a great job in this area. In order to be a leader, you can’t spend a lot of time looking over your shoulder.