Apple’s delayed rollout of its iOS in the Car initiative is reportedly a victim of Apple’s hardware-oriented corporate culture, says a new report from The Information’s Jessica E. Lessin.
Apple executives “didn’t quite know what to do” with the iOS in the Car program, according to The Information’s Jessica E. Lessin. The disconnect is attributed primarily to overarching organizational issues that are said to place pressure on non-hardware products that do not fit within existing teams.
The report says that the iOS in the Car group was forced to “lobby hard” for stage time at the Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last June, where the initiative was unveiled. Apple executives were allegedly unsure about the product’s future, all the way up to showtime.
While Apple CEO Tim Cook has called the initiative “very, very important” and a “key focus” heading into 2014, development is still moving at a slow pace, with only Apple’s Siri Eyes Free functionality having actually made it into production vehicles.
Rival Google is in the process of positioning its Android operating system as an option for in-car systems, recently announcing partnerships with automakers including Audi, Hyundai, Honda, and General Motors earlier this month.
