iPod, iPhone, iCar? iDoubtIt

A few weeks ago there was online chatter about how Apple was in talks with Volkswagen (article in German), prompting speculation that there might be some collaboration on an iCar. It’s of course a fascinating idea – wouldn’t it be great if Apple designed a car? I even raised the idea of the iCar on TidBITS Talk back in April 2007, and the discussion that followed tended toward the snarky (“it would never remember how you left the seats, or any other adjustable item, from one day to the next”), making it a fun read. I don’t think anyone took the idea all that seriously, and even bringing the Volkswagen
talks into the discussion doesn’t mean it’s all that likely to happen. Now the market intelligence firm iSuppli has jumped into the ring with a report that concludes, “Don’t hold your breath.”

But still, those of us who have never been satisfied by traditional cars can dream, can’t we? We thought the idea of Apple making a cell phone was fantasy for many years too, and the iPhone finally turned those fantasies into reality. If wishes were horses, we’d be trading ours in on an iCar.