A few weeks ago, we brought you the news that Apple was stopping development of their own car, and moving toward providing software solutions to existing cars. Now a report from Bloomberg suggests that the new software will be developed in Canada.
While Apple normally does all of their work close to their California headquarters, the report states that sources say the development of the new car operating system is being done at Apple's office in Kanata, ON, a suburb of Ottawa. Part of the reason is the office's proximity to BlackBerry's QNX office. QNX is BlackBerry's in-car operating system. It's already used by most major automakers and is the software behind Apple's own CarPlay software.
That closeness means that Apple is able to recruit engineers from Blackberry, who already have experience in automotive systems, over to their own firm. The most high-profile hire for Apple was QNX's CEO Dan Dodge. He joined Apple's car initiative earlier this year.
The operating system of a car controls the infotainment system. The software allows for phone integration and navigation, but also for voice control, gesture recognition, and even control of the climate system. Going forward, the operating system will be an essential part of a car's autonomous features. Not just full self-driving control, but radar cruise control and lane guidance are all controlled by the operating system.
