Apple supposedly working on an electric car with a 2019 launch date

It sounds a little like someone’s idea of a joke. Apple is supposedly working on bringing an electric car to market, despite its lack of experience in the field or any previous automotive operation. Nonetheless, it’s been reported that Apple has a skunkworks of some 600 employees looking to bring a vehicle to market by 2019. The concept, dubbed Project Titan, has reportedly been studied for years, but Apple recently decided to triple the size of its team and bring on an additional 1200 people. Since no photos or finished product is available, we’ve decided to bring you the best of the mockups and concepts the Internet has to offer. You can thank us later.

The iOS App Store has been hit with its first major malware scare

Malware authors have been targeting Android for years with all manner of nasty tricks, but we’re only now seeing the first large scale attack on Apple’s walled iOS garden. Researchers at Palo Alto Networks have uncovered a hive of iOS malware nestled within the very thing that was supposed to keep users safe — the App Store. Apple has already taken action to remove the threat, but the full effects of the “XcodeGhost” are not yet known.

Is the phablet the future of smartphones?

A recent report by Yahoo’s Flurry Analytics unit shows that phablet usage is growing dramatically. For the purposes of looking into this further, it helps to categorize phablets and differentiate them from smartphones. Flurry looks at usage data in the following categories:

Skip the Apple Watch, but keep its features

Let’s step through the features one at a time. First and foremost, this is a timepiece. It’s an expensive and elaborate one, but it’s still just a watch. If you’re looking for a quick way to tell time and set alarms, you’re better off investing ten or 20 bucks in a plain old digital watch. And even if you’re looking for an expensive and showy timepiece, you’re probably better off investing in something without firmware.Today’s the day. The Apple Watch is now officially on sale, and the crowd is, in fact, going wild. There’s a lot to like about Apple’s new product line, but there’s even more to dislike. It’s reportedly underpowered as it stands, so what hope do we have of it aging gracefully? At this stage, even most smartwatch enthusiasts should probably wait a generation or two for Apple to work out the kinks. But thankfully, we can still get most of the Apple Watch’s functionality without dropping between $350 and $17k.

Battery builder A123 Systems sues Apple for poaching employees, implies Apple Car is happening

A123’s complaint alleges that five of its top researchers have been lured away by Apple in violation of their noncompete agreements. Said agreements (we’ve reprinted part of one below) forbid an employee from working for any competitor of A123 Systems and forbid employees who leave the company from soliciting their fellow co-workers from jumping ship alongside them.Lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123 Systems has sued Apple, alleging that the smartphone and tablet manufacturer has been poaching its employees. Some of you may remember A123 Systems high-profile bankruptcy from several years ago — the company collapsed in 2012 after a meteoric ascent. Post-bankruptcy, A123 Systems was bought by Chinese conglomerate Wanxiang, and it has continued to develop battery technology and win customers for its stationary installations through the present day.

Why Apple should build its own car

Here are five reasons for Apple to move forward with a new car.Can Apple build a new car? It’s no more laughable than the idea that Apple, or Radio Shack, could create a personal computer infrastructure in the 1970s and challenge the dominance of IBM mainframes or Digital Equipment Corp. minicomputers. Multiple published reports of the past week say Apple has hired hundreds of people known for automotive expertise, with an eye toward Apple building a car of its own. The most likely car would be an electric vehicle in the shape of a small minivan or crossover. Even if the Apple iEV never goes forward, the thinking is that Apple has nicely hedged its bets. Research into big electric batteries translates into future iPhones or iWatches that run longer. A carbon fiber car shell that saves lives might make for an indestructible iPhone.