An Apple Car Would Be Peak 2020 – But It’s Fake, Right?

As a brand, Apple has completely dominated the world since its conception in April 1976 in Cupertino, California. Although Apple has created several products that changed how we exist, an electric vehicle may, or may not be added to their collection of life-changing products.

If you’re reading this, you might be one of the millions who were shocked to see the Apple Electric Vehicle’s introduction to the world. I admit, even as a car guy, I was fooled into believing this might be a thing. Like mostly everything else this year, it is, in fact, too good to be true.

In a short period, the video racked up tens-of-millions of views and the reactions to follow. Twitter users deemed it to be “a Christmas miracle brought back to life,” along with some other NSFW memes that you’re free to look at on your own time. (Don’t tell my boss, but they may or may not make you laugh.)

Trackball wheels have been a sci-fi daydream for a long time, and the “Apple Car” is a 3D concept model of a Mercedes from 2013. The owner of this video took a Mercedes-Benz AMG and slapped an Apple Logo on it, which they might have created in a video game before releasing this to the world. Also, the trackballs you dream of? It’s not possible. Sorry.

At this stage, an Apple Car project IS in play, but it’s far from testing, so don’t get your hopes up too high, at least yet. A report released from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News mentions a supply chain source made claims that an Apple-branded electric vehicle could debut in 2021, and be released worldwide by 2022.

“The key supply chain in Taiwan confirmed that Apple expects to release the Apple Car in September next year, at least two years earlier than the original plan. Its prototype has been tested on the roads in California, USA. In response to the demand for Apple Car sourcing, Taiwanese manufacturers such as Taiwan and BizLink are busy.”

Despite the acknowledgment, it seems strange that, during a pandemic, they’d provide such an aggressive release timeline. Also, the Economic Daily News has a shoddy record with Apple rumors. So, is it too good to be true? Probably. However, if we’ve learned something from 2020, it’s that anything can happen, so put your pitchforks away, for now.

Fake computer-generated image videos are pretty common, and as technology advances, so do the videos. For those better than me at spotting small details, you’ll notice that the shadows don’t match up in this particular video. Also, the low resolution camouflages the CGI seams.

If we could pull up Google’s analytics for Apple, I’d be willing to put money on the fact someone is searching for a way to put themselves on the list for an Apple Car. Although it may or may not happen, there is one thing for sure – the video maker set the internet ablaze with this rumor, which we assume was their objective. Good work.