Apple's Critique Of Driverless Car Policy Doesn't Clarify Its Own Plans

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., left, is seen in a car with comedian James Corden during an event in San Francisco in September. Apple's courteous, albeit bland, letter to federal regulators weighing in on preliminary guidelines for development and testing of self-driving cars has again ginned up excitement and speculation about its eventual entry into the automotive space, yet revealed nothing about actual plans to do so. As CEO Tim Cook put it, it's still Christmas Eve. The letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from Steve Kenner, Apple's director of product integrity, confirms what was already known: the company has a program to develop automated driving systems. Should Apple want to run road tests of its self-driving technology, Kenner's letter emphasizes that official policies shouldn't discriminate against companies that haven't previously participated in the auto market or that intend to sell vehicles.