[jimmytidey]

Isn't it basically impossible for Apple to surprise us with a driverless car? Surely all of the process to make a driverless car legal would be in public?

Surely the production line for any kind of car at all would be almost impossible to organise covertly, all the factory space, tooling etc?

[mrcwinn]

I remember the "iPhone" being a topic of rumor for literally years. Leaked photos (some more accurate than others) and a steady drip of information.

Looking back, it was still a big surprise once the details were known. So, a car? Build a roof, sign some NDAs, and do your best.

[coredog64]

I was at On Semiconductor in 2007, and it was an open secret around the office that Apple was getting into the phone business. We knew because management kept touting the fact that we had $4-5 worth of the overall BOM in the iPhone and that was going to be awesome for us.

[scottmf]

iPhone was announced Jan 2007

[Joeri]

The iphone needed to be fcc certified too, they just announced it 6 months prior to selling it to keep the element of surprise.

[jimmytidey]

Getting a phone certified is surely quite a bit different from an autonomous car ready for consumer use?