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    Is Apple Inc buying McLaren Automotive?

    Apple buying McLaren Automotive - Apple Takeover

    September 26, 2016 by Shane Walters

    Is Apple Buying McLaren F1 and McLaren Automotive? – Possibly

    It’s a bit of a leap to go there but it’s possible that Apple is buying McLaren. I think it’s possible something big is in the works. If they are interested in a takeover, it’s likely for the McLaren Applied Technologies division of the automotive company.

    Apple approached McLaren on a possible investment or purchase. That is according to The Financial Times, a reputable source.

    An investment from either a marketing or technology standpoint would make sense. Especially when you have $610 billion to do a bit of marketing with. However, I tend to lean more toward a possible sponsorship of the McLaren F1 Team. Among other reasons, Apple hasn’t been known, in previous cases, to take on acquisitions.

    Apple iCar Photos

     

    Could that possible Apple McLaren investment be a sponsorship of the McLaren F1 Team? Or is Apple interested in investing in future technology they could bring to their iCar. Which is no joke, well the name I gave it ‘might be’. Apple has been, not so secretly, working on a tech friendly car for years now to go head-to-head with the innovators and friendly California neighbors at Telsa Motors.

    Apple has been in a bit of a stall out as far as innovation goes. I fancy the lack of a headphone jack myself. But, this is the company that revolutionized the computer and soon after put the computer in our pocket. Yet, billions of dollars later they haven’t stepped too far outside of the phone and computer box.

    The McLaren Applied Technologies division would come along with a bit of a headache. The McLaren Formula One team is costly, $523 million costly. That was the 2015 budget of the McLaren F1 team.

    McLaren MPX-4 Concept Car

     

    The costs add up fast, very fast. As you can see from the photo of the McLaren MP4-X concept car they push the boundaries. You have to if you want to win.

    It’s a cost mostly justified by auto manufactures, with the exception of Red Bull, as they develop and test future auto technology in a highly competitive environment. The innovative technology slowly starts making it’s way into consumer cars. When you’re creating the technology in your car, it gives you an advantage against rival auto makers.

    Aside from the use of new technology in their own auto line, the F1 team does have other ways of being useful. McLaren F1 brought in $120 Million from the Constructors Championship fund, paid once per year. The fund is basically a portion of revenue generated from the worldwide television broadcasts. The sport had 600 million tv viewers in 2008, 400 million in 2015.

    Usually, McLaren would stand to make more money by finishing higher in the F1 standings as seasons end. However, they’ve been in a development stage with a new Honda engine. F1 is not plug and play. It’s an all out technology development war against other major automotive manufactures. Honda coming into F1, means they have to start from scratch and build their way to the top. Hence the $523 Million budget.

    At the same point, McLaren recently lost it’s long time primary sponsor Vodafone, aka British Verizon. Usually, sponsorship helps justify the development costs of the worlds fastest sport. In this case, McLaren appears to be holding out, in a refusal to drop the rate card as they make their slow climb back to the podium step.

    Apple buying McLaren Automotive - Apple Takeover - Header

     

    Unless… Apple is visiting McLaren F1 to display their freshly bitten Apple logo to millions of viewers, worldwide. This possible marketing partnership makes a lot of sense to me.

    They are on the same page. These two tech companies do tend share the same mindset as far as modern design goes. The are certainly on the same page when it comes to marketing style, design and ever the general design of each others headquarters.

    However, there’s more pieces of this jigsaw puzzle. Apple recently tripled it’s R&D budget to $10 Billion. In the same breath they laid off a large number of the staff working on the iCar. It’s fairly hard to increase your R&D budget and cut staff at the same time. So, it’s likely that staff will need to be replaced. Why the lay off to make room for the future McLaren Automotive Group employee’s turned Apple employee’s?

    McLaren jumped very fast to deny all possibility of an investment. But they jumped so fast to denial that is makes me believe something big is about to happen. If it was false, they likely wouldn’t care to comment.

    Here’s what McLaren had to say, “We can confirm McLaren is not in discussion with Apple in regards to any investment,” said McLaren spokesman Adam Gron. He also said, “any other discussions between the two companies would be confidential.”

    So, is Apple buying McLaren Automotive? Perhaps! At the end of this, we can only speculate. If something is in the works neither company is interested in sharing it with us at this time. Time will tell, I tend to think we are weeks away from a major announcement.

     The Financial Times valued McLaren at $1.3 – $1.9 billion.

    Author: Shane Walters

    Photos: Mclaren.com

    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway in Missouri

    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Photos

    August 28, 2015 by Shane Walters

    Missouri Smart Highway Project on I-70 by Integrated Roadways

    Integrated Roadways Smart Missouri Highway PhotosThe ultra futuristic Missouri smart highway project is gaining steam. The project has been proposed by Integrated Roadways designer and engineer Tim Sylvester. It’s the solution to a big problem that myself and all Missouri transporters are fully aware of, our roads are bloody pot-holey trash.

    Why is this smart highway so awesome? The roads are no longer just poured concrete. These pre-fabricated slabs are embedded with intelligent transportation systems. Beyond technology, it’s cheaper to build and cheaper to maintain.

    What does that mean? It means our roads could have technology matching and beyond our smart phones.

    It won’t play ‘Orange is the New Black’ on Netflix but the road itself could report the condition of the roads lying ahead. This technology includes Wi-Fi built into the road itself so if we want to get technical it could play previously mentioned jail show. If the kids need Wi-Fi to update their Tumblr page on the family trip from St. Louis to Kansas City, than you can pay a fee and get it from the concrete below.

    The roads could also be heated for quick snow & ice removal. Not only does ice cause cracks, traffic and accidents but so do snow trucks. If the road heats itself, none of that applies and roads now last much longer, 4 times longer as claimed by Integrated Roadways.

    Wireless EV charging is also possible. Telsa has taken off in recent years, even in the MidWest. So those battery powered machines could charge on the go, the days of the recharge station could come to an end.

    Driverless cars and trucks could take action on a 200 mile stretch between Kansas City and St. Louis. Corporations would likely embrace this technology with open arms. A large portion or all of the road bills could be taken care of via subscriptions for allowing driverless trucks.

    In fact, most of these above services above could be subscription based. Meaning the road could very literally pay for itself as car technology catches up to the road beneath.

    A majority of the transporters will use the road free of charge as most of us lames lack electric or driverless cars. As more and more people have these things regular transporters will pay less and less in terms of tax dollars or worse the proposed toll booths.

    The construction speed is about five times faster than traditional pavement

    – Tim Sylvester

    It sounds futuristic, which it is. However, the future is here and it should be embraced especially when it’s cheaper. The technology has already been installed on a stretch of Interstate 35 and a new building at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

    As a Missouri native myself I can tell you first hand MO isn’t known for embracing modern design of any sort. I could strongly argue that in 1972 modern architecture was officially rejected by St Louis residents as Pruitt-Ego came crumbling down but that’s another story entirely. However, we can still flip that entire script and prove hick stereotypes to be false.

    The possibilities are endless for the smart road technology. As technology improves, which it will, software can be updated and new systems could launch immediately. It’s adaptable.

    Tim Sylvester told the Kansas City Business Journal that IntegratedRoadways estimates a smart highway would cost $3.6 billion. That price is within MoDOT’s range of $500 million to $4 billion for road repair. A smart highway, which uses precast concrete slabs, is faster to install and has a longer life than a traditional highway, which means reduced maintenance costs, he said. An estimated 40% savings on road construction and repair.

    MoDot doesn’t know where they will find the money to repair the crumbling roads in Missouri. The problem is now thousands of miles long. This smart highway solution by Integrated Roadways and Kansas City resident Tim Sylvester is cheaper and could offer adaptable integrated subscription services, what are we waiting for exactly?

    Author: Shane Walters

     

    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Photos

    Integrated Roadways Photos I-70 Smart HighwayProject Proposed
    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway I-35 Photos
    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Photo
    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Photos University of Missouri-Kansas City

    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Photos
    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Pre-Fabricated Concrete Photos
    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Repair Photos
    Integrated Roadways Smart Missouri Highway Photos


     

    Integrated Roadways Smart Highway Video

     

    Tim Sylvester Presents Smart Pavement for I-70 Highway Project

    Photo/Video Source: Integrated Roadways

    I'm not here to save you. I'm just here for the ride. So, let me entertain you and everything will be fine.

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