蘋果首度公開承認(rèn)無人駕駛汽車研發(fā)計(jì)劃

Apple has for the first time publicly acknowledged its plans to develop self-driving cars, with a letter that urges the US highways regulator to promote “fair competition” between newcomers to the automotive industry and traditional manufacturers.

蘋果公司(Apple)首度公開承認(rèn)開發(fā)自動(dòng)駕駛汽車的計(jì)劃，該公司致函美國公路監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)，呼吁促進(jìn)汽車行業(yè)新入行企業(yè)和傳統(tǒng)制造商之間的“公平競(jìng)爭(zhēng)”。

In an unusually direct statement accompanying the letter, an Apple spokesman confirmed its work on autonomous systems that could be used to transform “the future of transportation”.

在伴隨該信件的一份異常直接的聲明中，一位蘋果發(fā)言人確認(rèn)，蘋果在自動(dòng)系統(tǒng)領(lǐng)域進(jìn)行了開發(fā)工作，可能被用來改變“交通運(yùn)輸業(yè)的未來”。

Apple’s letter touts the “significant societal benefits of automated vehicles”, which it described as a life-saving technology, potentially preventing millions of car crashes and thousands of fatalities each year.

蘋果的信贊揚(yáng)了“自動(dòng)汽車的重大社會(huì)效益”，稱這是一種拯救生命的技術(shù)，有望每年防止數(shù)百萬起車禍和成千上萬的死傷。

The disclosure highlights how Apple may struggle to maintain its notorious secrecy in new product development as it enters more highly regulated markets, from transportation to healthcare.

蘋果的這一信息披露凸顯出，隨著該公司進(jìn)入從交通到醫(yī)療等監(jiān)管較嚴(yán)格的市場(chǎng)，它或許難以維持其在新產(chǎn)品開發(fā)上出了名的保密做法。

Hundreds of Apple staff have been working on an electric car for more than two years, people familiar with the project say. The Financial Times first reported the secret research lab, which is based outside its Cupertino headquarters in neighbouring Sunnyvale, in February last year.

據(jù)知情人士透露，數(shù)百名蘋果員工已經(jīng)在一款電動(dòng)汽車上工作了兩年多時(shí)間。英國《金融時(shí)報(bào)》去年2月最先報(bào)道了這個(gè)秘密研發(fā)實(shí)驗(yàn)室的存在，該實(shí)驗(yàn)室不在蘋果的庫比蒂諾(Cupertino)總部，而是在鄰近的森尼維爾(Sunnyvale)。

Since then, despite leaks about the project’s sometimes difficult progress, Apple executives have refused to admit that the automotive initiative exists.

此后，盡管有時(shí)傳出該項(xiàng)目進(jìn)展艱難的消息，但蘋果高管一直拒絕承認(rèn)汽車項(xiàng)目的存在。

That position will be harder to maintain after the publication of a letter from Apple to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as part of the regulator’s regular dialogue with manufacturers about its rules for the fast-developing technology. The letter was signed by Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity, and was submitted on November 22.

在蘋果致美國國家公路交通安全管理局(NHTSA)的信件發(fā)表后，蘋果將更難以維持這一口徑。這封信屬于該監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)與制造商就其針對(duì)這項(xiàng)快速發(fā)展技術(shù)的規(guī)則進(jìn)行的定期溝通。蘋果產(chǎn)品完整性總監(jiān)史蒂夫•肯納(Steve Kenner)在信上簽字，信件寄遞時(shí)間是11月22日。

“Apple uses machine learning to make its products and services smarter, more intuitive, and more personal,” Mr Kenner writes. “The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.”

“蘋果利用機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)使其產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)更智能、更直觀、更個(gè)性化，”肯納寫道：“蘋果公司正大力投資于機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)和自動(dòng)化研究，并對(duì)自動(dòng)系統(tǒng)在多個(gè)領(lǐng)域的潛力感到振奮，包括交通運(yùn)輸業(yè)。”