The Apple-should-buy-Tesla meme isn’t just great forum fodder for tech wonks and auto enthusiasts—Apple’s own investors would love to see it happen. Of course, Apple investors would probably support Tim Cook if he announced plans to acquire the moon and force it to run apps.
Still, as The Verge reports, the topic of Apple gobbling up Tesla led to some back-and-forth between Cook and investors at the company’s shareholder meeting this week after the big Apple Watch announcement.
When first asked about the possibility, Cook reportedly said, “I’d love Tesla to pick up CarPlay. We now have every major auto brand committing to use CarPlay, and maybe Tesla would want to do that.”
This is a giant statement of the obvious. Of course Tim Cook wants CarPlay in Teslas, because, one, he wants it in everything and, two, a car whose dashboard is basically the world’s largest iPad would be the ultimate CarPlay showcase. Whether Tesla plays ball is another thing—after all, the user interface in the Model S is pretty swell sans assistance from Apple so far.
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Later, another shareholder pressed Cook on the topic, likening his recent Model S purchase to buying the original Mac. A cheerful Cook gamely dodged the question and stayed on the CarPlay message.
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Listen, it’s widely speculated that, based on hiring patterns and mysterious test vans, Apple is developing its own car. If or when that happens, it will be a Genuine Big Deal.
Any such car’s branding or co-branding with Tesla, via an acquisition or other agreement, is a sideshow—one that’ll keep the rumor mill spinning in Insane Mode for the foreseeable future.
This story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com.
