Apple Car
Apple's rumored automobile could put the company in the forefront of the connected car, which is expected to become a standard offering by vehicle manufacturers by 2016. Reuters

The secret Apple car project is diverting so many resources away from other efforts that senior managers in Cupertino are complaining about talent loss.

Sources speaking to The Register said that the car project, the existence of which has not been publicly acknowledged by Apple, is taking significant amounts of resources away from other departments. It is not clear yet whether the project is an actual car or some sort of addition to existing cars, like a computer.

However, further reports have suggested that the secret project will be a full-fledged car. In February, an Apple employee emailed Business Insider to say that the company is working on a project that will “give Tesla [electric car manufacturer] a run for its money,” with Tesla employees joining Apple to work on the effort. Business Insider noted around 50 former Tesla employees listed as working at Apple on LinkedIn.

In the same month, Reuters reported that Apple is looking to make a self-driving car. The report stated that Apple was interested in making the entire car, a sharp departure from anything the company has ever developed before.

While the car project has not been confirmed, Apple has already made moves into the car industry. Apple released CarPlay this year, which allows iPhones to display a touchscreen interface on supported car dashboards.

The system allows drivers to carry out a number of tasks, such as controlling Siri, listening to music, and satellite navigation. Any Apple project diverting so many resources away would likely have to be very different to CarPlay to justify such a large shift in resources as reported today.