Mobile travel platform drops today announced the completion of the latest round of funding, with Apple paying $ 1 billion leading vote in this round . According to previous rumors, closer to $ 2.5 billion this round of financing, drops the overall valuation of nearly $ 25 billion.

Official said to the last drop:

Through this investment, Apple drops strategic investor; and important partners such as Tencent and Alibaba power drops, the majority of Chinese owners and passengers to create data-driven mobile travel platform.

Prior to this, Apple's little investment in China on the other, most of its assets investment is mainly aimed at technology company's core technology or talent acquisition, and then into their own line of products and services. Apple drops for $ 1 billion investment, is a rare case.

Apple investment and $ 1 billion drop do? Recall last July, drops announced completion of the last round of financing of $ 2 billion. Many media reports at that time, drops after the financing is complete will have more than 3.5 billion dollars in cash reserves. Drops are not short of money.

Drops will continue to invest a large subsidy? Last year, Liu Qing in the previous round hinted in an interview published on the platform does not have so many benefits:

Drivers must be on the drop platform get enough orders, he would not need subsidies. Today we have subsidies not so much, is because these drivers work to earn enough money.

After so drop a lot of cash into what? Answer is definitely a large project of research and development. Back in Apple Rumors for nearly two years, it is easy to find the intersection of the two in the field of unmanned vehicles.

Apple this two years building cars on the news, according to one veteran told a press conference in the field of unmanned car, drops recently launched an unmanned vehicle project of research and development, but the strategic level, and the input is not high.

Absolute ideal of what took a taxi to the last drop? Scheduling system is a perfect command of a group of vehicles, predictably, judgment and respond in real time within the city used car needs. For vehicle manufacturers, car service vehicles on the road as soon as possible, and put into use, and public awareness; no car manufacturers, as well.

Apple has invested in China's largest car service platform, drops is a scheduling system of individual needs and services.

Cook's mouth "we look forward to support the long-term development of drops", Wei Cheng called "data-driven mobile travel platform", there is no better answer than the unmanned vehicles.

移动出行平台滴滴今天宣布完成最新一轮融资，其中苹果以10亿美金领投本轮。根据此前的传闻，本轮融资接近25亿美金，滴滴的整体估值接近250亿美金。

滴滴官方表示：

通过此次投资，Apple成为滴滴战略投资者；与腾讯、阿里巴巴等重要伙伴一起助力滴滴，为广大中国车主与乘客打造数据驱动的移动出行平台。

在此之前，苹果鲜有在中国的投资；另一方面，它大部分的资产投资并购主要是针对技术公司的核心技术或人才并购，之后融入到自己的产品线和服务。苹果以10亿美金投资滴滴，是一个罕见的案例。

那么苹果投10亿美金给滴滴做什么？回顾去年7月，滴滴对外宣布完成了20亿美金的上一轮融资。当时多家媒体报道了，滴滴在融资完成后将拥有超35亿美金的现金储备。滴滴并不缺钱。

滴滴会继续投入大额补贴吗？去年，柳青在上一轮融资公布后接受采访时暗示此后平台上不会有那么多补贴：

司机一定要在滴滴的平台上获得足够的订单，他就不需要补贴了。今天我们之所以补贴的不是那么多，就是因为这些司机靠工作能够挣到足够多的钱。

那么滴滴之后大量的现金会投入什么？答案毫无疑问是大型项目的研发。回溯苹果近两年的传闻，不难发现两者的交集在无人车领域。

苹果这两年关于造车的消息不断，而据一位无人车领域的资深人士告知记者，滴滴在不久前启动了无人车项目的研发，但目前的战略级别和投入都不高。

绝对理想的滴滴打车是什么样子的？是一个完美的调度系统指挥一群车辆，实时预知、判断和响应城市内的用车需求。而对于车辆的制造商，用车服务能尽可能快地让车辆上路、投入使用，并为大众认知；对于无人车厂商，也是同样。

苹果投资了中国最大的用车服务平台，滴滴是一个个人用车需求和服务的调度系统。

库克口中的“我们期待支持滴滴的长期发展”，程维口中的“数据驱动的移动出行平台”，没有比无人车更好的答案。