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Apple Has Applied for 248 Car-Related Patents Since 2000
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Didn't they list a ton of manufacturers who had signed up to be part of the latest concept?
Exactly adding Apple technology to automotive sub systems is where the money is, not making a car. It allows you to sell to the entire industry without the risk of supporting car models long term thru dealerships.
I wish we could've seen a Steve Jobs Jony Ive car. Would've been glorious.
Plus, we'll never have to suffer through any more "what will the Apple car look like?" articles with painfully bad 3D renderings of a space-car with gaudy Apple logos pasted all over it. Everybody wins!
How is it patent trolling when they've been in talks and testing of different car related products.....successful or not is besides the question, they're developing it and patent as they go like any other company.
Yes, it was a list of manufactures at the end of the CarPlay concept. But I’m just skeptical of the whole process… because vehicles have different layouts in terms of displays and everything.
To me the CarPlay presentation seems “AirPower-like.”
And they’ll still get sued for $billions if/when they release a product, as well not be able to enforce a single one of those 248 patents... just like the iPhone.
Apple has filed for and published a total 248 automobile-related patents since 2000, according to research conducted by Japanese news site Nikkei and Tokyo analytics firm Intellectual Property Landscape.
Patents cover self-driving technology, riding comfort, seats, suspensions, navigation, battery management, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity for car-to-car communication, and more. Apple has filed the most patents related to communication and navigation, followed by autonomous driving.
After Apple submits a patent application, it takes around 18 months for it to be published. Apple has so far had eight car-related patents published from 2021, but additional patents should be granted later this year, and the number of 2021 patents published is expected to exceed the number of patents Apple had published in 2020.
Car-related patent filings began picking up in 2016 after fewer than 10 per year in the 2010s, with Apple filing for 44. Patent filings ticked up even further in 2017, when Apple filed for a record 66 applications.
News of Apple's work on some kind of self-driving vehicle first surfaced in 2014, and since then, we've heard regular rumors about Apple's progress. The work on the car has shifted several times and there were moments when it looked like a full car was not going to happen, but in recent years, changes to the project indicate Apple is indeed pushing for some kind of electric autonomous vehicle to be released by the end of the decade.
Apple has been speaking with various vehicle manufacturers and part suppliers for the last couple years, but it is still not clear who exactly Apple plans to partner with (if any company) for its electric vehicle. Apple's many patents related to windows, seats, suspension, and other physical car components reinforce speculation that Apple is going to release a car rather than simply focus on autonomous driving software.
Recent rumors indicate that Apple has ambitious plans for its self-driving vehicle, with the aim of changing the car market the way the iPhone changed the smartphone market. Apple is exploring a design with four seats that face inward, with no steering wheel or brake pedal.
There is no word on when the Apple Car will be launching, but reliable sources like Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have suggested that Apple is aiming for a 2025 release.
Article Link: Apple Has Applied for 248 Car-Related Patents Since 2000
Disagree.
Apple has far too many engineers on this project (and from areas that have nothing to do with CarPlay - like steering & suspension specialists) for this to simply be about CarPlay or other software integration.
The rumors are flying simply because:
A) Apple has hired a lot of staff (and some big names from other car companies) so we know they’re doing something related to automotive.
B) Apple doesn’t talk about it and Cook is coy whenever he’s asked.
It’s more than CarPlay, but what exactly nobody knows for sure.
And those are US prices... over here in Holland probably well over € 200K.
99.99% cannot afford it, and those who can will be turning down many great cars for that price, to probably get basically a Tesla-copy with CarPlay and an Apple logo.
I also believe that Apple is not actually building an entire car (anymore..?), but focussing on expanding on the CarPlay features.
BTW... iPhone had about 200 patents?
Wow, 248. That is a lot (sarcastic).
Toyota Motor filed a total of 8,697 patent families in 2018 alone.
Guess it takes a bit more to design a car.
Keep up the pace. Apple car in 35 years.
They could use the 248 patents to make an electric scooter or motorbike 🤭
The car will come, but not when you expect it, they come out with the product last these days but it will “just work.” Maybe
All they have to do is sell it to one or two manufactures and everyone will love it and it will sell the cars like HotCakes and other manufacturers will be forced to license it as well. Remember AT&T was the only carrier to have the iPhone when it first came out?
Interesting that the patents go back to 2000, so 11 years under Jobs' guidance. I know that Apple patents many many concepts that never see the light of day, but still, it probably means he believed in a product in the automotive industry, whatever that means. I also wonder what kind of product he might have envisioned in 2000.