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Apple Researching Methods to Turn iPhone Into Feature-Rich Bike Computer

ZGXtreme said:
To think, it could have been "Team :apple: Apple" instead of Team Radioshack... creating the perfect testing group. Then during Le Tour, Versus could have given away Apple products during their little contest! Win-Win for all!
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Apple would want to be associated with a successful team, so not Retirement Shambles.
 
jfremani said:
This won't work for anyone other than apple fanboys.

Due to hardware and gps limitations, it won't be able to detect speed within reasonable accuracy. Plus, many people won't want to mount their $400 phone on their bikes.
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Yes it does. I've checked the downloaded the iMapmyride software and checked the speed in my car and against my Garmin 305, and it works well. The biggest limitation there is the software. And, this would be nearly as functional than strapping a $600 Garmin 705 to my $9,000 bike. Speak not about what you don't know.

I'll never understand why people who are fond of labeling anyone who appreciates some of the products and software that Apple makes as fanboys come here to waste their time slamming those who might be interested in new offerings, seeking advise from those who have such products, or providing advice to those for those seeking it. It's insulting and rude to claim that anyone who appreciates Apple products only does so out of some herd mentality, but maybe that is why they come here, out of finding satisfaction out of being rude.
 
I'm currently using Travelputer for this.. works great, and it lets me map my rides out in google earth / google maps.. Pretty sweet!
 
This has already been done well.

I wasn't aware of the LiveRider posted by tdmac above. That looks like a cheaper solution for the casual biker.

However, as tethernaut already stated, the iBike Dash is about to be released, and it does everything that this patent could cover, and more. In fact, I doubt that iBikeSports (http://www.ibikesports.com/) hasn't already patented their product and its features. They have been in business for a while and are pros at the products that they make. I've had an iBike computer (the iAero) for over a year now and I love it. It gives me the following data for every ride: bike speed, wind speed, cadence, altitude, grade of the road, heart rate, temperature, and the amount of power I'm putting into the bike.

The new iBike Dash is a bit pricier than the LiveRider device, but I think it's well worth the price. It includes an extra battery to increase the life of the iPhone while being used in this manner to at least 5 hours, or more if you buy more batteries. And, the iBikeDash has a plastic clear cover, so the iPhone/iPod touch never gets wet.

Furthermore, the iBike Dash overcomes the two major shortcomings of the previous iBike computers: GPS and storage space. Now all your rides can be mapped while including the eight sets of data I mentioned above (if you get the iBike Dash + Power), and the largest ride that can be stored is 6,000,000 miles, instead of about 10 hours.

(I'm not associated with iBikeSports at all. I'm just a pleased customer.)
 
toontra said:
Exactly. Cycle GPS units are specific to the requirements of cycling (i.e. long battery life, extremely rugged, totally waterproof, easy to manipulate whilst cycling). The iPhone is none of these things. Non starter.
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They are coming out with rugged, waterproof cases for biking and the ibike case has an extra battery in it.
 
jfremani said:
This won't work for anyone other than apple fanboys.

Due to hardware and gps limitations, it won't be able to detect speed within reasonable accuracy. Plus, many people won't want to mount their $400 phone on their bikes.
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accelerometer and gyro's dude. That and a simple bluetooth to a wheel magnet and cadence magnet. Most bike computers have that already.

I already have a $85 device on my bike and my $199 Iphone in my back pocket (emergency calls/texts*, I don't listen to tunes when I ride on the roads... only in my trainer in the basement, and then it's with 90 watt speakers).

Don't know about prior art, but linking it all to a iPod Touch/iPhone, and then getting group data (which while I'm not a pelaton sort of guy, I ride with enough laggards to start to wonder where the heck they are, and getting their stats (location/mph) would be important for me (do I order a second round and include them?;-)

Making the iPhone/pod/pad the general consumer platform makes for replacing specialized units (such as a 'bike computer) with an 'app'. Sort of like how the PC became ubiquitous in most homes. Why have a bike computer, a pedometer, a rowing computer (waterproof?), a HR monitor, and a mp3 player, when you get one device doing everything....
 
Having a uber-nerd excitement attack on this one... gotta stop visiting this site :p.

elppa said:
Apple would want to be associated with a successful team, so not Retirement Shambles.
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Bet your ass they would hop on board with Bjarne Riis. That team seems to be a magnet for Tech sponsors anyway...
 
Yeay!

Yeay! So when mountain biking, your iPhone will instantly tell you when you've hit a bump/rock/log/rut by shattering! :rolleyes:
And don't they already make these? HERE
 
Bike Computer

One thing I have found with anything like GPS drive or similar is that it totally eats battery life to the point where you really can't get a decently long ride in.
 
Consultant said:
How about making a waterproof handle bar case that connects to the existing electronics on the bicycle? I remember only seeing like 2 connectors for mine.
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Not sure about you, but I don't necc. have any existing electronic equipment or power or data bus on my bike... if you do, you're probably not the target market for Apple here.

Apple doesn't like playing with others unless they absolutely need to (ie, Nike, ATT) in order to provide a solution, either.

My guess, if this surfaces, it will be an app tied to a bike brand (Trek/Giant/Schwinn), and they will rely on the 3rd party market to sell bike cases and such (Apple actually gains a potential extra sale if you bust up your iPhone/iPod when you bail)... if folks will buy Nike shoes because of Apple, I'm sure there are those that will switch bike brands for Apple (massive margins).
 
spazzcat said:
But none of the apps have heart rate or cadence.
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I would love to see the execs at Avocet weigh in on this. Word has it they have been working on something like this for years and go prototypes running on the Palm. A few public demos but no product. Good backstory there.
 
The problem I see with this is exactly what a few people have outlined already - individual developers can do a much better job than Apple can with this sort of tech.

Nike+ is a great example of where indie devs have smashed an official app into the ground. Compared to the likes of Runkeeper, Nike+ is a total waste of time, flawed, and not to mention very expensive.

If Apple does something like this, they need to commit to it. Specific history suggests they're pretty much incapable of doing so, but their broader history of updating small appliances and systems is also pretty *****, and getting worse.
 
Heart rate monitoring is unnecessary unless you like keeping charts in your head. A navi would be great (if the battery can stay on all day without dying) and a waterproof shield you can easily slip the phone in. Apparently there are alternatives but if I'm carrying my iPhone already I don't want to carry two devices. And as for (what looks like) Twittering between cyclists, I suggest stopping to answer/use the phone as we've always done rather than encouraging cyclists to keep squinting at the screen while cycling to look for incomings.
 
Wow! All that shiny, fancy high tech gear just waiting to be stolen off my bike! It's a thief magnet !
 
I can't even imagine why Apple would waste time on an elite bike computer that a small fraction of 1% of the population would use (and I would be in that fraction). Now if this is just a smokescreen for greater capability of the iOS devices to use a myriad of external appliances not made by Apple Inc wirelessly, then it is extremely exciting stuff!
 
I would like to be able to turn my work air conditioner on using Remote.
 
G4DP said:
The car companies haven't even managed this. All they would do is mess it up and then have to provide a car size black bumper so it works properly.
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Oh, I didn't actually mean driving the car, just turn-by-turn GPS type of stuff, but on the car's bigger, built-in screen. I saw something a while back about Apple developing a system where their UI can be displayed on a car's screen, so actually they may already be working on this. But I just think they could do a better job than the car companies on the interface, they tend to be pretty bad, and as cars get more complex and more computerized, the usability tends to decline even more (too many buttons, too many modes, nonintuitive key combinations and menu navigation, etc.).
 
PerfSeeker said:
Doesn't this take the focus away from riding? There are cases when you don't want to be inundated with technology. Really how have bikers been managing up to now? I guess they're suffering with the iBike.
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Not at all... when you are out on 5 hour rides you need to know things like cadence, wattage and heart rate so you can manage your energy levels.
 
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