Apple Working to Leverage New 'M7' Motion-Sensing Chip for Mapping Improvements

[nagromme]

"Since M7 can tell when you're in a moving vehicle, iPhone 5s won't ask you to join Wi-Fi networks you pass by. And if your phone hasn't moved for a while, like when you're asleep, M7 reduces network pinging to spare your battery."

Awesome! Apple products/features always seem to offer MORE than the initial event suggests.

As opposed to some device-makes (who shall remain nameless) who throw a lot of hype at a laundry list of "exciting new" features that really don't work well or offer much to people.

Yes, that's right: those companies typically go for superficial image--while Apple delivers the real value. Buying a meaningless bullet list is worse than buying a "logo" as they accuse us of! At least that logo carries a reminder of the excellent products and service we're familiar with. A bullet list with "pause the music when you look away from the video" on it? Pixel count while ignoring color quality? Those are what tempt the true shallow herd-followers!

 

[davidbrummy]

True. But it's still part of why I'm in the Apple ecosysytem and not Android. Yes, they both collect information about us. (I would bet Google collects the most). Apple uses that information to give us a better experience. Google will also provide you key information to improve your experience, but they are also heavily leveraging that info for advertisments etc.

I agree. The reason Google is free is because you give away you personal information for them to make money. There is no free lunch here.

 

[TMay]

Couldn't agree more. It seems like everyone thinks this is just a fancy way to unlock your phone and nothing more. Just wait until the iPhone stores all your credit cards and you can pay just by touching your thumb to the home button. And while some Android phones have NFC capabilities, the ease and security of the iPhone's payment system will literally revolutionize how people pay by credit card.

NFC is dead. RIP.

Beacons and BLE killed it.

http://estimote.com

iBeacon for iPhone and whatever Google calls theirs will do oh so much more than NFC.

 

[davidbrummy]

"Since M7 can tell when you're in a moving vehicle, iPhone 5s won't ask you to join Wi-Fi networks you pass by. And if your phone hasn't moved for a while, like when you're asleep, M7 reduces network pinging to spare your battery."

Awesome! Apple products/features always seem to offer MORE than the initial event suggests.

As opposed to some device-makes (who shall remain nameless) who throw a lot of hype at a laundry list of "exciting new" features that really don't work well or offer much to people.

Yes, that's right: those companies typically go for superficial image--while Apple delivers the real value. Buying a meaningless bullet list is worse than buying a "logo" as they accuse us of! At least that logo carries a reminder of the excellent products and service we're familiar with. A bullet list with "pause the music when you look away from the video" on it? Pixel count while ignoring color quality? Those are what tempt the true shallow herd-followers!

lol. Not really a feature to die for. Most people have the ask to join wifi feature off and only connect to known wifi networks.

 

[putongnihongo]

Sounds like they're fiddling while Rome burns. Unless of course this 'M7 motion chip' has legs and goes out and about seeing what roads/shops/services exist and noting exactly where they are. That's the only way to enhance mapping.

Talk about being short sighted. The M7 chip is a harbinger of Apple's silicon engineering. The M7 with mapping would give another layer of accuracy for mapping. It's hard getting a gps signal indoors so for tourists using subways etc etc Apple has created opportunities for significant competitive advantages. And let's not forget this is just one specialized chip. Have you forgotten Apple's hidden office in Boston full of the language processing geniuses? Perhaps the A8 will have it's own language processing chip to finally let Siri come into its own.

 

[xVeinx]

Ahhhhh, the magic of machine learning algorithms. I'd love to be in the design team that works on this software...

 

[davidbrummy]

NFC is dead. RIP.

Beacons and BLE killed it.

http://estimote.com

iBeacon for iPhone and whatever Google calls theirs will do oh so much more than NFC.

I was surprised not to see BOfA or Wells up there with their new payment app. The whole thing died as the only use was to unlock the screen. Android users have the movement unlock which is just as cool.

I like Apple and have used their technology as a java developer and user for years now but yesterdays announcement was terrible for the consumers. As a tech person the 64 bit processor is cool but people will not buy a phone for that.

 

[iSee]

These are cool ideas and all, but if Apple was gong to implement them, why wait until now? None of these "new" functions are specific to the M7 chip, the M7 chip only relieves battery life (or strain on the processor).

That's it. Previously, these functions would quickly run your battery down or couldn't be automatic (defeating the purpose in many cases).

 

[doelcm82]

Please, you're not that important

Same old paranoid nonsense.

You are sooo important. I would also be worried if I was as important as you

I almost care.

You realize that every phone with a GPS could already track your location right?

What's concerns me about this brave new world is that companies and governments collect information about everyone, even unimportant people like DowdyFick, gnashed, WorldTravelBro, Tony0693, and Zerilos (who at least know that they are nobodies).

From the data they collect they can determine who your friends and associates are, what web sites you visit, where you go, etc.

Would you like to get a ticket automatically every time you exceed the speed limit? The information that they are collecting can help that happen. And you will deserve the fine, because you really will have broken the law.

 

[davidbrummy]

Talk about being short sighted. The M7 chip is a harbinger of Apple's silicon engineering. The M7 with mapping would give another layer of accuracy for mapping. It's hard getting a gps signal indoors so for tourists using subways etc etc Apple has created opportunities for significant competitive advantages. And let's not forget this is just one specialized chip. Have you forgotten Apple's hidden office in Boston full of the language processing geniuses? Perhaps the A8 will have it's own language processing chip to finally let Siri come into its own.

Accuracy is only as good as your mapping data. Apple is still far behind compared to Google and I saw little remarks about them improving it. I live in the valley and gave up on iOS maps as it kept giving telling me I had to turn around at a light 1 mile ahead of me when I could make a simple left turn. This was in San Mateo.

BTW your phone does not often use its GPS to locate you but your WIFI. Ask any developer. The GPS eats the battery life and is line of sight.

 

[slrandall]

And disables the keyboard. That alone would save untold lives.

So that you can't text if you're riding a bus?

 

[nazaar]

Yay! More opportunities for Apple to collect data about us.

Well at least Apple isn't scanning our emails (as far as I know).

 

[TMay]

I was surprised not to see BOfA or Wells up there with their new payment app. The whole thing died as the only use was to unlock the screen. Android users have the movement unlock which is just as cool.

I like Apple and have used their technology as a java developer and user for years now but yesterdays announcement was terrible for the consumers. As a tech person the 64 bit processor is cool but people will not buy a phone for that.

"Terrible for consumers?"

How so?

 

[davidbrummy]

Well at least Apple isn't scanning our emails (as far as I know).

lol of course it is. A government agency can ask any point for your emails and the provider has to respond by law.

One of the interesting things about recent whistle blowers is reporters starting to understand the need for PGP for emails.

Unless you encrypt it at source then the data is open.

 

[0xyMoron]

People who think NSA is out there to get them should really find a bomb shelter and spend the rest of their lives there. The childish panic seizures on the forum need to stop, you're not as important as you think you are, unless you're doing something really stupid you have nothing to worry about, but if you really are concerned about your privacy..

 

[CubusX]

Erros

What about fixing the location errors before adding more services to the broken system.

 

[davidbrummy]

"Terrible for consumers?"

How so?

So Apple announce a finger print scanner and show how you can unlock your phone with it - WOW. The spent no time explaining to consumers how cool this feature could be. Where was paypal, square, banks showing the cool uses of this feature for consumers.

Apple is meant to show us how cool their features are. This lacked that completely.

 

[Zerilos]

But that happened before everybody was overly cautious about privacy, so it's okay. Apple should have waited with this until everybody forgot about that privacy thing again, in like two months, maybe three.

People are kind of stupid sometimes.

Good point.

 

[WLS]

I really hope this is going to other Apple devices such as the iPad. We should find out soon enough.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Why?

Does Apple collect info? Yes
Does Apple share info with NSA? Yes
(New) Does the NSA share info with foreign governments? Yes

I would be skeptic

You got something that interesting to hide?

You really care that millions and millions of "online-people" have digital-info about them available?

Ever got the interesting info of you neighbour?
Did he ever get the interesting stuff of you?

This "THEY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME!!" nonsense is really getting irritating.

Please, switch off internet, no more GSM and no more GPS.

That would be best.

 

[Oneness]

Same old paranoid nonsense.

It is 'paranoid nonsense' until they come for you.

 

[davidbrummy]

You got something that interesting to hide?

You really care that millions and millions of "online-people" have digital-info about them available?

Ever got the interesting info of you neighbour?
Did he ever get the interesting stuff of you?

This "THEY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME!!" nonsense is really getting irritating.

Please, switch off internet, no more GSM and no more GPS.

That would be best.

I agree with most of what you said but the "You got something that interesting to hide?" argument makes my teeth grind. Just because I don't want to share my private life does not mean I have something to hide. It means as the word implies it is private not that it implies damaging or interesting.

 

[Aidyn's X]

At what point in this article did something revolutionary occur? Let me sum up the point:

Now, your phone can do exactly what it was capable before, but we believe now this processor will make it more 'efficient'.

How much more efficient, exactly?

Wow! The phone now can tell if I am running or driving?! There's no way any other fitness app could differentiate me between running at 65 miles per hour or if I was driving.

The point is that your iPhone only collected is data when it was told to by a specific app. Now it is collecting that information all the time without negatively affecting your battery. There's more information so more usefulness.

 

[Tech198]

lol....

This could be good. but i have few more improvements for the M7 :-

- Siri integration, and better support so you can just say "OK Siri..." and the pone will spring to life" based on settings.

I have a feeling this could be just the start.... Apple could use "motion-sensing" for all sorts of things, particularly non-Apple apps.

 

[tongxinshe]

True. But it's still part of why I'm in the Apple ecosysytem and not Android. Yes, they both collect information about us. (I would bet Google collects the most). Apple uses that information to give us a better experience. Google will also provide you key information to improve your experience, but they are also heavily leveraging that info for advertisments etc.

Of course, all of them have to offer those information to NSA. I bet even for the fingerprint information, though Apple's own server won't directly get those information (for the sake of its reputation), it is REQUIRED to directly send all of those information to NSA.

I hope there will be a third ecosystem in the world that is good enough and not reside in USA and thus doesn't subject to the ALL-MIGHTY NSA "jurisdiction". I will for sure jump to that ecosystem immediately, even if the company resides in the evil North Korea, since the North Korea government is so weak, which can do nothing about my information to seriously threat me.