Ride Hailing Firm Lyft Courted Apple in Attempted Sale

[smacrumon]

Remember when iPhone had a great built in maps app that was powered by Google and they they decided start over with their own maps app and data. We all saw how well that went, right?

You know what, I think the sweet spot is somewhere between Google Maps and Apple Maps, they both have positive and negative attributes. Apple Maps is much better than it was at launch with all those very interesting artwork like visuals.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

Assuming ride sharing might tie into their car project, why can't Apple design their own version of Lyft or Uber if this is the road they are travelling down? Apple has the resources to do so, so why the need to look to, or invest, in another company?

Who says they aren't? Clearly ridesharing is the future. Even Tesla has outlined a plan to use its fleet as a ridesharing tool. Apple can't be far behind (if they're far behind at all). They'd be stupid not to integrate ridesharing into their upcoming electric car.

 

[C DM]

Remember when iPhone had a great built in maps app that was powered by Google and they they decided start over with their own maps app and data. We all saw how well that went, right?

And yet that was the thing that actually brought navigation.

 

[bozzykid]

Not on the idea of using a cell phone app to call for a ride, just on aspects of how the app functions.

Not true. Some of their patents deal with the process for requesting a ride. They didn't just patent around a generic app interface.

 

[truthertech]

Not true. Some of their patents deal with the process for requesting a ride. They didn't just patent around a generic app interface.

I never said patents were just for a "generic user interface." The point is you can't patent, and none have been applied for or issued, for the "idea of using a cell phone app to call for a ride,' which was the point under discussion.

For a quick primer on what Uber is doing in the patent and trademark area:

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2016/07/23/uber-ip-patents-trademarks-copyrights/id=71167/

 

[bozzykid]

I never said patents were just for a "generic user interface." The point is you can't patent, and none have been applied for or issued, for the "idea of using a cell phone app to call for a ride,' which was the point under discussion.

http://www.freshpatents.com/-dt20140508ptan20140129951.php

They have a lot of patents dealing with on demand requests from a phone (personal computing device). They don't have a global patent on all taxi hailing requests from a mobile phone but they certainly have a lot dealing with the entire process of requesting a ride (location information, receipts, surge pricing, etc).