Apple working on a GPS unit?
It wouldn't be Sunday on the Mac web without a little wacky rumor to keep us interested. A German magazine by the name of Focus has a brief item today claiming that Apple is working on a GPS unit for cars. The article goes on to say that these units would be available exclusively for Mercedes during their the first 6 months of existence and then spread to other car manufacturers.Will an Apple branded GPS unit be coming to your car in 2009? I'm going to go ahead and say this isn't very likely. It would be more likely that iPhone 2.0 has built in GPS and some sort of car mount. That's a rumor I could get behind (though to be clear I have no inside information about any of this).
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
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It wouldn't be Sunday on the Mac web without a little wacky rumor to keep us interested. A German magazine by the name of Focus has a brief...
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I think a better Idea would be an iPod Car Radio, with an iPhone as a Detachable Face.
Up until the iPhone, iPods have had a 3x5 aspect ratio with a smallish screen at the top of the unit, with a 4x3 aspect ratio. While an iPod could physically fit within the bounds of a Standard Double-DIN Radio Headunit, The Display would be rotated 90Ë, which isn't the best thing for a Radio Headunit, especially if it would have to be designed fro Left and Right-Hand Drive Markets.
For most of it's functions, (well the functions you can use while driving) the iPhone can function in 16x9 aspect ratio equally as well as in 9x16 aspect ratio. The Technology of the Apple FM Radio Remote and a Firmware update would enhance compatibility with such a device, and Using the iPhone as a "Detachable Faceplate" would (allegedly) improve physical security.
If the iPhone form-factor is the direction Apple are taking the iPod, why not design a Car-Radio which can accept an iPhone as a face-plate. iPod adaptors for popular aftermarket headunits are woeful to navigate through at best. Stereo manufacturers need proper guidance from Apple when it comes to IU Design.
As an extra bonus, a GPS module could be unobtrusively integrated with the unit.
Jon (#2): I think what you described is part of E911 and I think it is legally required to be part of all new phones in the US for a few years now. Some phones offer the triangulation/location services to phone apps.
June 18 2007 at 9:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI think (like No 2) that if (and it is an if) then it will be cell mast triangulation and not GPS. This makes the perfect add-on for google maps and adds huge value when you are looking for local services.
June 18 2007 at 6:53 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYeah, this is just more bs. Although the thing that would be funny is if they did make a GPS, and they put the locations of all those landfill Lisas as an easter egg.
June 17 2007 at 6:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYeah, my cousin's german penfriend's uncle's barber said that apple are also releasing a range of sportswear, called iSweat.
June 17 2007 at 4:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI hear Apple is also working an a new iPod that will toast bagels and fold your laundry for you.
June 17 2007 at 4:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyEveryone has heard of the Apple Lisa, right? Well this is going to be called the Apple Molly (Heroes reference).
June 17 2007 at 2:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOh c'mon... Focus is a bloody tabloid. I wouldn't even expect them to tell me if it's day or night...
June 17 2007 at 2:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhen Jobs launched the iPhone and the bluetooth headset, he said that there would be other accessories. A bluetooth gps dongle is not out of the question, perhaps integrated into google maps. There is always the outside chance that Apple may actually improve .mac and enable some sort of gps photo tagging for blogging. AGPS (assisted, by phone mast location) would be ideal, but slightly more complicated, less complicated for Apple with its arrangement with AT&T/Cingular.
June 17 2007 at 2:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't think this is as far-fetched as you're making it sound. But more likely than "apple makes a gps unit for cars" seems something more along the lines of the tight ipod integration that was first available in (I think) BMW vehicles. A GPS/phone unit built into the car which integrates seamlessly via bluetooth with the iPhone. It'd be fantastic. And given that google maps is already very capable of dealing with global positioning data, it's a really short leap.
June 17 2007 at 2:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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