June 18, 2007 11:32 AM PDT
Apple going into car tech?
Is Apple looking to compete with Garmin or Alpine down the road?
German magazine Focus has reported that Apple is developing something that would combine maintenance, entertainment, communication and navigation for cars into one device and that Mercedes will be the first to feature it.
A dashboard system for Mercedes from Apple, or an iPhone integration system for the Mercedes, seems like a logical probability given the fact that the two partnered on the first iPod integration kit for cars in 2006.
Appled refused to comment directly on either possibility.
"We have not announced plans yet," said Tom Neumayr, a spokesman for Apple.
DaimlerChrysler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, was not immediately available for comment.
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. E-mail her at candacelombardi@gmail.com. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET. 
Except it only runs on certain roads, and you have to pay Apple a dollar every time you drive it on a new road. If you want to do so unrestricted, however, and on better quality pavement, just give them thirty more cents.
:)
satisfied with the product and its ancillary costs.
The iCar drives on the same roads and burns the same fuel as the
VistaCar, but not all parts between the two are interchangeable.
However, the iCar is easier to drive, has much better safety
features, is more elegant, and has a longer product life which
makes total cost of ownership cheaper than the VistaCar.
The alternative is driving something that looks like a rental car,
doesn't start after being shut down... requires a restart often..
usually when inconvenient (getting on on-ramp to highway)... and
uses only certain brands of gas, due to unpredictable behavior
because of "driver" issues... AND.. is easily broken into by anyone
older than 8 years old.
Bye-bye, satellite radio?
net?
- More indications of Apple losing touch with their base.
- by Vegaman_Dan June 19, 2007 8:21 AM PDT
- If these rumors (and that's all they are right now) are true, it shows Apple's continued move away from computers and into consumer electronics instead.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- Stuck in yesterday
- by iparadisebeach July 4, 2007 5:58 PM PDT
- I don't feel that Apple is looking for "fast cash" nor anything
- Like this
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(14 Comments)I really don't like this shift away from their loyal base Macintosh customers in favor of fast cash. They are turning their backs on the Macintosh by expanding out to unrelated products like this. Focus on one product and do a great job of it. Don't spread your interests far and wide with no one product standing out. They will end up watering down the brand and quality that they have built up over the years.
near that matter. Apple is aiding in what the computer industry
has been moving towards which is a "Life." Digital integration
into every facet of a consumer's life is key. They are taking the
Mac and putting it into the consumer's hands in every situation.
They are giving that reliability and beauty of design to
everything digital we use; which personally I am enthralled
about. Where once I had product after product fail due to faulty
design or hardware, I now am getting the peace of mind that is
Apple. Our lives grow they don't stand still at one spot and with
Apple being apart of so many lives (including mine) I'm elated to
know they are growing and moving with me.