Apple aims at reimagining vehicle owner's manuals
The company has filed for a patent that would tell car owners everything they want to know about their cars and identify places around them that could either service the vehicles or provide access to needed parts.
Apple might be taking a stab at a new way to access vehicle owners manuals.
The US Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published a patent application from Apple called "Identifying and Presenting Information Based on Unique Vehicle Identifier." According to the patent application, the technology would would identify all parts and part numbers in a car and beam that to a person's iPhone or iPad. With GPS technology included, it would also inform the car owner of the nearest dealership or car parts retailer to get the needed part.
To add a bit more flavor to the technology, Apple says that the invention could also provide video instructions to drivers on how to fix issues whenever something goes wrong. Siri might also be used as a tool to communicate manual information to the driver.
Patently Apple earlier reported on the application.
Apple has been making a mad dash for the car market as of late. Just recently, the company unveiled CarPlay, a service that will be integrated into cars and allow vehicle makers to provide Apple's iTunes, Messages, and Siri experiences in-car.
The patent application published Thursday doesn't mention CarPlay, due in large part to it being invented before Apple unveiled its in-car service. It's feasible, however, that the technology would work with CarPlay if the technology ever finds its way into vehicles.