The Apple Car is something that we’ve been hearing about for years but really, we don’t know all that much about it. Or do we?
Dubbed Project Titan, the project is said to have gone through multiple managers and the team has changed considerably over the years. The scope is also thought to have changed at times, with Apple wanting to build a whole car according to some reports. Other reports have it only wanting to build some of the self-driving technology that could be sold to actual carmakers.
Now, a patent appears to suggest that the former is the case. And if it actually comes to pass, it could put a massive smart table inside the Apple Car.
So smart
Much of what Apple is thought to be working on will involve an electric vehicle that can drive itself. And to go along with that the US Patent & Trademark Office has published a granted patent that suggests there could be something pretty special going on.
First reported by Patently Apple (opens in new tab), the patent relates to a glass table that could become a giant touchscreen — much like a massive iPad. The table would sit between passengers and then be interacted with. The patent also appears to suggest that the table could be used in a home or office setting as well.
The patent makes allowances for passenger comfort as well — it could theoretically move out of the way so that they can get in and out of the vehicle more easily, for example.
However, now is probably a good time to remind everyone that patents don’t always turn into products that you can buy, nor features that ship as part of other devices. With that in mind, it’s possible that this smart table might never see the light of day. Unfortunately, that’s also the category that we’d put the Apple Car into as well.