Here’s what the long-rumored Apple Car might look like

You can forgive yourself if you completely forgot that in between all the iPads and iPhones, Apple is somewhere working on a vehicle as well. The rumors of an Apple Car started to swirl as far back as 2014, but all indications are the project was scrapped two years later.

Nobody but Tim Cook knows how serious the company is about a vehicle. Still, speculation as recent as 2020 pointed towards a fully autonomous self-driving car revealed through several patents filed by Apple. Tap or click here for five Apple CarPlay tips and tricks you should try.

But what will this Apple-branded car look like? Again, nobody knows, but there are some pretty good guesses. Read on to see how one company took the patents and rendered images of what it might look like.

Here’s the backstory

Typically, individual components are patented in car manufacturing if they include proprietary technology, designs, or software. However, it is rare for a manufacturer to patent the bodywork and shape (and reveal it to the public) before rolling it off the production floor.

So, with very little to go on except the aesthetics of the iPhone and MacBook, car leasing company Vanarama drew up some renders of what the Apple Car could look like. “Using genuine patents filed by Apple, we’ve created a vision of the anticipated Apple Car and how it might look on launch,” the company explains.

Apple car outside
Credit: Vanarama

The website allows you to explore the fictional vehicle inside and out. You can also read more on the real-life patents that went into the concept.

Is the rumored Apple Car real?

Unfortunately, the Apple Car is nothing more than a 3D model at this stage. But we do know through technology patents what the car could include.

Apple Car inside
Credit: Vanarama
  • Pillarless structure. The pillarless design is paired with coach doors and a customizable seat layout and provides access without obstruction.
  • Adaptive doors. Coach doors offer greater passenger movement and loading flexibility, with scooped windows that increase headroom when boarding.
  • Seamless display. Seamless displays span the dashboard and center console, free of bulky edges and borders. A fully customizable dashboard allows drivers to arrange the controls themselves, whether it’s the heating controls, sound system or driver information.
  • Intelligent automated assistant. The Apple Car benefits from digital assistant Siri. In addition to the usual question-based commands, the car’s version monitors road and cabin conditions and makes suggestions without prompts.

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Is Apple designing a car? These patents hint to what it may include

Apple is one of the most recognized brands in the world. It’s built up that reputation through clever marketing, product design and a massive Research and Development team.

That has afforded it the freedom to experiment with technology and develop products that might seem lightyears ahead of its time. But Apple doesn’t always hit the mark and has had its fair share of failed products. In fact, its latest flagship iPhone models could cause serious health risks. Tap or click here to see if you’re in danger.

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See if your genius idea already exists: Google Patents has the full text of more than 120 million patents from around the world. Weird patent of the day: This one from Russia for fake cheese.

Trivia

The FTC just banned noncompete clauses, which companies use to keep workers from going to competitors. With the ban, does the FTC expect a decrease in A.) Wages earned, B.) Startups founded, C.) Patents filed, or D.) Health care costs?

Find the answer here