Apple to produce Siri-driven vehicle iMove
March 17, 2013 Leave a comment
Apple to produce Siri-driven vehicle iMove: Yicai.com
Staff Reporter
2013-03-15
A computer-generated image of iMove. (Internet photo)
Apple is secretly developing a vehicle incorporating its voice assistant technology Siri and map service, said China-based financial news media Yicai.com. Steve Jobs, the US technology firm’s co-founder, was said to be a car enthusiast and had planned to develop the vehicle before he died of cancer in Oct. 2011.
The development has been continued by the present Apple CEO Tim Cook after Jobs died. The vehicle, called iMove, and has a minimalist, chic design likes other Apple products. The top of its body is covered by solar panel, glass and ABS plastic, which greatly reduces its weight and energy consumption. The rest of the vehicle’s body is painted in chameleon patterns.
The vehicle is also completely electric-powered. Apple is riding the wave of alternative energy vehicles, a movement receiving considerable investment and commercialization in developed countries and China.
The most noticeable feature of the iMove is Siri. Apple’s ties with the car industry in recent years would suggest that the company is looking for commercial opportunities for its car, according to Yicai.com. The iMove is likely to incorporate the voice assistant service as well as Apple’s operating system iOS, which may offer drivers multiple services. The vehicle may also feature an auto-piloting system, running on Apple’s own map services, which it developed after it ditched Google Maps, said Yicai.
Apple has developed an extension for Siri for automobiles called Eyes Free. Vehicles with the technology are equipped with an extra button on their steering wheels. The button connects Apple products through a Bluetooth wireless signal and the internet. The driver would be able to initiate Siri through their iPhone or iPad and control them hand-free through the voice assistant, reducing the risk of an accident.
Automakers such as BMW, General Motor, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda have reached an agreement with the US tech firm on incorporating the Eyes Free system in their new models, according to Yicai.
Chinese internet users were not surprised by the idea of an Apple car. Internet user Fong You has already planned to reinstall the iOS system and make unauthorized upgrades and said the glass top of the vehicle is likely to scratch or break easily. Another netizen Chenzi Zuiai Ganjijun joked that with an additional plug-in, the vehicle may be able to fly
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