It’s not surprising to know that Steve Jobs
wasn’t done redesigning our lives when he passed away last fall. The Apple
visionary changed the way we listen to music, the way we rely on mobile phones,
the way we do our computing, the way we view our photos, and the way we watch
movies and TV. The news released this week suggests that he was far from
finished with his ideas, as it now appears his vision included an iCar.
Is an iCar even be possible? And if it is,
how close was Jobs to seeing that design come to fruition? Was it even in the
planning stages or was it just one of those things he was kicking around in his
head?
iCar
Mickey Drexler, an Apple Board member,
recently completed an interview starting that Jobs’ dream before he died was
the create the iCar. Drexler called the current auto industry a ‘tragedy,’
explaining that the industry talks about the expense, but that it has has more
to do with who’s designing the cars in the first place.
Drexler had such faith in Jobs in he felt
an iCar would have dominated the market and would have taken over fifty percent
of the market. Why should an Apple-designed car be any different than an iPod,
iPhone, or iPad? All three of those devices dominate the MP3, mobile phone, and
tablet market. Why would a Steve Jobs-engineered car be any different?
Mickey
Drexler, an Apple Board member, recently completed an interview starting that
Jobs’ dream before he died was the create the iCar
It turns out it was more than just
something Jobs was kicking around in his head. He met with Volkswagen Group
head Martin Winterkorn five years ago. Together, they wanted to release a car
that would take aim at the younger market. The only thing that isn’t known is
how far they got with their plan. Did they not get a chance to discuss it
again? Chances are they did.
Jobs had a way of starting small and
building onto his concept. He began with iTunes, not that that was small, and
that then led to the iPod, then soon the iPhone, the iPad, and Apple TV. It’s
never been completely confirmed but it’s widely expected that Apple is working
on their own brand of television to be released later this year of early next
year, and you can bet it will use iTunes and the technology existing in the
Apple TV, if not some of the same technology they employ in their mobile
devices.
One
tiny piece, something that could have also been added to cars in general and
not just a futuristic iCar, is a click wheel for the steering wheel.
One tiny piece, something that could have
also been added to cars in general and not just a futuristic iCar, is a click
wheel for the steering wheel. Last year Apple patented the idea of adding a
tiny click wheel on car steering wheels to control the music playback of mobile
devices that are being played throughout the stereo system. This way, music
playback could be controlled easily by the driver without having to fiddle
around with the device itself. Surely that was the beginning of something much
larger. We know how Jobs worked.
What else could the iCar have offered? What
else could it have included that would possibly change the way we drive? Why
stop with a click wheel? Siri would be a welcome addition, and not just
musically. Not only could you dictate to your car what music could be played,
but you could ask it for the directions to the nearest gas station. Was Siri
really only intended for iPhones? Probably not, knowing Jobs. It could
definitely be used on a television set for tuning and recording, so why not use
it in a car to help you get where you want to go? There was very likely a whole
range of plans for the use of Siri. If my mind is reeling with the
possibilities, certainly Jobs’ was as well. It could put a whole new spin on
the term ‘smart car.’
The
iCar could flash the directions to the nearest gas station when you reach a
quarter tank of gas.
Take that idea of giving you directions to
the nearest gas station one step further. The iCar could flash the directions
to the nearest gas station when you reach a quarter tank of gas. Maybe it could
tell you where the nearest garage is each time you roll over 10,000 more miles
to get the oil changed. Want it done more often? Why couldn’t that be
programmed in? want to go to the movies? Have the iCar show you trailers, then
after you choose one to see, have it show you directions to theaters showing
it, as well as the show times, calculating if you’ll get there in time from
your current location.
Why sit down and figure out your grocery
list before you leave the house? Do it while you’re driving. You could even
have your favorite recipes programmed so that it knows what ingredients you
need for certain recipes. Have your Reminders list and Calendar synched so that
when you enter the car it reminds you of your dentist appointment in two hours.
Road trips would be a whole new experience.
You could program your entire itinerary and have the iCar do all the work. It
could navigate, find radio stations that fit your musical tastes, find
restaurants, hotels, and even amusement parks. When you stopped somewhere, you
could unplug your iPhone that had been synched with all your plans you’d been
making while driving, and have all of that information at hand.
You
could program your entire itinerary and have the iCar do all the work. It could
navigate, find radio stations that fit your musical tastes, find restaurants,
hotels, and even amusement parks.
The pictures and videos you took on your
iPhone would sync back to your car through Photo Stream. Passengers could view
them and post them to Facebook and Twitter while you drove. Speaking of
Facebook, Siri could be used to update your status while you drove. Not only
giving all your friends the lowdown on your current location, but also sharing
with them all the crazy thoughts you have while you cruise along.
The best part about all of this is that,
while it sounds like such a fantasy, it’s not. If you think of the technology
that exists right now, this is already available. It’ just not included as part
of a car yet. And it’s that thought that makes the head spin even more. We
aren’t that far off from Steve Jobs’ dream. And if those things are already
possible, what isn’t available yet but could be?
We
aren’t that far off from Steve Jobs’ dream. And if those things are already
possible, what isn’t available yet but could be?
The only question is if Jobs’ dreams died
with him. Does Tim Cook have what it takes to not only carry out Job’s dreams,
but to keep dreaming as well? That’s the best part of Mickey Drexler releasing
this information. The dream doesn’t have to die with Jobs. And if Apple doesn’t
do it, we know now that someone else will. Someone will make this
technology-enabled car.
Jobs wouldn’t have stood for anyone else
developing it. He would have made sure the design team stayed on top of it to
be the first to release an iCar. To see someone else release a car featuring
his ideas would have him rolling in his grave. Apple has that patent for the
steering wheel click wheel, so they must be closer than Drexler’s words make it
sound.
