Apple patent involves an ‘operational safety mode’ for an Apple Car

Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11792142 B2) for an “operational safety mode” for a vehicle.

It involves the implementation of an operational safety mode that manages the output of notifications at an electronic device (such as an iPhone or Apple Watch) when a user of the device is operating a vehicle. Apple says that some operational modes involving the output of notifications using electronic devices, however, are generally cumbersome and inefficient. 

For example, some existing techniques use a complex and time-consuming user interface, which may include multiple key presses or keystrokes. Existing techniques require more time than necessary, wasting user time and device energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.

Apple’s patent provides electronic devices such as iPhones and Apple Watches with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for managing the output of notifications. Such methods and interfaces optionally complement or replace other methods for managing the output of notifications.

When might we see an Apple Car?

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple’s work on the Apple Car has “lost all visibility at the current time. He adds that if Apple does not adopt some kind of acquisition strategy to make inroads in the automotive market, it is unlikely that the ‌Apple Car‌ will be able to go into mass production “within the next years.”

On. Nov. 18, 2021, Bloomberg reported that Apple was accelerating development on its “Apple Car.” The article said that the electric vehicle will be self-driving and could roll out in 2025. 

What’s more, in a note to clients — as noted by AppleInsider — investment bank Wedbush said Apple is likely to announce a strategic electric vehicle partnership in 2022 to lay the groundwork for an “Apple Car” release in 2025.

If Kuo is correct — and I suspect he is — those predictions are way too optimistic.