Apple appears to strengthen its navigation software portfolio. Will we see Apple infotainment in cars soon?
Following our recent article, Are You Ready for Siri in Your Car?, the latest acquisition from Apple hints at how the computer software and hardware behemoth is moving into the automobile industry. What does Embark bring to Apple?
Apple Embarks in Transportation. The estimated $35 million purchasing Apple did with Embark, the Silicon Valley-based maker of a few public transit apps shows where the giant is fixing its attention. It hints at a much clearer strategy for its automobile industry move. Six months ago, it also acquired another transit app maker, HotStop. The difference with HopStop is that Embark works with many transit systems, whereas HotStop only worked with New York City’s Transit Authority, San Francisco’s BART in San Francisco, Boston’s MBTA, amongst a few.
App Store. Strangely enough, only Embark shows up in Apple’s App Store, which makes us wonder if Apple will integrate HotStop into its ever growing navigation system and Siri. This would make sense for its transportation segment move. The app is also no longer available for the Android and Windows platform, according to MacWorld.
A few years back, we dreamed of how Apple would design its own car. Back then, Tesla Motors’ Model S was only in Franz von Holzhausen mind, but even then, it would have been very close to what Steve Jobs would have penned. Steve Jobs particularly appreciated German cars and drove his Mercedes relentlessly. Most Apple hardware designs follow the German austere look, but where Steve Jobs’ genius shined was in the simple elegance and whooping performance of their products.
Some would argue that Apple is acquiring many mapping software and app developers to tighten its Maps app system, but since we are foremost an automobile website, the car aspect is what interests us most. While Apple does make a good navigation system, this other acquisition of a mapping software maker seems to confirm Apple is finally moving into the automobile industry.
