It feels like anytime Apple makes a move, technology writers like myself sit up and take notice. Consider that warning enough.
Apple has applied for a patent on a smart bicycle that would use an iPod or iPhone to monitor data about the rider, according to the patent application that Patently Apple discovered. For those who have never heard of Patently Apple, it's a blog with the oddly specific goal of sniffing out patent applications from Apple.
Think of this bike in the realm of the Nike + iPod products, but instead of running, it's for bicyclists. With the help of an iPod or iPhone, the iBike can measure speed, distance, heart rate, wind speed and plenty of other stats.
From the details about the bike that we can find in the patent application, it looks like this bike is more for the avid biker, rather than the typical Apple fanboy. The bike also includes built in Wi-Fi for communication among teams of riders in bike races.
It also looks like much of this technology will be voice-activated, since that technology is already widely available in smart phones from Apple and others. And when you're pedaling at 35 miles per hour, it's probably best to not take your hands off the handle bars.
Some of the features on the bike are, admittedly, not new. Even my mom has had a speedometer on her bike since the late 1990s. But the packaging is distinctly Apple, as this bike will also include an LCD screen to read all this information.
I hope you'll be able to see it in daylight out there on the open road.
And is it possible that the entire bike will made out of liquid metal? Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that Apple signed an exclusive contract with Liquidmetal Technologies to use the technology for consumer electronics. The Caltech spinoff located in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has developed a metal that has an atomic structure resembling glass more than metal. For one thing, it requires very little machining and doesn't need to be polished. But unlike glass, liquid metal is super strong, very hard, resists corrosion and has unique acoustical properties.
The only downside I can see is that Liquidmetal is very expensive. That's because this metal alloy is made from rare materials like beryllium or platinum. Platinum costs $1,500 an ounce.
Of course, Apple consumers hardly ever seem to be influenced by cost. They're more than willing to fork out hard cold cash for laptops, MP3 players and cell phones that they could buy for far less from someone else. In fact, I think I can already hear the Apple fanboys running for the Apple Store near my apartment.
Tags: Bicycles, Electronics, Inventions
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