Is There An iCar In The Offing?

T

he latest story to fuel the Apple rumor mill, amidst the talk of a possible Apple TV and the soon-to-be-launched iPad 3, has been the news that Apple has been shopping for automotive engineers. This was the job posting, as reported by Apple Insider:

“Apple (China). Looking for SQE/NPI with over 4 years Mechanical engineering background familiar with CNC/die casting/stamping/plastic injection, can use APQP/ PPAP/SPC to control product quality.”

Perhaps Apple is working on a complete Apple-run infotainment system. They’d be wise to jump into that fray, since the current systems are definitely a bit jumbled in the user interface department.

So if Apple is, in fact, shopping for auto engineers, what do they have up their sleeves? Some years ago there were rumors that Apple was working with Volkswagen to create a concept car, presumably with some Apple-based software capabilities.

What is known is that Daimler has announced that some future Meredes-Benz models will have serious iPhone integration as part of the infotainment system, and that Siri voice-recognition software will definitely be part of the mix.

But that doesn’t sound like something that requires someone with the above qualifications to work for Apple full time.

Perhaps Apple is working on a complete Apple-run infotainment system. They’d be wise to jump into the fray, since the current systems, most notably Ford’s MyTouch and Cadillac’s CUE, are definitely a bit jumbled in the user interface department. And no one has perfected user interfaces like Apple.

And since the future of cars seems to tied to internet integration and intelligent information and safety systems, Apple’s ability to make things simple and easy to figure out could definitely help put them at the forefront of yet another tech revolution.