“A new video obtained by AppleInsider on Monday reveals more detail on Apple’s camera-equipped minivans, with views of the interior showing at least two people man the vehicles during testing operations,” AppleInsider reports.
“Sent in by AppleInsider reader Peter, [the video shows] a white Dodge Caravan driving through Coral Springs, Fla., sports the same peculiar roof-mounted equipment array seen on other vehicles linked to an internal Apple program,” AppleInsider reports. “Today’s video is one of the first to show the van’s interior while in operation, where at least one passenger can be seen interacting with a small handheld device thought to be an iPad mini.”
[protected-iframe id=”da9f2d90991e39b4481fd386259f7236-17146794-18685410″ info=”//player.vimeo.com/video/119798547″ width=”590″ height=”332″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen=”” mozallowfullscreen=”” allowfullscreen=””]
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This same setup has now been seen and photographed in the following areas: New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, and Florida, among others. This is a mapping vehicle collecting data for an Apple Maps feature TBA.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Bill” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Jean-Louis Gassée: The fantastic Apple Car is a fantasy – February 16, 2015
Apple mystery van spotted in San Diego – February 10, 2015
Apple testing mysterious camera-equipped vehicles – February 4, 2015
U.S. patent application reveals Apple is working on ‘Street View’ mapping technology – April 4, 2013
Interesting.
The fast sweeping camera mounted above the windshield is definitely rapid scanning device, perhaps to detect obstacles.
I’m starting a highly unofficial rumor; that roof mounted gear is an antigravity device from Area 51. The driver is none other than Elvis himself. 😀
Buddy Holly is riding shotgun
Area 51 WISHES they had Apple’s technology. 😉
Where do you think Apple got half its stuff from?
… and the even more advanced stuff came for Area 52 apparently.
Apple gets its special sauce from Area 57.
I also think it must be for some mapping thing. One has to think something similar to street view.
If so they are doing it with different technology to Google because it doesn’t have the spinning camera on the roof.
There is clearly a spinning grey object on the roof in the video, at the 0:21 mark. Superficially it’s quite similar to the one on Google Street View cars.
I don’t care what it is…I just want a new 4k+ Cinema Display…in the name of Jobs – WHEN Apple WHEN????
You’ll likely get a 5K monitor when video cards start supporting DP 1.3. Otherwise you’d be capped at 30 Hz or worse.
Until then (and likely even after then) you can expect Apple to point you to 4K monitors by others.
Expect a new Mac Pro that supports multiple 5K monitors at 60 Hz sometime in the May/June time frame this year. It could happen sooner, but I doubt it.
It’s an Apple Van, people. It’s got a fake Ford exterior. Strip off all the facade, and it’s an actual moving APPLE PRODUCT (the largest ever of its kind!)
The roof gear is state-of-the-art Beats Music headphones for cars. It’s hard to explain, it will be cool in the future.
This is an autonomous driving test rig.
Autonomous driving requires very tight integration of hardware and software. The software is particularly difficult to design. Apple is particularly well suited to develop this.
Setting aside the hilarious rumor mongering…
IF this actually has anything to do with self-driving cars, then Apple is NOT going into the car business. It’s going into the self-driving accessory business. That rig on top of the car is clearly for imaging the surroundings. If it is not for Apple Maps, then it could be for integration into ‘any’ car to allow it to become self-driving. Pop it onto the top of your car, wire it into your car’s computer…
Wait, this sounds as ridiculous as Apple going into the car business!!!
It’s just for Apple Maps folks.
Would be fun to be able to use flyover and instantly descend into a fly through view. Much less clunky than Street View potentially.
Why are people saying this car belongs to Apple?
The driver clearly did not want to be recorded, seemed uncomfortable with the situation. (Didn’t wave back), pushed some device inside, down.
In all the photos, I saw nothing to show this is an Apple connected thing. Google’s card were branded. Bing cars are branded.
Just saying.
Yes, but NSA cars are not branded. No real way to tell. The cars spotted near Apple may be gathering data ON Apple. You just never know these days. I suspect the Italians, they own Chrysler now.
Fiat!!! They want to make a smartphone, and hope this will give them a lead… Just as good as anything else said so far.
DMV registration search showed that it was registered to Apple
Okay, awesome then, something tangible. I didn’t pick that up before.