Bay Area residents are buzzing about mysterious camera-equipped minivans that have been linked to none other than Apple Inc.
The vans, which are topped by a curious X-shaped apparatus, have been spotted throughout Contra Costa County, particularly Concord. Claycord, a local blog documenting the phenomenon, reports that similar vehicles have been spotted as far away as New York. KPIX confirmed with the Department of Motor Vehicles that at least one of the minivans tooling around the Bay Area — a blue Dodge Caravan – is registered to Apple, but drivers refuse to say what they are doing.
The sightings have touched off a flurry of speculation about what the secretive tech giant is up to, with theories ranging from mapping to self-driving cars. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. Concord Community Relations Manager Leslye Asera told SiliconBeat that Apple has not told the city anything about its plans.
Analyst Rob Enderle told KPIX he believes the vehicle is a self-driving car, similar to Google s fleet roaming the Bay Area. But others think that s a remote possibility as Apple is not among the half-dozen companies that have been granted permits to test autonomous vehicles.
Technology blog AppleInsider suggested Apple may be harvesting data to improve its mapping service, noting that data from Google s Street View initiative greatly enhanced Google Maps. The frames atop the minivan appear to hold cameras and LiDAR sensors, which are used to generate high-resolution maps, according to AppleInsider.
But analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies thinks Apple has something else in store. He told SiliconBeat he suspects Apple is using the vehicles as it tries to figure out how to weave its iOS software more tightly into today s cars. Last year, Apple announced that some new cars from auto companies such as Honda and Ford would be equipped with CarPlay, a software program that makes it easier for drivers to use their iPhones on the road.
Ever since Apple introduced CarPlay, it became clear to a lot of us that Apple is looking at extending their technology to the moving vehicle, Bajarin said.
But despite Apple s growing interest in autos, Bajarin does not think that the Cupertino-based company intents to become a car maker.
I honestly don t believe Apple is interested in creating an Apple car. That s just too far-fetched, he said. But can they enhance the car experience with iOS? Absolutely.
Above: Mysterious cars linked to Apple have sparked speculation about what the Cupertino-based company is up to (Claycord).
