Is An Apple Inc. (AAPL) Smart Bike Even Possible? Maybe Not, But This Is

When it comes to innovation, we know that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is always at the front of the crowd. While the company may have slowed down as of late, it is safe to say that it has a few things coming in the future that will get people excited.

Is it possible that an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smart bike could be next? Before you get too excited, this doesn’t mean the company is going to get involved with manufacturing bicycles. That being said, Cupertino is hoping to bring its technology to bikes in a way that will make the riding experience safer and more enjoyable for those on the pedals.

For a better idea of what we are talking about, we need to take a look at a patent application from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Here is the patent: Systems and Methods for Integrating a Portable Electronic Device with a Bicycle

As you can see, Apple is not actually manufacturing a bicycle. Instead, the company is working on technology that will allow the rider to integrate a portable device with their bike.

The abstract explains the patent in clear terms:

“Systems, methods, and devices are provided to sense unauthorized use of a vehicle. For example, an electronic device may include sensors to detect an operational parameter of a bicycle and communications circuitry to couple the electronic device to a second electronic device associated with user of the bicycle according to authorization information. Control circuitry may determine when the bicycle is in operation based at least in part on the detected operational parameter, identify whether the second electronic device is substantially within a communicative proximity of the electronic device when the bicycle is in operation, and generate an alert indicating unauthorized operation when the second electronic device is not identified as substantially within the communicative proximity of the electronic device.”

With this system in place, those on the bike would be able to monitor everything from speed to distance to heart rate and much more. With sensors built into the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:APL) iPhone, the sky would really be the limit.

This Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) patent was originally filed for on January 23, 2013.

For a better idea of how it may work, check out the image from the official patent: