You're probably familiar with Apple, right?
Neat white logo, shiny silver laptops? The bunch that make all the phones? Have an irrational love of the letter 'i'?
Turns out they fancy making an "articulated vehicle". Seriously. An iBus.
Apple want to do what?!
Apple has been granted a patent for a "Steering device for articulated vehicle". Which is weird.
Filed back in March 2012, the eagle-eyed snoops of Patently Apple spotted that the US patent office has granted Apple the design for a (deep breath), "steering device comprising a steering member for mutually steering a first vehicle unit and a second vehicle unit of an articulated vehicle which comprises a link mechanism for mutually pivoting said vehicle units".
Oh, and it could be a tracked vehicle. With a build that helps it guard against a buildup of snow and ice. We don't know why either.
But... why?!
The answer could be very unexciting: It's not unusual for a company to file patents for stuff that "could come in useful" at some point in the future - or just never get picked up again.
Someone in Apple's Research & Development team could have struck upon the design and thought "Heck, this could make us a heap of money if we licence it out to HGV manufacturers or the military in the future".
Or...
It could be related to Apple's transport plans
It's been known for a number of years that Apple has been putting together a team to work on a smartcar - a self-driving wonder vehicle of the future.
But cars might just be the start of the new transport race. Alongside self-driving cars, Apple might be thinking about self-driving buses and trucks, allowing them to make a move to get a solid foothold in the public transit and logistics industries.
Or... they could just really like bendy vehicles. Either way, it indicates that Apple has a lot more than laptops and smartphones on its horizon.
