The most important battle in the tech world over the past few years has been the epic clash between iOS and Android, the rival mobile platforms that Apple and Google have used to give themselves a dominant position in the smartphone and tablet markets. But as Forbes contributor George Anders writes, Apple and Google are already gearing up for their next fight that could be much, much bigger than smartphones.
Anders notes Google has filed a whopping 310 patents that detail potential software for cars, which Apple has filed around 35 such patents. Among the many interesting Google patents on file are one that details “modifying behavior of autonomous vehicles based on predicted behavior of other vehicles,” and another that describes a way of creating “panoramic images within driving directions.” Yet another Google patent application that has yet to gain final approval details a system for “gesture-based automotive controls.”
While Anders doesn’t detail any of the car-related patents that Apple has filed, he says that it’s pretty clear the company has similar ambitions for getting its software into cars since “Apple and its iOS operating system already have won interest from BMW, Ford Motor and Daimler AG’s Mercedes car business.”
Basically, then, you should get used to the idea of Apple and Google fighting for your favor just about everywhere in the future, from your phone to your television to your car.
