Apple Filed a Patent to Make Your Windshield a Screen

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard any news about the so-called Apple Car, the new autonomous electric vehicle Apple is rumored to be working on.

If those rumors are true, this vehicle would be Apple’s first dive into the electric vehicle (EV) market, and most believe it might be a completely self-driving car.

While the rumor mill has been quiet about this project recently, a new patent has appeared that gives us some new hope.

It seems that not only is Apple still working on its own vehicle, but the company also wants to turn the complete windshield into a display.

Apple Files a New Patent to Turn Your Windshield Into a Display

As spotted by The Drive, Apple recently filed a new patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This 24-page document explains how Apple is working on a new type of technology that would replace a regular windshield with an augmented reality (AR) tool.

Augmented reality isn’t anything new in the car world; there are already a few vehicles that use AR to give you important data during your drive.

Apple, however, wants to take it one step further. By turning the whole windshield into an AR display, Apple apparently wants to use the multiple sensors a car could have to display important information to the driver.

For instance, you can get a real-time image of your vehicle and show you your current location. The document even mentions the use of radar devices. 

Of course, the display wouldn’t only control the things outside the vehicle. The patent also talks about monitoring “one or more occupants located proximate to the one or more transparent surfaces,” likely to let them control certain types of information, including cognitive load and even the stress level of the occupants.

And if that weren’t enough for you, it seems Apple also plans to help you control how fast you’re going. While other electric vehicles will warn you that you’re going too fast, Apple plans to use its windshield to show you fake objects in the way.

For instance, if you’re going too fast, the windshield could show you a simulated speed bump to help you reduce your speed.

Is the Apple Car Actually Coming?

There is a lot this patent showcases, and it really shows what Apple has been working on for the past few years. 

It seems the company is focusing hard on virtual and augmented reality. Besides this new patent, Apple is also planning to launch the Apple Vision Pro, its first-ever virtual and augmented reality headset, early next year.

While you won’t be able to use the headset when driving, Apple is highly likely planning to use the same technology with this windshield.

Unfortunately, the rumors about the so-called Apple Car have been sparse in the last few months. While it seems the company is still working on its first electric vehicle, it might take a while before we actually see it. Some suggest that we might see the Apple Car sometime during 2026, but that’s only if we’re lucky. 

With that said, if Apple plans to use impressive technology like this AR windshield, the wait is definitely going to be worth it.

Will You Buy the Apple Car?

It’s also worth noting that sometimes companies patent technologies that they won’t necessarily use right away. We’ve seen many patents from Apple that showcase new iPhone tech that we never actually see in real life. So, take all this with a grain of salt. 

However, if Apple is indeed working on an electric car, it would definitely change the game. Combine Apple’s attempts to become a completely green company with all the rumors that we’ve seen, and the result would be a carbon-free, fully autonomous car, which could change the industry as we know it.

It won’t be cheap, though, so you better start saving up some money.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]