iPhone OS 4.0 has offered up lots of clues to Apple’s future plans for the iPhone. The latest iPhone OS 4.0 investigation suggest Apple could have its own branded iPhone car kit waiting in the wings. Is Apple dying to colonise your dashboard?
Careful unpicking of the iPhone OS 4.0 beta has already suggested that iPhone 4.0 will add iChat video calls, now references to an iPhone car kit that will use the newly added “iPod out” feature have been uncovered.
Nestled quietly within the iPod Accessory Protocol, there are two strings named “SimpleRemoteCareButtonNotification” and “SimpleRemoteCarButtonTypeKey” which point to iPhone OS 4.0 opening up support for a new iPhone car kit.
The suggestion is that iPhone OS 4.0 will allow you to dock your iPhone or iPod Touch in a car kit that will access your music library. The iPhone car kit will apparently include a video screen and physical buttons.
The iPhone car kit provisions in iPhone OS 4.0 also apparently add hands-free navigation which could route incoming calls and let you answer without having to fumble with your iPhone.
Tom Tom previously released a car kit to boost the iPhone GPS reception and add GPS skills to the iPod Touch. While Apple may release its own car kit, it’s likely that other companies will also offer accessories.
Due TBC | £TBC | Apple (via AppleInsider)
