Apple Car may come with exterior screens

San Francisco: The long-rumoured Apple Car is expected to use LED screens all over the vehicle to inform other drivers what the self-driving system is doing.

In a patent granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday titled "Exterior Lighting and Warning System. Apple's system would involve the creation of displays that are placed around the vehicle and this long display is expected to show a variety of information to other road users," reports AppleInsider.

The display would show braking information, the speed of the car and other messages in the form of graphics as well as video.

For drivers parking the vehicle, the displays could show a goodbye message, or welcome the user on arrival to the vehicle itself, the report added.

The upcoming Apple Car is expected to use a "C1" chip based on the A12 Bionic processor with in-cabin AI capabilities such as eye-tracking. Apple will require a chip foundry with capacity for automotive processes, which Samsung or TSMC could supply to Apple.

The Apple Car is already rumoured to feature LiDAR technology, which could add a lot of depth to onboard AI functions. Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the launch of Apple Car is unlikely to happen until 2025-2027.

In a research note, Kuo said that Apple Car specifications are yet to be finalised, adding that he would not be surprised if the vehicle's launch time frame is pushed even further to 2028 or later.

Kuo cited three main issues with Apple Car: Uncertainty about the launch timing, uncertainty about the supplier and vehicle specs, and uncertainty around Apple's competitiveness in the EV and self-driving car market.