Apple jumping headfirst into travel market?

Saturday, 03 Aug, 2010 0

Apple has filed three patent applications that cover travel and shopping-related apps, said Unwired View.

“One for travel booking, one for hotel services, and another for high-end fashion retail,” the site says.

All three were applied for last year but were only recently published by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The first, a travel-booking app, is designed to reserve travel plans, check in to flights, and deliver airport and flight info.

“The app appears to need some sort of integration into an airline’s own system since it proposes to request in-flight services and provide arrival notification to people waiting to pick up the traveler.It also would show nearby restaurant and entertainment options, and detailed information about the location the person is traveling to,” says the site.

The hotel services app would also require some sort of integration to a hotel’s information system.

“A person using the app could request services before arriving at the hotel, check in, check out, order room service or pay-per-view movies. It also would appear to put some hotel concierges out of work: it’s designed to be its own concierge service, making local restaurant reservations or buying tickets to local events,” says Unwired.

It’s important to keep in mind that these are just patent applications. Tech companies, including Apple, routinely apply for patents in case they want to pursue a certain technology in the future. It’s not necessarily an indication that it’s something Apple is working on at the moment, Wired speculates.

“Still, it does confirm something else: that Apple has no problem competing with its outside developers.

By David Wilkening

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