handheld device

When it comes to hands-free infotainment solutions, automakers aren’t the only ones looking to make both the government and consumers happy. Now Apple has joined the fray, with a novel approach to adding steering-wheel-mounted controls. As the diagram shows, Apple’s solution is a steering-wheel mounted clickwheel (as used on the iPod Classic), which can be used to control other Apple devices, such as an iPad, iPod or iPhone. The patent filing was revealed by Patently Apple, a website dedicated to Apple’s “spirit of innovation.” Use of the steering-wheel-mounted...