Apple CEO, and Auburn alum, Tim Cook, has been under fire recently for not innovating the way Steve Jobs had. This theory is a bit cloudy. Obviously Jobs is credited with all of Apple’s biggest innovations, but for the last few years of his life we only saw upgrades in previously innovative products a la the new and improved iPhones and iPads.
Of course we’ve continued to see upgrades to both Apple’s mobile staples. We’ve also seen the upgrade cycle continue on the Macbook Pro line, Macbook Air like and their desktop computers. Apple does seem to be chugging along.
The world is still waiting for a wearable in the flavor of an iWatch. We’re also waiting for an innovation in Apple TV. But it seems Apple is reaching out even further. Last week we reported that Apple has filed a patent for a 3D headset similar to the Oculus Rift.
Today we’ve found that Apple is also working on patenting a restaurant reservation and ordering system. Patently Apple reported on Thursday that Apple is working on a reservation and ordering system that will work with their iOS devices.
This isn’t too far off though and startups have actually paved the way for this natural extension of Apple’s core services (you see what I did there). Because of startups like OpenTable and even to a degree, Urban Spoon, Apple iPads have made it into restaurant host stands across the country and even around the world. While they aren’t Apple devices, Applebee’s (you see what I did there again) reported that they are putting tablets at every table across their entire chain.
With so many restaurants switching to iOS devices to manage their customer flow, and reservation systems Apple seems to have a plan to seize this opportunity.
Apple’s patent suggests that they want to integrate reservation making, waitlist management and ordering into one system that can be utilized across i-devices.
If Apple goes forward with this plan than they have the potential to really disrupt the restaurant industry. As more and more restaurants turn to this Apple system and in turn more iOS users use it, the system gets smarter. One of the key integrations is the ordering and wait list portion. While it won’t be fool proof or take into consideration people that want to order coffee and desert and talk for four hours, the system will be able to take into consideration what menu items customers order and the average time it takes to consume those items. With that information they will be able to better estimate the wait time for customers using the waitlist portion.
Also integrating these systems together and putting them on iOS devices will make it possible for restaurants to use iOS notifications center. Restaurants could notify a customer when their table is ready but also notify them when their order is sitting in the window so the customer knows dinner is on the way.
Find out more at PatentlyApple
