Apple Wants to Help You Find A Friend!

[Maura]

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[FONT=&quot]Check out this really sweet new patent application filed by Apple which MacRumors has discovered. I know it’s not often that the words “sweet” and “patent application” find themselves juxtaposed, but it really does apply in this case! The patent is for an app that aims to indentify someone that has the same interests as you that you might meet when out and about, without having to undergo what the application refers to as “a long and awkward conversation” to find out if you both have the same interests. Aw! [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]So how does the proposed app determine this then, and prevent you embarrassing yourself socially? Well, the idea is that the app will endeavour to find out your interests via a manual questionnaire about the sort of things that you like, as well as automatically mining your iPhone for data. Here’s another quote from the application: [/FONT]

“Common interests and experiences of two or more users located close to each other can be identified from content, including automatically created usage data of the mobile devices.”

[FONT=&quot]There would have to be an opt-in feature to protect the user’s privacy of course, but it all sounds very ingenious, and possibly a bit spooky! [/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Source: Apple Researching How the iPhone Can Help You Make New Friends - Mac Rumors[/FONT]

 

[Dave12308]

Bad idea, IMHO. Technology is replacing actual social skills, and that is never a good thing. I prefer to meet new friends by actual human interaction, not because my phone tells me I have things in common with someone.

Also, I have many friends that I didn't have a whole lot in common with when I met them. Through them, I developed new interests, and vice-versa. This sort of technology is assuming that people automatically have to have things in common to be friends. Kind of kills the whole being open to new experiences thing.

 

[bab2010]

Unfortunately the technology will soon arrive to that level. Facebook is one of those technologies in some way, and soon, technology will even talk to your friends instead of you talking to them, and a lot more. It's a sad story which will become a reality.