This might be a little bit of a tangent here, but what does Apple plan to do with a patent that allows a network of sensors to report real-time data directly to an iPhone. In Apple’s patent on “Personal items network, and associated methods,” Apple says the patent is for finding a lost iPhone, but it then proceeds to give numerous sports examples in the patent.

For sports, the applications are endless. By putting tiny accelerometers inside equipment like bats, gloves, balls, race cars, padding, etc, we (the sports world) would be exposed to a whole new type of data that would also have tremendous fantasy impacts. Just think about the data that could be garnered for fantasy purposes. It would be invaluable. Which running backs run as fast in the fourth quarter as they do in the first? Which ones slow down tremendously? Which quarterback scans the field the most? Whose bat speed is slowing down? Knowing this kind of data can help you determine who might be on the decline, and who might be ready to break out. That kind of speed and location data available to fantasy players would be unparalleled.

Of course, any sort of real implementation of this patent is probably years away, and might be expensive to implement, but we can dream, can we not?

On a side note, do you think Apple just has people sitting around in a room doing nothing but thinking up ideas?

Additional Coverage:

• Apple Granted Patent for Sports Sensors