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Apple and Globalstar Rumored to Announce Satellite Connectivity Feature for iPhone 14 at September 7 Event
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What a sad existence, staying in a corral. Big country out there, about 20% has no cell coverage according to Tmobile/Starlink presentation.
Nothing for those who never venture off their well worn path of daily boring existence.
For years I have carried a Garmin InReach device. Unless GlobalStar has really stepped up, their coverage was pretty bad compared to Iridium.
Bizarre comment -- distorted reality? There are many Apple customers who live in the countryside, or who spend time between cities and the countryside. And many rural areas are more affluent than cities. Personally, I pass through areas with no signal every day, satellite connectivity would be handy.
Big ideas start with small implementations. For now, it may be SMS. Tomorrow it'll be narrow-band web browsing. Later, it'll be 5G-speed broadband. I have a feeling the real change will be societal. With satellite internet connectivity, Russia, North Korea, Iran and other Mordor wannabes won't be able to control and ban what their citizens see online and who they communicate with. A small world becoming even smaller...
Not about solving problems as much as creating new markets and doubling down on privacy. This (and every other article about satellite communications) failed to mention that satellites are in a different class of communication than terrestrial cellular providers. In other words, Globalstar can help Apple achieve a fully end to end encrypted network so that even if law enforcement has a warrant to seize texts, they could be kept private even if they’re not part of Apple’s iMessage network. It’s still early in the game but this Apple’s next move into improved privacy for all users.
I think most people who engage in those outdoor activities have some sort of PLB or sat phone. Usually if I go hillwalking in a group, more than one of us has a device like that. I suppose it varies on how risky you think the activity is.
That would be nice, but I doubt using satellites exempts companies from search warrants and laws. Servers are not located in space...
great points about safety when in low coverage areas.
why are you worried about on-device scanning against child porn? It’s apple doing this, not Facebook or Google who mine your pictures for advertising gold. Seems like a good thing to protect our children.
Not sure why it’s dead if it doesn’t work with Garmin’s feature set for InReach?
If I can send/receive a text message from my iPhone 14 or Apple Watch Pro 8 from my next hike, I would not take my trusty Garmin InReach with me. Instead I would cancel Garmin's ~ $15 / month plan and list the device on eBay.
Right, but you still need to buy a new iPhone and/or Apple Watch just for this. In other words, you’re not be editing for this unless you get the new products.
Not hardly for sometime, T-Mobile starlink is a year away from presentation. people think in an accident I’ll just grab my phone, yeah right. One button SOS push on Garmin plus Nav and other features.
True but wireless carriers have built an infrastructure and reputation for handing over any data that the feds ask for. If Apple works with Globalstar to incorporate end to end encryption into their satellite network, it could prevent anyone including Apple and Globalstar from handing over data.
I also am an InReach user for my backcountry trips. I’m often gone for two plus weeks in areas with no cell service and since it is just me and my dog it is nice to have a way for my siblings to contact me or me to contact them when I need a weather update or just a nice chat. I only do the annual subscription and then upgrade for the months needed so i don’t consider the costs outrageous. I also travel by car in many areas without cell signal. It would be nice if the service included find my phone data in addition to the sms service so my siblings can see where I am.
AT&T and Vodafone have already been working on Satellite connection with ASTS, this was announced back in 2020.
If it doesn't offer the full suite of capabilities that an inReach has, it might expand the market for Garmin, not shrink it. As a related example, the Apple Watch has likely increased Garmin wearable sales to date due to bringing a much larger market to the wearable space (Garmin had record profits in 2021 and credited wearables for it). Maybe this will change with the Apple Watch pro; time will tell there.
As indicated in this thread, a lot of people are just learning of the value of an inReach. That increased awareness can increase sales. Even if Apple grabbed 100% of iPhone users, that would still still leave android users for Garmin. Success for Garmin is orders of magnitude lower than success for Apple. If they can capture just a sliver of the market that Apple creates, they could see a growth in users when compared to a tiny market that they dominate.
I'd have no objections if competitive forces drive Garmin to lower their service rates, but I think it's far too early to call RIP. I expect Apple to be a rising tide that floats all boats in the near term. I don't expect a superior offering from Apple out of the gate. Battery life alone is a major drawback.
Making a long story short - Apple's proposed CSAM-scanning works locally on your device whether you like it or not whenever you download an image to iCloud; it will result in both false positives and false negatives, and false positives will be reviewed by a human being who would see your private pictures; and would be easily circumvented by editing of images. Also, any system that can be used to identify CSAM material can also identity political material like flags, memes, written statements and even words in audio files and could therefore be abused. Apple's system opens the door to real-time local monitoring/surveillance by machine algorithms - a digital Big Brother in your pocket. Honestly I don't think Apple should do any scanning unless there is a search warrant, and then it should do it server side and not in the iPhone. Otherwise it is a slippery slope. Just my 2 cents.
I do agree though, that this possible new emergency feature for iPhones would be amazing and potentially life-saving. I would be tempted to break my boycott if Apple puts the emergency satellite communication in the next iPhone.
Valid points, particularly regarding battery life, but doesn't InReach already use mobile phone apps for typical text input (text input on the InReach device itself seems to be painful, like trying to enter text on a smart TV with a remote controller)? I think it would be more efficient to have everything on one device.
On my part, I wish Apple would make a ruggedized version of the iPhone with a huge battery and sat communications for those of us who like or need to spend time outdoors in place that have neither WiFi nor cell phone reception. And of course there is always the argument about disasters that might cut those services off. I know, I know. Such an iPhone will never happen, but I can wish, can't I?