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I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,310
24,044
Gotta be in it to win it
I’ve changed my mind after reading through all the comments here. Like others have said, being able to purchase the service through the satellites would be an okay implementation, however there’s still an issue of search and rescue resources being strained when someone drastically irresponsible/unprepared gets lost and still is unable to pay for whatever reason (expired card, some unforeseen charge emptied their account, etc), so a way to charge them after the rescue would be best. The faster a person is found the sooner resources can go to someone or something else.
It’s still up to the person to be prepared for survival in the outdoors; for this particular scenario. I haven’t changed my mind. If you are going into unforeseen circumstances you should be prepared and not be half-assed prepared. I’m sure if and when apple charges for this service there will be a reminder. If you rely on the iPhone 14 and you are deep in the wilderness and don’t renew…that is totally on you.

If you let your life insurance lapse and you die…your spouse can’t go to the insurance company and work out a deal to pay the premium after the fact.
 

webkit

macrumors 68030
Jan 14, 2021
2,910
2,524
United States
Is that the one you have to pay for?

Since you (currently) don't have to pay for the Apple Emergency SOS via Satellite service, I guess that means you are the product? Isn't that what you and some others like to argue when something is "free"? YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.
 
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I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,310
24,044
Gotta be in it to win it
Since you (currently) don't have to pay for the Apple Emergency SOS via Satellite service, I guess that means you are the product? Isn't that what you and some others like to argue when something is "free"? YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.
- iCloud 5gb free - you’re the product
- Siri included free - you’re the product
- AT+ free for a period of time - you’re the product
- google free - you’re the product

Is that the argument?
 

jedimasterkyle

macrumors 6502
Sep 27, 2014
420
618
Idaho
As good as this feature is, I wonder how many people (hundreds? thousands?) have been saved/rescued over the years with zero publicity due to a Garmin InReach or similar device. Anyone hiking remote trails (or doing similarly risky outdoor activities) should have some form of satellite communicator.

An excellent video of how Garmin saved this hiker's life and how search and rescue were complete ass-hats about it.

I wont deny that it feels like a tiny amount of that scenario might have been staged for the sake of the video/demonstration. However, S/R's response is less than ideal.
 
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webkit

macrumors 68030
Jan 14, 2021
2,910
2,524
United States
- iCloud 5gb free - you’re the product
- Siri included free - you’re the product
- AT+ free for a period of time - you’re the product
- google free - you’re the product

Is that the argument?

I don’t make the argument. The argument you and some others that have made is that when various products or service are offered for "free", it means you are the product which is a bad thing.
 
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Darth Tulhu

macrumors 68020
Apr 10, 2019
2,240
3,757
Wow, many of these comments are so disappointing.

A feature like this in an ubiquitous device like the iPhone should be celebrated, not derided.

Yes, many other devices have saved lives, but that is neither here nor there.

Apple though to put this in their devices and then went ahead and did so. Give credit where it is due.

"...whoever saves one life saves the world entire"
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,310
24,044
Gotta be in it to win it
I don’t make the argument. The argument you and some others that have made is that when various products or service are offered for "free", it means you are the product which is a bad thing.
No, you took the argument to a ridiculous level. In that vein, google is a service, the others are features and functions of a phones operating system and hardware.

Like notepad comes for free with windows…you’re the product?
 
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Rainshadow

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2017
623
1,361

An excellent video of how Garmin saved this hiker's life and how search and rescue were complete ass-hats about it.

I wont deny that it feels like a tiny amount of that scenario might have been staged for the sake of the video/demonstration. However, S/R's response is less than ideal.
Man, that guy is a whiner. I don’t blame the search and rescue. I have been on multiple search and rescues. This kid was not lost. He was not injured, and he was entirely mobile. In the end, they hiked out that same night AFTER he set up camp claiming he couldn’t make it out.

I think the kid should get charged.

Folks always assume a chopper is coming. If you are mobile and not injured, they will not send a chopper. Period. Which then requires someone to drive in - which usually they can’t, or for you to be carried out. And that’s just hilarious - I’ve seen a couple >2 mile carries before but you have a dozen or more rescuers.

I think this guy somehow has his risk meter messed up. He is willing to go do this trek alone and rations meals etc knowing it’s bad, but won’t hike out - or even attempt a .5 mile hike out when he has a rescue team right there. He risked his gps battery dying, he risked running out of food, he risked the rescue team leaving and coming back by trying to stay the night. And don’t tell me he couldn’t find the trail. You don’t need to. Hike up in switchbacks. You couldn’t have missed the road. It followed the whole ridge.

I’m embarrassed for the kid.

I’m not complaining about your post. I appreciate it. But yea, that’s about what you could expect if you hit the sos button and are .5 miles from a team, mobile, and decide to set up camp instead of rescuing yourself. He was smart to hit the button. But he was a fool when someone answered.

The kid said it would take 2 days… I mean really. I could go on… but I won’t
 
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citysnaps

macrumors G4
Oct 10, 2011
11,945
25,902
Wow, many of these comments are so disappointing.

A feature like this in an ubiquitous device like the iPhone should be celebrated, not derided.

For sure on that.

But in this situation an Apple product is involved...which gives many here an opportunity to deride, in order to get that tiny burst of feel-good power, sticking it to the Man.
 
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webkit

macrumors 68030
Jan 14, 2021
2,910
2,524
United States
No, you took the argument to a ridiculous level. In that vein, google is a service, the others are features and functions of a phones operating system and hardware.

Like notepad comes for free with windows…you’re the product?

It's not taking it to a ridiculous level at all. Google, MS and others provide products/services for free which you and others have argued meant YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. If you feel Apple is offering Emergency SOS via Satellite for free then in similar fashion YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.
 

seek3r

macrumors 68020
Aug 16, 2010
2,288
3,253
Man, that guy is a whiner. I don’t blame the search and rescue. I have been on multiple search and rescues. This kid was not lost. He was not injured, and he was entirely mobile. In the end, they hiked out that same night AFTER he set up camp claiming he couldn’t make it out.

I think the kid should get charged.

Folks always assume a chopper is coming. If you are mobile and not injured, they will not send a chopper. Period. Which then requires someone to drive in - which usually they can’t, or for you to be carried out. And that’s just hilarious - I’ve seen a couple >2 mile carries before but you have a dozen or more rescuers.

I think this guy somehow has his risk meter messed up. He is willing to go do this trek alone and rations meals etc knowing it’s bad, but won’t hike out - or even attempt a .5 mile hike out when he has a rescue team right there. He risked his gps battery dying, he risked running out of food, he risked the rescue team leaving and coming back by trying to stay the night. And don’t tell me he couldn’t find the trail. You don’t need to. Hike up in switchbacks. You couldn’t have missed the road. It followed the whole ridge.

I’m embarrassed for the kid.

I’m not complaining about your post. I appreciate it. But yea, that’s about what you could expect if you hit the sos button and are .5 miles from a team, mobile, and decide to set up camp instead of rescuing yourself. He was smart to hit the button. But he was a fool when someone answered.

The kid said it would take 2 days… I mean really. I could go on… but I won’t
To add, as someone with EMS experience, chopper rescues can literally be dangerous for crews - and choppers and crews are limited resources to begin with. Deploying the equipment and people when not necessary both is an unnecessary risk and can cause a resource issue if a call where they *are* needed comes in while they're doing the BS run.

This guy comes across exactly the same way patients of mine have complained when they thought that calling for an ambulance for a non-emergency would get them seen faster than going to the ER without EMS and then get angry when the intake nurse has us wheel them into the ER waiting room.
 

Mrkevinfinnerty

macrumors 68000
Aug 13, 2022
1,713
5,083
See if they were holding out for USB C or a foldable model they would be dead now.

There is a lesson here.
 

dubiousgif

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2022
94
93
It’s still up to the person to be prepared for survival in the outdoors; for this particular scenario. I haven’t changed my mind. If you are going into unforeseen circumstances you should be prepared and not be half-assed prepared. I’m sure if and when apple charges for this service there will be a reminder. If you rely on the iPhone 14 and you are deep in the wilderness and don’t renew…that is totally on you.

If you let your life insurance lapse and you die…your spouse can’t go to the insurance company and work out a deal to pay the premium after the fact.
I completely agree people should be prepared. All I’m saying is when there’s the ability to speed up a search for a missing person and move on to someone else (who is missing due to circumstance they couldn’t have prepared for) it seems like that should be utilized. There must be a way to bill someone for the service at a much higher rate than if they had paid prior to setting out. But another alternative would be to lower the priority of unprepared people on the missing person list to ensure those who are missing due to circumstances they couldn’t have prepared for are given the majority of resources.
 

semka

macrumors member
Sep 9, 2015
56
39
Man, that guy is a whiner. I don’t blame the search and rescue. I have been on multiple search and rescues. This kid was not lost. He was not injured, and he was entirely mobile. In the end, they hiked out that same night AFTER he set up camp claiming he couldn’t make it out.

I think the kid should get charged.
Yes, the guy is a douche.
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,310
24,044
Gotta be in it to win it
I completely agree people should be prepared. All I’m saying is when there’s the ability to speed up a search for a missing person and move on to someone else (who is missing due to circumstance they couldn’t have prepared for) it seems like that should be utilized. There must be a way to bill someone for the service at a much higher rate than if they had paid prior to setting out. But another alternative would be to lower the priority of unprepared people on the missing person list to ensure those who are missing due to circumstances they couldn’t have prepared for are given the majority of resources.
There’s a year and a few months until supposedly subscription is required. We’ll see what happens then. I’m sure apple has this sorted, one way or another.
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,310
24,044
Gotta be in it to win it
It's not taking it to a ridiculous level at all. Google, MS and others provide products/services for free which you and others have argued meant YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. If you feel Apple is offering Emergency SOS via Satellite for free then in similar fashion YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.
Is apple serving up ads with your satellite data? Is apples basic revenue model based on selling ads with your PII. Or is apples revenue based on selling hardware and aervices? With apple my iPhone, or iPad or AirPods is the product not me.
 
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citysnaps

macrumors G4
Oct 10, 2011
11,945
25,902
It's not taking it to a ridiculous level at all. Google, MS and others provide products/services for free which you and others have argued meant YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. If you feel Apple is offering Emergency SOS via Satellite for free then in similar fashion YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.

Nope. Not even close.

Google, MS, etc offer free services because they're able to sell information about the users of that service to other companies for marketing purposes. Thus, you are the product that has value to those purchasing that information from Google and others.

Yes, Apple does offer free services. But they don't sell your information to other companies - thus you are not a product.

As an example... if you are wounded and lost in the woods, and use Apple's free Emergency SOS system to summon help, Apple does not sell information about you being wounded and lost in the woods to companies that might want to purchase that information for marketing, say, to sell outdoor fist aid kits via ads. Thus you are not a product.

Think it through.
 

Crowbot

macrumors 68000
May 29, 2018
1,708
3,920
NYC
There’s a year and a few months until supposedly subscription is required. We’ll see what happens then. I’m sure apple has this sorted, one way or another.
My guess is that they'll charge $1.99 a month and eventually roll it into Apple One. It will become just another feature of the iPhone.
 
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