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Kuo: Apple Has Completed Hardware Tests for iPhone 14 Satellite Connectivity, But Launch Depends on Partners
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Gosh, watching MacRumors discuss this is absolutely painful. As somebody with peripheral knowledge of satellite communications and satellite UE from terrestrial radio work. It is extremely unlikely that this is true. Just like it was vanishingly unlikely that it was true for the iPhone 13. The fundamentals of power requirements, physical size, and market size make it very questionable.
Even if there is, by some miracle, SOS satellite texting like you get with an InReach (which I think is quite unlikely). Anybody who thinks they might be making phone calls with their iPhone on a satellite network is delusional.
Even if there is, by some miracle, SOS satellite texting like you get with an InReach (which I think is quite unlikely). Anybody who thinks they might be making phone calls with their iPhone on a satellite network is delusional.
We don’t know what “this” is yet. If you go back through the thread my post that you quoted was elaborating on the backpacker’s use-case.
I don’t know why if it’s truly capable of pinging a satellite and delivering a few Kbs worth of data why it *wouldn’t* be used for emergency beacon and location.
But again, none of us actually know what “this” is right now.
You can say that as many times as you want, but it has already leaked several times in the past and it has been very clear what it is meant to be. Making up something else you want it to be and then saying "we don't know what it is yet" does not validate anything. We already know full well what it is supposed to be.
The iPhone is a terrible alternative to a dedicated PLB for multiple reasons. I would never trust an iPhone for emergency communication in the backcountry for several reasons:
First and foremost, battery life. My SPOT beacon lasts for weeks, if not longer, when it's in tracking mode all day on the trail. For those who aren't familiar, SPOT has a feature that records your route in realtime and allows others to view your location via a website. Friends and family enjoy seeing where I am on the trail and it's fun to have a record of my route at the end of the trip, especially since a lot of my trips are off-trail. When I record a GPS track with my iPhone, the battery doesn't even last a day.
Second, the iPhone battery also fails in cold weather and higher altitudes. The replaceable lithium ion AAA batteries in the SPOT don't fail in such conditions.
Third, when using a dedicated PLB like SPOT, one press of the Emergency button sends my location and dispatches Search and Rescue. Will the iPhone automatically do this? Or do I text my friends and try to explain where I am and have them call SAR? TBD.
Fourth, my annual SPOT fee includes evacuation insurance. If they need to send a helicopter, I don't pay a dime. Will Apple offer a similar service? TBD. If they do, it will surely cost extra.
Fifth, PLBs are extremely durable. iPhone, not so much. I trust my SPOT. It's never failed me in over 10 years of use. I would never trust my iPhone in a critical backcountry emergency situation. It's certainly not a bad backup option, but a dedicated PLB should always be the first option.
Sixth, my SPOT service works all over the globe. As does the SPOT evac insurance. What will Apple offer and how much will the service side of the equation cost? Will it be global? TBD.
Personally I think this feature is a bit of a gimmick. If anything it will give certain people a false sense of security, but mostly I imagine throngs of annoying Bay Area techies coming up here to the Sierra trying to send selfies to their friends from remote locations.
That’s nonsense. “Something with satellites” has been “leaked”. Yet there are still questions in the reporting of what it’s supposed to be. NOTHING is confirmed until Apple announces it. Just because we were discussing what this could be on iPhone 13 doesn’t meant *anything* as to what features this is actually going be.
Well, maybe with a separately attached antenna or a base station (that could handle several phones at once.
Sat phones are seriously behind in technology. Potentially low hanging fruit for serious market disruption.
But yes, most mobile phones’ antennas and power output are not sufficient.
I wonder what effect this will have on companies like Garmin who charge what I feel are exorbitant fees to do the same thing?
Nice rumor, be cool to ditch the high prices of a Spot or In-Reach if it's actually useful.
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I receently looked into sat phones just to see. They're not horribly expensive like I thought and would be worthwhile for anyone who goes off grid often.
The fees aren't exorbitant when you consider what you get. I can't speak for Garmin, since I don't own one of their devices, but my annual $200-ish SPOT fee includes services like real-time route tracking and, most importantly, evacuation insurance. $200/year is a WAY better deal than $10K+ for a one-time helicopter rescue. I also seriously doubt whatever satellite services Apple offers will be free. More "Services" revenue!
The prices aren't high when you consider that they include evacuation insurance. $200/year is far less expensive than paying for a helicopter ride. Never mind all the other short-comings of using an iPhone instead of a purpose-built PLB (such as terrible battery life, battery failure in the cold and at high altitudes, etc). An iPhone is NOT a serious alternative to a PLB. It's a false sense of security at best.
It doesn't matter that it can't do what a dedicated PLB can do. Just like it doesn't matter if a dedicated DSLR camera can do things an iPhone can't do. If this gives location and basic messaging features to everyone with an iPhone in their pocket, it'll be a huge deal and literally be a lifesaver for many. And yes, it will probably impact the sales of PLB's to some degree, even if it wouldn't survive a trip to the top of Mt. Everest.
Lol. You're obviously not a serious outdoors-person. My list of reasons is sound. Your attitude is precisely the kind of cavalier attitude that will get lots of inexperienced people into trouble. My iPhone routinely dies at high altitude here in California. Same goes for cold weather when I'm out backcountry skiing a few miles from my home in Tahoe. The iPhone can't save lives if it's dead because the battery can't handle the cold or the altitude. This "feature" is a false sense of security at best. If you're serious about the outdoors and safety, you need a PLB. Period.
Edit... That being said, I agree that it might be a lifesaver in certain scenarios. I was responding to someone who said he/she wanted it for backpacking. It's a TERRIBLE idea for backpacking for all of the reasons I mentioned. Get a PLB!!! Now if you're talking a day hike or an emergency message when your car breaks down will no cell coverage, sure, it could literally be a lifesaver in situations like those.
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If you’re backpacking in an area without cellular, fall & break your leg, this feature could save your life.
I mean, sorry to trigger you buddy. It wasn't personal. But I am a backpacker and through-hiker who has used PLB's on the PCT and elsewhere. And while they're great, it's just not something everyone needs or is going to invest in. And depending on the functionality, I would still find it a useful feature while backpacking - with the acknowledgement that it's a nice backup and shouldn't be something you fundamentally rely on for many of the reasons you mentioned.
Lol. So let's see if I've got this right...
First you sarcastically dismiss my very valid points with your pithy comment about surviving a trip to the top of Everest...only now to agree with me? But somehow I'm "triggered" (perhaps one of the most revealing words about the person who chooses to use it...but I digress...) because I disagree with your dismissive attitude? So what was the point of your comment in the first place? You could have just responded with something like "Nice summary of why an iPhone should never be used as a primary PLB, but it makes a great backup."
The iPhone will never (at least not anytime soon) replace a purpose-built PLB for anyone serious about remote, multi-day recreational activities. Call me "triggered" but I take it seriously. I've lived in the mountains for a long time and I've seen and heard about lots of really stupid decisions, and even made a few myself over the years. No one should think of an iPhone as "good enough" when they're out on a long backcountry trip. The battery issues alone are reason never to trust an iPhone in far flung locations. I carry my SPOT on backcountry ski days in the Sierra simply because I can't trust the iPhone battery even if I have cell service. I can't tell you the number of times I have pulled it out, watched it die, warmed it back up, and quickly tried to type a message before it died again.
As for need, not everyone needs a PLB but I would imagine that most people who buy them do. It's simply not a product that a casual day hiker, etc. is buying in the first place. So, at best, satellite messaging coming to cell phones gives casual users an extra level of safety, but those users weren't PLB buyers in the first place. So we're right back to my original point that the iPhone is NOT a replacement for a PLB.
Apple shouldn’t be relying on others.
They should be launching their own satellites.
They should be launching their own satellites.
I don't what to say that isn't going to offend you, but I'm not interested in an internet fight with a stranger, so you'll have to continue it without me. ✌️
So it would be unlikely Apple would get it their way.
still, it is a far better solution.