I'm surprised that MacRumors didn't plant a big fat Apple logo on the satellite in the picture.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Report: Apple Has 'Secret Team' Working on Satellites to Beam Data Directly to iPhones
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Seems criminal to not mention SpaceX in this article. They launch 120 internet satellites per month - surely they're more relevant than Boeing or Lockheed Martin, two minor players in the international launch market.
So they will all work the same way phased array communication. Elon has stated that if you could crack that size issue and get it down from a pizza box size that it would work just fine for a phone. The issue is they have yet to get it down from the size of a pizza box. So if apple can achieve this goal I am sure space X would love to sell you universal service. Don't like space X ok Blue origin is gonna do almost the exact same setup still phases array. Apple cracks this they have the option to break open a new market. But also everyone remember this high frequency does not punch holes in buildings at all
If the government can clamp down on those as they see fit, they will likely also be able to ban Apple from doing it.
That’s one embarrassing photoshop job, macurmors.
Because projects of this scale never get completed if they aren't a priority. The article does say they only have about a dozen engineers working on it currently.
I like what this could do for privacy if we could get our voice & data via Apple satellite. The major telecom carriers have all been caught selling location data of users to various entities (including bounty hunters). While no company is perfect, I trust Apple much more than I trust Verizon or AT&T.
I am no expert, but if you can bypass the carriers and create your own satellite based network specifically for Apple devices, I think this would be a great idea. Enhanced focus on speed, connectivity, security, features, etc. All controlled by Apple - smart move.
It is really sad that this has leaked. Who ever responsible for leaking this should go to prison.
New iPhones to have new satellite chips and ONLY get data from Apple satellites.
I smell a new expensive monthly subscription if you want cell/data reception on your new satellite iPhone....
I smell a new expensive monthly subscription if you want cell/data reception on your new satellite iPhone....
Oh good god. Obviously you missed the bad old days of time-sharing a mainframe. Too many bottlenecks, authoritarian system operators, etc. No. Just no. Never again.
The idea of bypassing, or indeed augmenting, traditional carriers service with an Apple service is an attractive idea. Right now just to be safe I carry a personal locator beacon when I hike in the Scottish Highlands, but it only has the facility to send out an SOS. I use it in addition to my iPhone with uepaa! (see link). Anyway, the issue for me would be the cost and the performance of any Apple-based satellite/peer-to-peer service.
Well, you can kiss goodbye to indoor communications, unless you install an antenna on the outside of your building or vehicle.
Yes. One way or another Apple will likely partner with SpaceX before they do with Blue Origin. Love the way Apple thinks. Instead of matching Qualcomm, they seek ways to disrupt the industry. The greatest challenge here is the physics. Power consumption and antenna size may prove too difficult to overcome, but I’m not imaginative nor smart enough to think differently.
They're gonna need a super fast private network with all the iOS updates they need to push out lately.
I kid, sort of. I do wish they could just get some stuff fixed/improved before jumping into a new idea. I know it is different teams but geez, give us dark mode on icloud.com please, and why can't I identify alias emails in the mail app on iOS? Both MacOS and icloud do it. Sigh.
I kid, sort of. I do wish they could just get some stuff fixed/improved before jumping into a new idea. I know it is different teams but geez, give us dark mode on icloud.com please, and why can't I identify alias emails in the mail app on iOS? Both MacOS and icloud do it. Sigh.
Two things.
1. Insanely interesting.
2. "Can't innovate anymore, my a*s!"
1. Insanely interesting.
2. "Can't innovate anymore, my a*s!"
Interesting stuff - if I understand correctly, this would free iPhones from relying on cell towers. Great for power outages, government interference, and imperial entanglements.
With Elon about ready to launch his satellite internet service, maybe Apple sees that carriers are the next sector to undergo a change (like the TV and gaming industry is doing now) and wants to at least try to get a piece of the pie.
LOL, no I wasn’t yet born in the 70s. I should hope that 50 years in technology advancement can solve those issues 😅
