Satellite

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Satellite:

iPhone Emergency SOS via satellite on track for November launch

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Globalstar satellites
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models will soon be able to use satellites to exchange emergency texts.
Photo: Globalstar

Apple is investing $450 million into satellite infrastructure to insure its Emergency SOS via satellite service for the iPhone 14 series launches in November as scheduled.

A majority of the funding goes to Globalstar, a global satellite service based in Louisiana.

Apple exploring satellite network to beam data directly to iPhones

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satellite
The iPhone maker seems serious to create a satellite network to beam data directly to devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Photo: ESA

Apple is building a larger research group to investigate ways to transmit data directly to iPhones and other devices, Bloomberg reported Friday.

According to the report, Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly made the project a company priority.

Satellite footage shows Apple Park’s evolution over time

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Apple hQ
Apple's massive HQ has come a long way in the past two years.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s enormous $5 billion Apple Park campus has come a long way in the past two years, as a new video makes clear.

Taken by Planet Labs, a company with the goal of selling high-resolution satellite imaging, it depicts construction on the new headquarters from September 2015 through the present day. Check it out below.

See The Whole Earth In The iOS 6 Maps App [iOS Tips]

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Maps Globe View

Now, this is fun. You may have heard that Apple ditched Google maps and navigation data to create their very own new Maps app using Tom Tom data. While some of the pros and cons of such a move are beyond this little iOS tip today, a little hidden feature of the new Maps App is not.

So, if you have an iOS device that will support it, try this fun little trick out, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Which Companies Will Still Thrive When The iPad Rules The Earth

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Which industries will thrive in an iPad-dominated world? Which will fail?
Which industries will thrive in an iPad-dominated world? Which will fail?

Led by the iPad, tablet sales are now expected to overtake laptop sales within four years. Given how disruptive the iPad has already been to many industries, it’s almost impossible to read reports like that without wondering which industries the iPad will topple or transform over the next five to ten years.

A new Morgan Stanley report identifies some of the likely winners and losers in an iPad and tablet dominated world. The industries expected to succeed include a couple of surprises – at first glance.

Satellite Eyes Turns Your Mac’s Boring Wallpaper Into A Bird’s Eye View Of Your Current Location

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Much better than a picture of your motorbike, right?
Much better than a picture of your motorbike, right?

Fed up of trying to find the perfect wallpaper for your Mac? There are plenty out there that feature supercars you’ll never be able to afford, models you’ll never meet, and sandy beaches you’ll never visit. But for something a little more interesting, check out Satellite Eyes, a wonderful little app that displays a satellite view of your current location as your desktop background.

One U.S. Senator Is Worried Apple’s Detailed 3D Maps Will Aid Criminals & Terrorists

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View some of the most beautiful cities and landmarks in the world with Flyover.
These detailed images could be blurred in places if one U.S. Senator has his way.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new Maps app that’s coming to iOS 6 looks really incredible. Its detailed 3D maps blow the traditional satellite view right out of the water, and allow you to view high resolution images of cities like San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, and more. But what happens when those detailed images get into the wrong hands.

Well, U.S. Senator for New York, Charles E. Schumer, is worried the detailed images could be used to aid criminals and terrorists, and he has privacy concerns over the military-grade spy planes Apple uses to capture these images.

DirectTV CEO: Apple HDTV Not A Threat, Won’t Have Superior User Interface

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DirecTV chairman claims Apple won't deliver a better experience or content for viewers
DirecTV chairman claims Apple won't deliver a better experience or content for viewers.

The entertainment industry may be bracing for further disruption by Apple when the company finally unveils its HDTV and related television plans, but at least one major player in the field is refusing to show any sign of fear.

In a move sure to be followed by other industry executives, DirecTV chairman Michael White downplayed the potential for an Apple television during a conference attended by other cable and satellite company leaders late last week. While other executives were fairly noncommittal about an Apple HDTV and what it could mean for the entertainment industry, White was emphatic in deriding the idea that Apple could deliver a better user experience to viewers.

Speaking at the Sanford Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference, White specifically called out two of the most anticipated features of an Apple television – a superior user interface and a better selection of content – and described them as unrealistic and unimportant to his company’s customers.

Seagate GoFlex Satellite: Say Goodbye to iPad Storage Woes [Review]

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goflex-satellite-cover-3

Sure, the 32GB iPad has enough storage space for a bunch of apps, some songs and maybe even a movie or two. But for those of us with large media collections, even the mega 64GB version will start to feel a little cramped when stuffed full of music and videos (and I have no idea how those of you with 16GB iPads get by).

So, what if you could just stick a portable external drive into your iPad, like you would with a MacBook? Bam, extra storage! Well, yeah — but you can’t, right? Wrong! Well, sorta — you can’t plug one in physically; but the 500GB Seagate GoFlex Satellite ($200) gets around the whole physical connection thing by supplying its own wifi hotspot that lets you create a wifi link between it and your iPad. Genius.