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 took the wraps off the much-anticipated 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus at a product launch event on Wednesday. This has a screen as big as the company’s largest handset, but at a significantly lower price.
“With a larger display, you can enjoy more content when browsing the web,” promised Kaiann Drance, the head of iPhone marketing. “You can see more text or larger text. It looks great with the incredible features of iOS 16. ”
The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 was also announced, but is a fairly minor update over its predecessor. Still, both models have cameras with better low-light performance than their predecessors and emergency satellite communications, too.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max at the same product event on Wednesday.
It might not be necessary to trade in an iPhone 13 for the iPhone 14 to get the upcoming model’s satellite communication capabilities. Apple’s 2021 handset reportedly already has this feature – it’s just not activated.
It’s possible Apple will announce at a September 7 event that both the iPhone 13 and 14 will be able to send emergency texts via satellite.
iPhone 14 users may never be out of contact as long as they’re outdoors. Apple’s upcoming handset will be able to exchange texts via satellites in low-Earth orbit, according to an expert in satellite communications. And the service will be free.
Apple might even have hinted about this feature in the invite to its September 7 event during which the iPhone 14 is expected to be announced.
A second trusted source for insider Apple information says future iPhones will be able to communicate with satellites, exchanging texts and possibly phone calls. But new leaked details indicate this feature will be more limited than some might hope.
It would still be a significant advancement by Apple. The company reportedly is even considering launching its own satellites.
The iPhone 13 will offer two-way communication with low Earth orbit satellites, according to a report from a reliable Apple analyst. If the prediction proves correct, making phone calls and exchanging texts via satellite connection will be possible with Apple’s next handset.
