Apple’s Space Ambitions Are Real(?)

Apple’s Space Ambitions Are Real(?)(cringely.com)

48 points by 708733454927516 4 years ago | 11 comments

chrispeel 4 years ago |

I think it's possible that Apple will buy Globalstar or somehow offer emergency messaging via satellite. It's even possible that Apple will offer some sort of satellite voice service, again possibly for emergency use only.

I'm much more skeptical about the idea of Apple trying to compete with normal cell carriers. The trend in wireless is to go to small cells so that a carrier can offer high bandwidth service (like 5G) to customers. A satellite would have an effective cell radius of several hundred km, and would not be able to offer broadband service to everyone in a densely-populated area.

Melatonic 4 years ago | |

Thats possible but the issue with Global Star is that it isnt all that global. It is mainly useful in North America. The constellation could be expanded though.

Iridium is much better in that regard (or Inmarsat) and given how small some of these devices have become (checkout the inReach Mini) it would be pretty damn awesome to have that integrated into a phone.

GeekyBear 4 years ago | | |

I sincerely doubt that we're talking about anything more bandwidth intensive than text messaging, but the recent news out of Globalstar tells us they have a new partner who they refuse to disclose who is fronting them a lot of money for expansion.

>Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5.

The operator said Feb. 24 it picked MDA and Rocket Lab to supply a set of 17 satellites to replenish its constellation after a “potential customer” agreed to fund most of the $327 million project. The agreement includes an option for up to nine additional satellites at $11.4 million each.

https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-cu...

Requiring secrecy while fronting a large amount of money is certainly in line with Apple's known MO.

_zzaw 4 years ago |

I’ve been wondering for a while when Apple was going to launch its own mobile network. It just seemed like a matter of time, especially considering that Google’s already active in that space. Apple likes to redesign product categories that are broken and frustrating—the Apple Card being one example—and I think most of us hate dealing with our mobile providers. I know I do; the Verizon site is horrible. I doubt Apple likes having someone else’s shoddy UX coloring the process of buying and managing their mobile devices, and given how creepy the current wireless carriers are, I could see Apple pitching their own network as the privacy-friendly alternative.

It’s Apple, so who knows what they’ll do, but having their own mobile service makes a lot of sense to me.

sydthrowaway 4 years ago |

What the fresh hell?

https://insidetowers.com/cell-tower-news-apple-enters-the-sa...

708733454927516 4 years ago |

...Apple might announce its satellite plans at next week’s World Wide Developer Conference OR at the iPhone 14 announcement...

duskwuff 4 years ago | |

(wrong article, ignore this)

joshstrange 4 years ago | | |

Where do you see that? I see: June 3rd, 2022 at the bottom

duskwuff 4 years ago |

(wrong article, ignore this comment)

joshstrange 4 years ago | |

Where do you see that? I see: June 3rd, 2022 at the bottom

ig-88ms 4 years ago |

Well it's clCringely.