When the first reports of satellite communication in iPhones appeared, it sounded extraordinary because even the newest Starlink requires a directional antenna, which is not feasible in a smartphone. On the other hand, text messages or an SOS signal are a different matter. It also happens in very compact devices. All this is still speculation and one of the leading IT intrigues for the next week.
Apple has set a date for its September presentation. It is one of the biggest technological events of the fall. Especially now that the traditional exhibition in Berlin did not even take place online. The event in Cupertino is always bright and sets trends in the smartphone and near-smartphone world.
It is also traditional divination by invitations. Apple always encrypts the main (or one of the main) presentation topics. This time, they saw an indication of augmented reality in the invitation and its video version posted on Twitter. Well, or on the always-on display.
However, in recent days, another forecast has been discussed – the appearance in the next iPhones of the satellite communication function. So, according to the latest version, it will be, but only in some regions, and will not replace regular calls. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman writes about this.
Last week, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (unofficially the chief leak specialist at Apple) made an almost revolutionary statement that the Apple Company will allow owners of new smartphones to make calls using the Globalstar low-orbit satellite network Qualcomm will supply modems with technology support.
Now it turns out that things are not so rosy. Mark Gurman (a well-known expert on forecasts and leaks) claims that there will be no satellite calls on iPhones.
He mentions a possible conflict with cellular operators, but, in general, satellite SMS and SOS signal is already a technically realistic story. Moreover, it is quite prevalent. For example, there is the Garmin inReach Mini, which is a two-way satellite pager. Relatively inexpensive and does not require a directional antenna, as with voice calls.
But even such functionality in iPhones, as they say, will be available only in some markets and not immediately. Another thing is more interesting. According to Gourmet, Apple did not use the larger Starlink satellite constellation that Elon Musk is developing.
For personal reasons – because Musk has repeatedly called Cupertino “the graveyard of Tesla employees” for the fact that Apple lures his employees, but the world of a large corporation ultimately oppresses them. The gourmet believes that Apple will eventually develop its satellite constellation, but this is not a matter for the near future.
News Source: vesti.ru
