Rumor: Apple is working on satellites for data connections to products
Apple reportedly has a secret team working on satellites and related wireless technologies. Sources report this to financial news agency Bloomberg. The project is said to be in an early phase and should deliver results within five years.
Apple would strive to find new ways to send data directly to Apple devices via Internet connections. According to Bloomberg, the iPhone manufacturer has a dozen engineers from the aerospace, satellite and antenna industries working on the project. The results must be in within five years. According to sources, the project is still at a very early stage, so there is a chance that Apple will stop the work. In addition, an exact usage scenario for satellites is not yet concrete. Apple boss Tim Cook is said to be interested in the project and has stated that the project is a priority for the company.
According to Bloomberg, the satellites could be used to send data directly to Apple devices, or to connect devices together without the need for a traditional network. In this way, Apple would be less or less dependent on mobile providers. The company is said to have hired several software and hardware experts in recent months with experience in communications equipment and satellites.
The team would be led by Michael Trela and John Fenwick, who previously headed satellite imaging company Skybox Imaging until the company was acquired by Google in 2014. Until 2017, the two would have helped Google with satellite projects, before making the switch to Apple. Bloomberg already reported this in 2017.
The first year and a half were spent assessing the feasibility of developing satellite technology by Apple. The pair have also been busy finding the problem that Apple hopes to solve with the technology. The project is said to have been slightly delayed after Dropcam co-founder Greg Duffy left Apple. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked on “special projects” at Apple from November 2016 to July 2019, including satellite communications and wireless technology.
Currently, there are several companies that want to launch a satellite constellation. Amazon plans to launch more than 3,000 satellites. SpaceX and Facebook have also been working on similar projects for some time. Bloomberg also states that all of these projects are not yet profitable, and that Apple is not quick to enter new industries if it does not see a clear way to make money. On the other hand, since his appointment as CEO, Tim Cook has increased Apple’s research budget significantly.