Apple has reportedly hired a team of scientists to develop its own network of satellites to beam data of the company’s devices like iPads and iPhones. This will enable Apple gadgets to communicate with each other without any third carrier. The team has around 12 engineers with expertise from aerospace, satellite and antenna design industries. Some reports suggest that the team has been given a time period of 5 years to deploy the goal of results. The project is at a very initial stage and no one is fully aware of what the team of scientists inside the Apple Park campus is up to. This is not a surprise for those who have been closely following the tech giant and developments related to it. This is because there were talks of an Apple satellite way back in 2017 when Apple hired two former Google satellite and aerospace engineers.
Ex-Googlers Michael Trela and John Fenwick are reportedly leading the team of scientists. Trela and Fenwick were employees of Skybox Imaging before the company was sold to the search engine giant in 2014. They looked after Google’s spacecraft and satellite operation till 2017. However, the project is still in its early stages and it could take at least five years before we hear any official word on it. But Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly expressed interest in the project and therefore it is a company priority. The plan to use its own satellites would reduce Apple’s reliance on wireless carriers. The other important role it could play is in mapping features on the iPhone. This would lead to improved navigation and precise location tracking. Though it is still not clear how to the satellite would be deployed.
With this, the smartphone manufacturer has joined several tech companies that have joined the league of satellite technology for a variety of purposes. The company has considerably increased its research and development budget under Tim Cook, with USD 16 billion spent in its fiscal year 2019. This saw an increase of 14 percent boost from the previous year, according to Apple’s filings. The tech firm is planning to bring more of its technology in-house and adopting satellite technology may help in it.
Carolyn is a technology graduate and loves to write about anything related to technology as well as writes in others sectors. Carolyn is a professional writer with over 7 years of experience. Initially starting off as a programmer, Carolyn decided to combine her knowledge about technology and writing and that’s how she joined Reporter Expert.