The Apple Watch is due for an upgrade alongside the iPhones, later this year. The iPhone 13 was earlier reported to include Satellite connectivity but it did not see the daylight. Later, new reports suggested that the upcoming iPhone 14 series may have support for the same. Now, in a recent development, it is rumoured that the Apple Watch may gain satellite connectivity in a future model, possibly by 2023.
For the unaware, satellite connectivity may help in sending text messages in case of an emergency to contacts via a satellite network when no cellular signal is available. The function could also allow users to report an emergency. The phone will ask what kind of emergency is happening, such as whether it involves a car, boat, plane or fire.
Apple Watch Reported to Feature Satellite Connectivity, But?
The latest report comes via Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s newsletter Power On, suggesting that the next generation of Apple Watch might be equipped with satellite connectivity. Gurman says “the Apple Watch is also destined to get that functionality,” although Gurman believes Apple’s timeframe could be this year or 2023”. The feature might be available with Apple Watches this year or by 2023.
“There have been signs lately that Apple and its apparent satellite partner Globalstar Inc. might be getting closer to launching such a feature. In February, Globalstar said it reached an agreement to buy 17 new satellites to help power ’continuous satellite services’ for a ’potential’– and unnamed – customer that had paid it hundreds of millions of dollars.”
We won’t be overly enthusiastic, at least for the time being. Satellite connectivity was rumoured for the iPhone 13, but it never materialised, and the same could be happening with the Apple Watch.
This year, Apple is slated to release three Apple Watch models: a basic model, a new SE variant, and a rugged model for extreme activities. The regular and tough models are likely to include satellite connectivity. When someone is in a distant place with no cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity, this capability might come in handy.
Apple Watch Series 8 will be released later this year, and the new watches are likely to offer a significant improvement in terms of activity tracking, as well as a quicker chipset. The company has also been working on an upgraded blood pressure sensor and software for the Apple Watch, but accuracy has been a difficulty.
