Australia Flags Child Safety Gaps at Apple, Meta, Google Over Online Sexual Extortion 
Morgan Stanley Says China’s Reusable Rocket Progress Poses Long-Term Challenge to SpaceX 
Bain Capital Exits Kioxia After AI-Fueled Valuation Surge 
Zhipu AI Raises HK$31.37 Billion in Discounted Share Sale to Accelerate AI Growth 
Wolfspeed Sues Navitas Over GaN and SiC Patent Infringement 
SK Hynix’s $28B U.S. IPO Draws Strong Demand as AI Chip Boom Fuels Investor Interest 
Chinese Chip Stocks Jump as Apple Reportedly Tests CXMT Memory Chips for China Devices 
Samsung to Launch First Yongin Chip Plant by 2029 as South Korea Speeds Up Semiconductor Hub 
TSMC Q2 Revenue Surges 36% as AI Chip Demand Powers Growth Ahead of Earnings 
DeepSeek Eyes China IPO as AI Startup Seeks $71 Billion Valuation in New Funding Round 
SK Hynix’s $28 Billion U.S. Share Sale Draws Massive Demand Amid AI Chip Boom 
Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong Expected to Meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on AI and Chip Partnership 
Alibaba Stock Jumps as China Approves Apple Intelligence Powered by Qwen AI 
Apple Intelligence Cleared for China as Alibaba and Baidu AI Power iPhone Features 
Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft 
Elon Musk Says Anthropic Leads AI Race as Claude Models Challenge OpenAI 
Reports that the iPhone 13 will ship with the capacity to make satellite communications are still out there. However, it may not be the ultimate SAT phone alternative as once thought. The feature is purportedly going to work in emergencies and select markets only.
Just when it appeared that everything about the iPhone 13 has been leaked, new information recently came to light. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the device will launch with low earth orbit (LEO) satellite features. Despite other analysts doubting it to become a reality this year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman seems to back Kuo’s claims.
In Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, the reliable Apple source said iPhone 13 would be able to make satellite communications but only during emergencies. And in this case, emergency means when the user is in a place where there is no cell service.
Gurman added that what’s not happening this year is the iPhone 13 functioning just like SAT phones. That means owners of the upcoming phone will not have the ability to make calls without using cellular networks anywhere. He emphasized that such a feature is unlikely to launch “now, next year, or anytime in the near future.” And that makes sense because Apple would not want to be on the bad side of major network carriers by providing iPhone users an option to bypass their services.
iPhone 13’s satellite features could work in several ways but, initially, it might not include the ability to make phone calls. In an earlier Bloomberg report, the functionality is expected to launch in the form of Messaging-integrated satellite emergency texts.
The availability of the iPhone 13’s satellite features is also expected to be limited. Gurman did not specify which countries are getting the features and only said it will launch in “select markets.” However, Apple might eventually offer it in more territories down the line as it did with Apple Watch’s ECG features.
Apple fans are welcome to take the information from analysts and insiders with a grain of salt. Luckily, the anticipated iPhone 13 launch is happening any week now. The device is expected to be announced at a launch event this month, along with other Apple products.
Photo by Thai Nguyen on Unsplash
