How Apple's years-old satellite plan crashed before Starlink launched

AppleInsider

As impressive as Apple's free Emergency SOS via Satellite service is, it was meant to be so much more. Before cancellation, a project started in 2015 aimed to provide full satellite Wi-Fi to iPhone users.

Apple's Emergency SOS feature on iPhones

Apple ultimately launched its Emergency SOS via Satellite with the iPhone 14 back in 2022, and it immediately began saving lives. But as far back as 2015, Apple was planning a satellite service that would be vastly more comprehensive -- and effectively a rival to Elon Musk's Starlink.

According to The Information, the satellite venture was called "Project Eagle," and it began with discussions between Apple and Boeing. Five people involved in the project report that Apple and Boeing considered launching thousands of satellites into orbit, specifically to provide internet service everywhere.

Alongside the satellites in space, Apple looked at offering antennas for users. Satellites can only provide line-of-sight internet, so Apple planned to sell antennas to go on buildings and relay the signals inside.

Reportedly, Apple spent $36 million testing the project in a secret location in El Segundo, California, around 350 miles from Apple Park. It was overseen by Ruben Caballero, who worked on many or most of Apple's wireless projects, including 2010's "antennagate" controversy.

What went wrong

According to these unspecified sources involved in the project, Tim Cook ultimately cancelled it. He was reportedly concerned that it would jeopardize Apple's relationships with carriers and the telecom industry.

There was also the potential that such a project would bring Apple under additional regulation as a telecom carrier itself. Plus, while the costs were straightforward to predict, it was far less clear what the business benefit would be.

Reportedly, however, the project led to Apple researching alternative wireless opportunities. That included the company buying Intel's modem business for $1 billion in 2019, which then further led to the new Apple C1 modem.

Apple also briefly considered partnering with satellite internet provider OneWeb around 2018. OneWeb is said to have quoted Apple $30 billion to $40 billion to deploy the satellites it wanted, but Apple didn't continue.

Separately, OneWeb filed for bankruptcy in 2020. And "Project Eagle" wireless lead Ruben Caballero left Apple in 2019.

At around that time, Elon Musk offered to provide connectivity for the iPhone through his then-new Starlink service. He also said that if Apple refused, he would make his own satellite feature for the iPhone.

Reportedly, Musk gave Cook 72 hours to accept the offer, and Cook turned him down. Musk then announced a collaboration with T-Mobile in 2022, while Apple partnered with Globalstar to launch its Emergency SOS via Satellite feature.

There does not appear to be any appetite left in Apple for pursuing the satellite project. It's said that Apple's teams have concluded the company should not try to get into providing home internet services.



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byronl

Seems a lot of Apple's plans have crashed in the past decade lol. That's why they're barely growing anymore. 

hammeroftruth

byronl said:

Seems a lot of Apple's plans have crashed in the past decade lol. That's why they're barely growing anymore. 

Tim is wary about upsetting Apple’s partners when Steve Jobs didn’t give a shit if they got mad. Apple got screwed by Motorola when before Steve came back they made a deal to have them make Mac clones which Apple got screwed by Motorola when, before Steve came back, they made a deal to have them make Mac clones, which cannibalised their customers and after that, Steve screwed them over by making the iPhone while using their help with that piece of shit called a ROKR. 

dutchlord

Satellite connectivity is another hobby of Apple and lacks commitment and  endurance. Thats why I keep my Garmin with Inreach subscription as this is a dedicated, bullet proof solution with reliable hardware, software and network connectivity. 

calamander

hammeroftruth said:

byronl said:

Seems a lot of Apple's plans have crashed in the past decade lol. That's why they're barely growing anymore. 

Tim is wary about upsetting Apple’s partners when Steve Jobs didn’t give a shit if they got mad. Apple got screwed by Motorola when before Steve came back they made a deal to have them make Mac clones which Apple got screwed by Motorola when, before Steve came back, they made a deal to have them make Mac clones, which cannibalised their customers and after that, Steve screwed them over by making the iPhone while using their help with that piece of shit called a ROKR. 

It's one of the hidden away stories.. Jobs played the the telecoms perfectly. Back then Telekoms were thinking they would be the app store of the world, milking and taxing everyone on their networks - they never wanted to be dumb data pipes. But ... they were also too incompetent to do any of this.

Jobs somehow convinced them to take the iPhone at a super high price, and the product itself was so popular telkoms couldn't say no to the app store when that arrived either. 

At every turn, Jobs beat them. Including when he had to introduce the ROKR -a total POS phone which he was contracted to introduce at an Apple event; but immediately after he introduced the iPod nano which looked like a device from Star Trek .... like a magician he made everyone forget about the ROKR he had just talked about 5 minutes ago.