The rumor: Apple is planning to use low-orbit satellites to bring communication to places it has never gone before on iPhone 13, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (76.6% accurate).
- “We predict that the iPhone 13 hardware specs will support LEO (low Earth orbit) satellite communications. If Apple turns on the software, when iPhone 13 users are not in 4G/5G coverage, they can also call and transmit via satellite communications” Kuo says
- Mark Gurman previously reported on Apple’s plans to allow iPhones to communicate with satellites in December 2019
Our take: This could be the killer feature of the iPhones this year, and beat any Android devices to the punch. The applications of this technology are wild and would allow people to communicate in places that they simply could not before. That being said, I’ll be impressed if we see this feature land on iPhone 13 and not something next year or the year after. If it does come this year, it will be huge for Apple.
