181–190 of 496 posts
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Not to be snarky, phones do have an “off” button. There is no reason we can’t have a little disconnectedness anywhere we choose. Ie: the problem isn’t the connection, it’s the expectation that just because there is a connection there is also a need to respond.
I think the problem isn't me turning my phone off, it's other people not turning their phone off.
I believe this is SpaceX trying to stay one step ahead of Apple. Anyone else remember this strange rumor about iPhones including satellite capability a year ago? https://www.macrumors.com/2021/08/29/iphone-13-to-feature-le... Now you have Apple’s event in a couple weeks themed “Far Out” with space pictures. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Apple announced something similar, possibly with Globalstar instead. Of cours…
> Of course, Apple’s solution will likely only work with iMessage. What makes you think that? (Messages doesn’t need to be on your carrier’s network to send/receive MMS/SMS messages.)
This is Apple we are talking about. They wouldn’t make this play without some form of vendor lock-in. They will probably choose to lock in based on hardware (“must have iPhone 14 for this capability!”) — but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them lock in on the software side as well.
If I were Tim Cook, I might play both sides. “Bandwidth is limited, so for now, this will only work with iMessage.” This gives them room to open it up later for more good PR, and allows them to test the reaction of having it only work with their proprietary software.
I have no insider knowledge here. I follow this space closely due to co-owning an independent repair business that primarily works on Apple products.
space based global coverage scares the shit out of me, especially when its 100% commercial interests. Thought you could be untrackable off grid? Think again. Think you can be in an RF free zone, anywhere on planet? Nope. There is no "off-grid" when your grid is literally LAT+LONG 100% data access sounds awesome until you realize that its no longer "surveillance state" and its "surveillance planet"
> Thought you could be untrackable off grid? Think again. If you want to be untrackable and off grid why are you bringing your cell phone with you?
can anyone disclaim this? What are the anechoics of an airplane mode phone?
This is actually fascinating. T-Mobile doesn’t need a fiber or even cable buildout to a remote location, just power and the local clearances for a tower, they plop a Starlink antenna on the top and bam. Congestion will be a challenge but it will be way better than the current status quo.
Can someone smarter than me explain what’s in it for Starlink?
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Good question. I've had a bear of a time sourcing good info on this and would welcome a solid analysis.
Radio horizon is somewhat complex, but 45 miles is not entirely unreasonable from an elevated position. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-of-sight_propagation#Radi... There could also be timing related constraints that limit max range: radio waves propagate at the speed of light which is fast, but not instant.
The issue you have with long distances is multipath, which can throw off the complex timing required to have multiple users in realtime on a single radio.
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> Of course, Apple’s solution will likely only work with iMessage. What makes you think that? (Messages doesn’t need to be on your carrier’s network to send/receive MMS/SMS messages.)
I wasn’t looking at this from a technical perspective, more of a business/finance/operations perspective. This is Apple we are talking about. They wouldn’t make this play without some form of vendor lock-in. They will probably choose to lock in based on hardware (“must have iPhone 14 for this capability!”) — but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them lock in on the software side as well. If I were Tim Cook, I might play…
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Fresnel zones are weird. Radio waves don't always behave like line-of-sight would suggest. So out on the water, you might be farther from the tower as the crow flies, but there may be less interference, obstruction, multipath error, etc.
Also, water specifically has good propagation characteristics. (Salt water is best, iirc.) At least, I think that's true for the longer wavelengths more typically used with HAM radio. I don't know if it holds for microwave-ish frequencies like cell phones would use.
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Self-driving cars have proven harder than expected, but given the rest of Musk's tale, I wouldn't bet against him. SpaceX is already launching satellites, and Starlink is already providing service. T-mobile owns the frequencies for it, it's "just" a matter of building the satellites and putting them into space. If the claim were more outlandish, it would be harder to buy, but the technology is eminently doable.
Self driving is one of the hardest, if not the hardest software problems ever to be solved. I think people underestimate just how challenging the problem is. Must says a lot of stupid stuff but in reality he has delivered on the vast majority of it, though as he says it's not always in the time frame he expects.