What Stands Out with iPhone 14
Looking back at the release of the iPhone 14, it’s clear that most of the features there are incremental improvements over previous versions. Someone given an iPhone 12 instead of a 14 won’t be locked out of doing almost everything. Even the chips are relatively close to each other, and the same for the iPhone 13.
Better camera, innovative software, better use of hardware. The launch event seems identical to previous years. There isn’t the “just one more thing” flare from Steve Jobs.
However, one thing stood out on the iPhone 14 — and that was the ability to send SOS alerts to satellites. This marks a new frontier for handheld communication. A mass market phone with direct satellite communication is a difference maker.
There are already constellations of satellites that are in orbit or en route that will be able to provide connectivity. That a satellite modem is on a device wedges the door open to more capability in the future. It means that connectivity will likely be available during natural disasters or political upheaval, and that roaming charges might disappear.
This may also provide an incentive for Apple and eventually Google (or even Samsung) to launch their own satellites and bypass cellular data altogether. The everywhere phone is being born.
