Apple hires two Google satellite execs for 'new hardware team'
Apple has reportedly hired two executives from Google's satellite division to head up "a new hardware team," with goals that are still unclear.
The two people include John Fenwick, Google's head of spacecraft operations, and Michael Trela, who was in charge of satellite engineering, Bloomberg said on Friday. In February, Google confirmed a deal to sell off its satellite mapping business, Terra Bella, to Planet Labs. Google's parent company Alphabet likely wanted to cut out the expense of launching and running satellites.
Fenwick and Trela are reporting to Dropcam co-founder Greg Duffy, who joined Apple in January, according to Bloomberg sources. Duffy's hiring was confirmed by Apple but likewise mysterious, with other sources only hinting that he was probably working on a special project.
The new hires were at one point co-founders of Skybox Imaging, a satellite imaging startup Google bought in 2014 for $500 million. It designed fridge-sized satellites capable of producing detailed, rapidly-updated images of the Earth's surface.
Apple could conceivably want to launch its own satellite cluster, which would provide it with proprietary data for Apple Maps instead of having to rely on third parties. Such a project might cost billions however, and involve hiring many more people.
Bloomberg noted that aerospace giant Boeing has allegedly talked to Apple about investing in a project to put over 1,000 satellites in low Earth orbit for expanding internet access. Boeing's technology would purportedly offer faster-than-cellular speeds.
For Apple this would presumably increase the appeal of its devices and services, guaranteeing access even in places normally cut off from broadband. Unlike other companies that have explored global internet, such as Google and Facebook, Apple wouldn't gain any significant advertising revenue.
The two people include John Fenwick, Google's head of spacecraft operations, and Michael Trela, who was in charge of satellite engineering, Bloomberg said on Friday. In February, Google confirmed a deal to sell off its satellite mapping business, Terra Bella, to Planet Labs. Google's parent company Alphabet likely wanted to cut out the expense of launching and running satellites.
Fenwick and Trela are reporting to Dropcam co-founder Greg Duffy, who joined Apple in January, according to Bloomberg sources. Duffy's hiring was confirmed by Apple but likewise mysterious, with other sources only hinting that he was probably working on a special project.
The new hires were at one point co-founders of Skybox Imaging, a satellite imaging startup Google bought in 2014 for $500 million. It designed fridge-sized satellites capable of producing detailed, rapidly-updated images of the Earth's surface.
Apple could conceivably want to launch its own satellite cluster, which would provide it with proprietary data for Apple Maps instead of having to rely on third parties. Such a project might cost billions however, and involve hiring many more people.
Bloomberg noted that aerospace giant Boeing has allegedly talked to Apple about investing in a project to put over 1,000 satellites in low Earth orbit for expanding internet access. Boeing's technology would purportedly offer faster-than-cellular speeds.
For Apple this would presumably increase the appeal of its devices and services, guaranteeing access even in places normally cut off from broadband. Unlike other companies that have explored global internet, such as Google and Facebook, Apple wouldn't gain any significant advertising revenue.
Comments
We are now entering a new age of cheaper micro satellites and there have already been calls for a system to control the amount of new hardware that gets put into orbit.
Apple has the cash to put a cluster into orbit like Iridium (which has PowerPC processors) but it cannot go it alone. It will need a lot of specialized help and might run into regulatory problems if they try to deliver an end to end (content creation and delivery) solution.
The cost should not be in the billions because Iridium Communications owns the Iridium constellation and its market cap is under a billion dollars.
Apple is probably using Iridium now to support its Coherent Navigation systems which they purchased, but it is probably more cost effective to have its own constellation in the long term.
Apple can also launch more advanced dedicated satellites. Cook would probably need Elon Musk's Space X to launch the satellites into orbit.
Time will tell.
What equally scares me is that not only is the largest Tech company struggling to keep products coming consistently that aren't named iPhone but that we unleash thousands of computer science majors every year and these silicon valley black holes just suck them into the singularity. I feel a bit like technology has ground to a halt but then again I lived through the glory years of Tandy, Commodore Vic-20, Wang computers, Trash 80 Osborne and more. Now you get two choices. OS X or Windows, iOS or Android, Intel or AMD.
As excited as I get for Apple's future technological marvels my enthusiasm is tempered a bit by the realization that perhaps i'm expecting a wee bit too much from a company that cannot merge my Apple ID email and my iCloud email.
Because of its recent work with Intel (modems) -- I suspect that Apple is working on a telephony-related offering...
There are some unique opportunities in the consumer and enterprise marketplaces.
I'm actually excited about Apple getting into new areas, their ADHD can be tiresome at times though.
I think everyone kind of wonders what a Post-iPhone Apple looks like.
That's why you just can't trust Google.
If Apple wants to actually Innovate, they've got to stop blaming the lack of new chips and the lack of this or that, and actually innovate a way around it. That's what innovation is. It's finding a solution when none of the options are working. They are "supposedly" spending all of this money on R&D. Well if they are, they certainly don't have teams actually designing and pushing out new Macs. But you're right. If all you ever care about is the iPhone, iPad, and Watch, then things are certainly looking rosy. They are damn splendid even. For the rest of us, we're getting hosed and Apple doesn't seem to care, which is what is truly upsetting. So get Phil's ass out on stage and get us some new Macs that aren't slight tweaks to existing models. Innovate damn it. Innovate.
Apple Watch was released just 2 years ago. You want a successful Watch-scale product every year? What other company is doing this?
Record Services/iPhone/Mac/Bluetooth headset/Watch sales were a disappointment. And don't get me started on those sold out AirPods!!
Apple will go out of business tomorrow!!!!1
Jony isn't designing Christmas trees. And wow, a sold out product is a "problem"? What if it wasn't sold out? Oh yeah, that would be a "problem" too. Apple is damned if they do, damned if they don't. "Peak iPhone", "no ones buying the iPhone", "AirPods are sold out".
There is no Apple tax, you're starting to sound like an iKnockoff idiot.
Funny you're complaining about the complete opposite of others.
damned if they do, damned if they don't.
What does the competition release? Besides Apple knockoffs you'll be lucky to get a lousy product every decade. Oh no but Apple must release a revolutionary new product yearly. Who cares if their other products are in their prime.
Hyperbolic nonsense. Yes, there have been gaps in the timeline compared to what you're used to, but to state that they're not designing or releasing Macs is false. We know we'll see an updated iMac this year (what's the 5K anyway, chopped liver?). The MacBook will get an update at some point this year, of course. They mentioned the mini at the roundtable, so odds are they haven't abandoned that. We know they're deep into redoing the Mac Pro from scratch to make good on that promise. The MBP is brand spanking new still, with its "practically no ports" if you're a glass half empty type, or four of the most versatile future-forward ports ever on a Mac. The Touch Bar was years in development, whether you like it or not, and is a stepping stone to full virtual control surfaces replacing the entire keyboard/trackpad (again, see Patently Apple if you think they're sitting around doing nothing).
You should hang out on MacRumors, you'd love it there — everyone complains all day long about how Apple sits on their thumbs all day doing nothing.
The money went into Project Titan which will probably be called Timmy's Folley but it doesn't matter too much because Apple will still be amazingly successful and profitable with their existing products.
Even when Apple screws up in a few places you have to realize that Apple still executes better than Google (who couldn't get their Pixel phones out in volume) and better than Samsung (which has one flagship that blows up) followed by another that despite its beautiful screen has the finger print scanner is a very stupid location (plus facial recognition that fails) and has a button that does not work because of unfinished software.
That's why Apple can get away with crappy iTunes Software, SIRI, and MAPS. Google has some software and services that are better, but I heard a couple reviewers complaining about the lag on the Galaxy S8.