Apple Brings in the Big Guns for New Hardware Team Focused on Satellites

Apple has always been an innovator. The tech titan changed the face of computers with the Macintosh. Then, decades later, the iPod changed music forever. And of course, cell phones were never the same after the invention of the iPhone. Apple constantly looks to the future. Project Titan is Apple’s ongoing driverless car project. And Apple’s latest hires hint at what’s next for the company.

What’s Apple Up to?

Satellites have always held massive appeal for technology companies. Facebook dreams of using satellites and solar-powered planes to connect billions of people across the world to free high-speed internet. Google has the same idea, and also believes satellites could be a much more cost-effective and efficient tool for Google Maps and all of its street views. And of course, the federal government salivates at using satellites for the purpose of surveillance. But really, satellites let you either see the world below, or bounce radio waves and communicate with people across the globe.

And because of that, Boeing proposed a plan to produce a 1,000 satellite constellation to provide broadband internet access across the planet. The airplane manufacturer came to Apple to be an investor-partner. Could that have something to do with Apple’s newest hires?

The iPhone maker has brought on two top Google satellite executives — John Fenwick and Michael Trela — for a new hardware team. Fenwick led Google's spacecraft operations, and Trela was head of satellite engineering for Alphabet. The duo gives Apple an instant head start in any satellite business with their design and operations expertise.

But while their expertise is in satellites, that doesn’t necessarily mean that satellites are where the pair’s talents will be applied. Many companies have gone bankrupt chasing the dream of satellites. The pair could just as easily be working on drone operations, which could be a huge market for Apple.

Watch the video from Bloomberg Technology about Apple's interest in satellite operations:

Regardless of where and how Trela and Fenwick are applied, the two are top-tier talent, and Apple doesn’t frivolously hire people for projects — especially not from Google parent company Alphabet, Inc. Look for the due to be used on a big, actionable project, and expect to see a new release from Apple in the coming years, launching shares UP.

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