SpaceX and Amazon may be getting some serious competition in low Earth orbit. Apple is reportedly assembling a secret team that will build (or use pre-existing) internet satellites for bouncing data between iDevices. The goal of this project is to sidestep traditional networks/carriers and improve GPS functions, such as location tracking.
As part of the staffing effort, Apple has hired Michael Trela and John Fenwick, former head of satellite engineering at Google and former head of spacecraft operations at Google, respectively, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Apple has also hired Matt Ettus, the Bloomberg report said, who founded Ettus Research, which sells wireless networking equipment.