Apple formed a "secret team" to develop satellite data directly transmitted to devices

      Apple has formed a dedicated communications research team to work on new ways to beam data, such as internet connections, directly from satellites to user devices, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported. The Cupertino, California-based company has about a dozen engineers from the aerospace, satellite and antenna design industries working on the project, with the goal of developing the technology to a usable level within five years, people familiar with the matter said.

　　People familiar with the matter said that the project is still in its early stages and may be abandoned in the future if it does not progress smoothly, not to mention that the satellite's clear direction and purpose have not yet been finalized.

　　The main purpose of Apple's plan is to transmit data to users' devices, thereby reducing dependence on wireless operators, or linking user devices and digital networks without using traditional networks. Apple may also use this technology to explore satellites to track the location of its devices more accurately, thereby improving map positioning and exploring more new features.

　　The team is led by Michael Trela ​​and John Fenwick, former aerospace engineers who helped lead satellite imaging company Skybox Image before it was sold to Google in 2014.

　　The team has also recently added people from the wireless industry, including engineer Matt Ettus, one of the most well-known figures in wireless technology, who founded Ettus Research, a company dedicated to selling wireless networking equipment.

　　Apple also hired communications satellite expert Ashley Moore Williams from Aerospace and former Netflix executive Daniel Ellis.

　　Apple is continuing to expand the team and hopes the initiative will bear fruit within five years.