This really should not be a paid service. Can you imagine the headlines: family died after being stranded because they didn’t pay for satellite rescue on their phone.
It sucks because this is one of those things you don’t need them until you really do. Pay as you go model would be ok for me. Emergency? Sure, take a 100€ from my credit card just get me the hell out of here.
I’d imagine this is one reason why they’re extending the free service. It would be a PR nightmare for Apple if that were to occur.
But I think the biggest reason why is because the 14 models are still actively being sold by Apple themselves. The Emergency SOS feature is a big marketing point for those models so I can see them dropping the free service as they get dropped from sale.
You act like the helicopter ride to bring you back to safety isn’t going to bankrupt you for the rest of your life anyway. This is America we’re talking about
Siri costs money and is free. This is a feature you don’t use unless you’re in an emergency situation. I would be okay to pay for it but not as a subscription as they were hinting.
GPS is a US military system entirely payed for by taxpayers, that just spams out pings to any device listening. Civilian end users can’t transmit to it.
And it wasn’t freely available to civilians for years, until the Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down in 1993 by the Soviets due to a navigational error causing them to drift into Soviet airspace.
This really should not be a paid service. Can you imagine the headlines: family died after being stranded because they didn’t pay for satellite rescue on their phone.
to get rescued, please give the numbers on your credit card.
Transaction failed. Move to an area with better network service.
The price to be rescued is now $1000, in 30 minutes it will increase it to $2000. Would you like to be rescued?
Yes
Ask again later
Just give me something for the pain and let me die
Sorry, that is not included in your apple care life plan, you need apple care life + pro for that. Do you want to upgrade?
It’s like that whole Volkswagen thing again!
It sucks because this is one of those things you don’t need them until you really do. Pay as you go model would be ok for me. Emergency? Sure, take a 100€ from my credit card just get me the hell out of here.
Yep. I agree. And most people have a card attached to their Apple ID so that may work.
RTFA, it’s free and always has been. They’ve never even floated a price.
I’d imagine this is one reason why they’re extending the free service. It would be a PR nightmare for Apple if that were to occur.
But I think the biggest reason why is because the 14 models are still actively being sold by Apple themselves. The Emergency SOS feature is a big marketing point for those models so I can see them dropping the free service as they get dropped from sale.
You act like the helicopter ride to bring you back to safety isn’t going to bankrupt you for the rest of your life anyway. This is America we’re talking about
Edit: at least in the US* I should have said
I don’t mind it if the ride is paid, I think putting a “sorry you didn’t pay in advance so you can’t get a ride when you need it” is the issue.
I think paying for emergency or medical services of any kind (outside of your income taxes) at all is the problem here.
Satellites do in fact go over other countries.
I was under the impression that SOS via satellite was still US only, seems they’ve since opened it up to more countries. That’s great!
Of course the Lemmy user thinks the service that costs money to run should be free.
Siri costs money and is free. This is a feature you don’t use unless you’re in an emergency situation. I would be okay to pay for it but not as a subscription as they were hinting.
Oh like the GPS system?
GPS is a US military system entirely payed for by taxpayers, that just spams out pings to any device listening. Civilian end users can’t transmit to it.
And it wasn’t freely available to civilians for years, until the Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down in 1993 by the Soviets due to a navigational error causing them to drift into Soviet airspace.
That’s not funded by a private company, it’s taxpayer funded.