Apple event this year had an unusually dark undertone as it leaned into emergency features

When Apple held its yearly motorboat lawsuit for the iPhone 13 successful 2021, it started with a joyful video featuring jazz dancers celebrating the earthy quality of California (which tin beryllium captured with an iPhone camera, of course).

The code of Apple's iPhone 14 launch this week was darker. After zooming successful connected Apple's office from space, it kicked disconnected with a video highlighting users who wrote letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook saying that they astir died — but were saved by their Apple Watch calling 911.

"Dear Apple: My dada was flying our tiny level to Vermont. I was dormant successful the backmost seat. I woke up erstwhile we were crashing into the tops of the trees. The level broke into six pieces and we were miles distant from civilization successful the freezing cold. Then, each of a sudden, my Apple Watch started ringing," said 1 quality named Hannah.

Other characters successful the abbreviated video told stories of falling into a frozen stream, getting trapped wrong a trash compactor, and witnessing a cardiac occurrence successful a restaurant.

Saving lives successful exigency situations was the large theme of Apple's motorboat this year, and galore of the astir notable caller features the institution announced were oriented astir safety.

The astir important caller iPhone capableness this twelvemonth is called "Emergency SOS via satellite," which tin nonstop a connection for assistance adjacent if there's nary compartment work astir for miles. Users tin besides stock their determination with household oregon friends successful the Find My app.

Apple's illustration of however the diagnostic works showed a hiker with a breached limb connected apical of a upland ridge calling for a helicopter. Later, Apple mentioned winding backmost roads arsenic different spot wherever iPhone users mightiness beryllium retired of range.

But this diagnostic could beryllium utile successful extracurricular wilderness settings. Wildfires, hurricanes, and different disasters tin chopped compartment service, and having the quality to interaction exigency services oregon archer your household wherever you are tin virtually beryllium a life-saver successful those circumstances.

Another example: Apple's $799 oregon much watch, the Ultra, has an 86-decibel siren that tin beryllium heard 600 feet away, and compass features that let the idiosyncratic to retrace their steps without the internet.

As with the outer feature, Apple advertised it arsenic for backcountry adventurers, but it could besides beryllium utile successful much mundane settings. Imagine sounding the alarm arsenic a deterrent to an attacker, oregon utilizing the retracing diagnostic to find your mode backmost to your car aft a section catastrophe has interrupted compartment service.

Apple besides announced this week that iPhones and Apple Watches tin present telephone 911 if they observe a car clang utilizing question sensors.

"We genuinely anticipation you ne'er request it but that you volition consciousness a small spot safer each clip you get successful the car," an Apple presenter said, moments earlier rolling different commercialized wherever a operator gets deed by an aerial container successful dilatory question aft crashing.

Apple's motorboat events are designed to bash 1 thing: Build up request for Apple's caller products. Apple wants to marque the iPhone adjacent much "essential" for its users though information features, giving users reasons not to power to competing Android devices.

Will these features meaningfully summation iPhone adoption and sales? It turns out, Apple has astatine slightest considered the anticipation successful the past.

In a disclosure with the ESG radical CDP published successful January 2019, Apple representatives wrote astir imaginable concern opportunities stemming from clime change, citing a erstwhile mentation of the "SOS" diagnostic arsenic an illustration of Apple's enactment to physique features for exigency situations.

"As terrible upwind events go much frequent, consumers whitethorn travel to worth much highly the contiguous and ubiquitous availability of reliable mobile computing devices for usage successful situations wherever transportation, power, and different services whitethorn beryllium temporarily interrupted," Apple representatives wrote.

Apple cited the events of 9/11 and hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey arsenic "extreme upwind events" that are occurring much frequently.

"Over time, arsenic radical statesman to acquisition terrible upwind events with greater frequency, we expect an expanding request for assurance and preparedness successful the arena of idiosyncratic information and the well-being of loved ones," Apple wrote successful the disclosure.

Apple's not the lone user electronics institution that is processing information features for its devices. But Apple's devices besides person a robust lineup of wellness features, similar autumn detection for seniors and bosom monitoring, which marque the wide information transportation stronger.

"iPhone is determination erstwhile you request it most," 1 presenter said astatine the motorboat event. "That assurance is particularly important successful moments wherever your information is astatine risk."

We whitethorn beryllium seeing the commencement of a caller messaging strategy astatine Apple: Its devices are the ones you privation erstwhile things spell wrong.