Apple is looking to expand the texting capabilities of its smartwatches by enabling users to send texts through a satellite connection in 2025.
This means that users can communicate with others even when they lack cellular or WiFi connection, according to a Tuesday (Dec. 10) Bloomberg report, which noted that the feature aims to attract hikers and health-conscious consumers.
The capability will be enabled by Globalstar’s fleet of satellites, Bloomberg reported, adding that the Apple Watch Ultra would be the first mainstream smartwatch offering satellite abilities.
Additionally, Apple is also working on a blood pressure monitor tool for the watches, Bloomberg said, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter. The feature may be introduced as soon as next year, but plans for a similar function have been delayed in the past.
Bloomberg also reported that Apple plans to switch to MediaTek as a supplier for cellular modems in its Apple Watches, a pivot away from reliance on Intel, its previous supplier.
Apple’s bid to reinvigorate its wearables market with new features comes as the Big Tech firm has been falling behind in the smartphone industry.
As PYMNTS reported in November, 2024 saw the recovery of the smartphone market following two years of steep declines. However, Apple’s iPhones played a small part in that recovery compared to rival Android phones, according to data from the IDC.
According to the IDC’s report, Android phones saw a 7.6% growth this year in Asia (excluding Japan and China), Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, particularly among their lower-end devices. This growth was crucial to the overall 6.2% increase. In contrast, Apple’s iPhones are expected to climb only 0.4% for the year.
“Despite record breaking performance in emerging markets like India, Apple faces challenges in large markets like China, U.S. and Europe,” the report said. “Looking ahead to 2025, the tides will turn as iOS is expected to grow by 3.1% year over year, outpacing Android’s forecasted 1.7% growth over the same period.”
In addition, the IDC said it expects growth to slow to single digits from next year and beyond, due to increasing smartphone penetration, longer refresh cycles and a fast-growing market for used phones.
Articul8 has launched a family of GenAI models built to optimize supply chain, manufacturing and industrial process operations.
The new A8-SupplyChain models are domain-specific and have the deep contextual understanding needed to autonomously translate complex technical documentation into structured, actionable sequences, the company said in a Friday (April 4) press release.
“We built A8-SupplyChain specifically to tackle the problems that general-purpose GenAI can’t: delivering accurate, transparent and fully traceable reasoning through complex technical documentation and real-world workflows,” Articul8 Founder and CEO Arun Subramaniyan said in the release. “This is not just another model — it’s a fully autonomous system built specifically for mission-critical environments.”
The A8-SupplyChain models support complex enterprise production environments and platforms, including customers and partners, according to the release.
They can use unstructured data, including PDFs, engineering diagrams, maintenance logs, quality systems and structured tables, the release said.
Because they are trained on high-fidelity technical documentation, the models deliver AI-driven recommendations without extensive manual customization, per the release.
“With A8-SupplyChain, we’re giving aerospace and defense leaders something new: a fully orchestrated system that doesn’t just generate answers — it understands, adapts and drives outcomes,” Subramaniyan said in the release. “This is the next leap forward in enterprise AI — intelligent systems that operate at scale, with context, precision and trust built in.”
Enterprises are turning to AI to automate not just repetitive tasks but also more complex processes like compliance monitoring, fraud detection and supply chain optimization, PYMNTS reported in January.
Articul8 was established in January 2024 by Intel and DigitalBridge Group, which joined forces to create it as an independent company that provides enterprise customers with a secure and vertically optimized GenAI software platform.
The company’s platform enables business to harness the power of AI while keeping their data secure; offers a turnkey GenAI software platform that delivers speed, security and cost-efficiency to large enterprise customers; and supports a range of hybrid infrastructure alternatives, allowing customers to choose cloud, on-premises or hybrid deployment options.
Today, in addition to the new A8-SupplyChain, Articul8 offers domain-specific models for various industries, including energy and semiconductor, according to the Friday press release.
