I am pretty sure Apple could buy Globalstar without even noticing the cash, and Globalstar might be dead if it wasn’t for Apple (Apple owns 20% of Globalstar).
I don’t think Apple needs the financial leverage, I think they don’t want to put all their bets on a lame horse.
Globalstar fulfills the most crucial product requirement: emergency contact
I think people who don't go outside much underestimate how much this is used.
Almost every week a hiker or tourist or someone is rescued in the wilds of California or Idaho or Nevada thanks to an iPhone SOS signal. You don't see it in the news much because it happens so often that it's not really news anymore.
A friend recently joked that Apple is starving the coyotes of a regular food source.
I don’t think Apple needs the financial leverage, I think they don’t want to put all their bets on a lame horse.