Apple event this year had an unusually dark undertone as it leaned into emergency features for a dangerous world

When Apple held its annual iPhone 13 unveiling in 2021, it opened with a joyous video featuring jazz dancers celebrating the natural beauty of California (which can be captured with an iPhone camera, of course).

The undertone of Apple’s iPhone 14 unveiling this week was darker. After zooming in on Apple headquarters from space, it began with a video highlighting users who wrote letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook saying they almost died but were saved by their Apple Watch calling call 911.

“Dear Apple: My father flew our little plane to Vermont. I slept in the back seat. I woke up as we bumped into the treetops. The plane broke into six pieces and we were miles from civilization in the freezing cold. Then, all of a sudden, my Apple Watch started ringing,” said one character named Hannah.

Other characters in the short video told stories of falling into a frozen stream, being trapped in a garbage compactor and witnessing a cardiac episode in a restaurant.

Saving lives in emergency situations was the main theme of Apple’s presentation this year, and many of the most notable new features that the company announced were focused on safety.

The most significant new iPhone feature this year is called “Emergency SOS via Satellite,” which can send a message for help even if there’s no cell service for miles. Users can also share their location with family or friends in the Find My app.

Apple’s example of how the feature works shows a hiker with a broken leg on top of a mountain ridge calling for a helicopter. Apple later mentioned winding roads as another place where iPhone users might be out of reach.

But this feature can be useful in non-desert settings. Wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters can reduce cell service, and being able to contact emergency services or tell your family where you are can literally be a lifesaver in these circumstances.

Another example: Apple’s $799 or more Watch, the Ultra, has an 86-decibel siren that can be heard 600 feet away and compass features that allow the wearer to track their steps without the Internet.

As with the satellite feature, Apple touts it as a useful tool for backcountry adventurers, but it can also be useful in more casual settings. Imagine turning on the alarm as a deterrent to an intruder, or using the retrack feature to find your way back to your car after a disaster in your community has knocked out cell service.

Apple also announced this week that iPhones and Apple Watches using motion sensors can now call 911 if they detect a car accident.

“We really hope you’ll never need it, but that you’ll feel a little safer every time you get in the car,” an Apple presenter said, moments before showing slow-motion footage of a driver being hit by an airbag after the crash .

Apple launch events are designed to do one thing: build demand for new Apple products. Now the company wants to make the iPhone even more meaningful to its users through safety features, giving users reasons not to switch to competing Android devices.

Will these features meaningfully increase iPhone adoption and sales? It turns out that Apple has at least considered this possibility in the past.

In a disclosure with ESG group CDP published in January 2019, Apple representatives wrote about potential business opportunities arising from climate change, citing a previous version of the “SOS” feature as an example of Apple’s work to build emergency features .

“As severe weather events become more frequent, consumers may begin to value the immediate and ubiquitous availability of reliable mobile computing devices for use in situations where transportation, power, and other services may be temporarily disrupted.” Apple representatives write.

Apple cited the 9/11 disaster and “extreme weather events” such as Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Harvey that are occurring more frequently.

“As time goes on, as people begin to experience severe weather events with greater frequency, we expect an increasing need for confidence and preparedness in the area of ​​personal safety and the well-being of loved ones,” Apple wrote in the disclosure.

Apple isn’t the only consumer electronics company developing safety features for its devices. But Apple’s devices also have a solid array of health features, such as fall detection for the elderly and heart monitoring, that underline their overall level of safety.

“The iPhone is there when you need it most,” said one presenter at the launch event. “That confidence is especially important at times when your safety is at risk.”

We may be witnessing the start of a new messaging strategy at Apple: its devices are the ones you want when things go wrong.