Hobart’s kunanyi/Mount Wellington was thrust onto the world stage during Apple’s latest iPhone event this morning.
With over 22 million viewers on YouTube alone, the ‘Wonderlust’ event featured kunanyi in an off-the-grid emergency and find-my-via-satellite SOS demonstration.
Apple says that the satellite features, which have been available on the iPhone 14 for several months now, are making an “extraordinary impact” by aiding first responders worldwide – including those in Tasmania.
“Sometime’s a call can’t go through because you’re off the grid … and users have let their loved ones know they’re safe by updating their location via satellite, in places form the Shetland Islands in Scotland to Mount Wellington in Tasmania.”
Thanks to the emergency SOS iPhone feature, an 18-year-old driver had a lucky escape after a serious crash on Allen’s Rivulet Road in January when his phone called for help.
The teenager’s iPhone detected the crash’s severity and automatically dialed 000 after he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a tree.
In June, the Tasmania Fire Service responded to the first-ever 000 call generated by an emergency text sent via satellite after a driver in Geeveston got their car stuck in a ditch with no phone reception to call for help.
