Considering Tesla's over-the-top features in their existing
products, like the Cybertruck's nearly impenetrable exoskeleton and bioweapon
defense mode in some of their other vehicles, the rumors about this phone
aren't surprising.
Here's what we've heard:
Satellite internet: SpaceX's space-based internet service
Starlink has close ties to Tesla (Elon Musk is the CEO of both). There's even a
case to be made a Tesla phone could help finance Mars colonization, a goal of
the company since it was founded. But they'd have to find a way to not only
conceal the bulky antenna satellite phones have but guarantee good service from
such a small device. One theory is it would work only where there's already a
Starlink base, like in a building or, if it ever happens, a Tesla car fitted
with the appropriate antenna.
Solar charging: Tesla manufactures solar panels as well as
vehicles, so this isn't a far-fetched idea. It's unlikely the phone would rely
only on solar, but it could have a Tesla-branded case which enables some amount
of solar charging.
Vehicle control: There's already a Tesla app for phones to
perform some basic car functions: lock/unlock the car, control media playback,
and summon the vehicle. This app would most assuredly be preinstalled on the
phone, if not built-in to the operating system for easy access directly from
the lock screen or via external buttons. It's also possible the app would offer
unique options only to Tesla phone owners.
Astrophotography: Current phones already use AI and powerful
cameras to help when photographing the night sky. Add that functionality to
SpaceX's extraterrestrial focus that would inevitably bleed over into this
phone, and you've got a device capable of great photos of astronomical objects.
Crypto mining: Other hearsay is it'll mine cryptocurrency.
Musk has been public about cryptocurrencies in the past, so it's not
unreasonable to assume he'd want to embed this ability in a phone. While
Bitcoin is more popular, and Musk presumably prefers the existing Dogecoin, the
rumor is Tesla's phone would mine a new coin called MarsCoin (a name Musk
himself has tweeted about). Some serious hardware would need to be implemented
for this to work reliably.
Neuralink support: The idea of computers interfacing with the
brain is still essentially science fiction, and Neuralink is one of the
companies working on it. They say they're "designing the first neural
implant that will let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you
go."...with the activity of your brain, just by thinking about it. Could
the first phone capable of such a feat be from Tesla? An early iteration could
run on any phone with the Neuralink app, but it'd also make sense to see it
here, considering Musk owns Neuralink.
If this phone is real, and Tesla holds out a release until
implantable brain-machine interfaces are available, we'll surely have to wait
several more years. While it's true Musk wants this tech to be used in humans
beginning in 2022, it wouldn't be available to everyone right away because the
first goal of the technology is to help people with paralysis.
Tesla Phone Specs and Hardware
Assumptions are all anyone can run on with this phone, and
with zero reliable sources to use, it's unclear what this phone could look like
on the inside. It'd surely have all the standard components, like 1–2 TB of
storage, 16 GB or more of RAM, an AMOLED display, and a screen around 6.5
inches.
As for the outside, check out the Tesla Model P concept
designs created by ADR Studio, the source of most of these rumors.
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