The tone of Apple’s iPhone 14 launch this week was darker. After zooming in on Apple’s 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 by calling 911.

How Big Tech is doing healthcare — we rank the strategies of our 4 key holdings “Dear Apple: My dad was flying our little plane to Vermont. I was asleep in the back seat. I woke up when we crashed into the treetops. The plane broke into six pieces and we were miles away from civilization in the freezing cold. Then, all of a sudden, my Apple Watch started ringing,” said a character named Hannah. Other characters in the short video told stories of falling into a frozen stream, being trapped inside a garbage compactor and witnessing a heart attack in a restaurant. Saving lives in emergencies has been the main theme of Apple’s releases this year, and many of the most notable new features the company has announced have been safety-oriented. The most important 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 Me app. Apple’s example of how the feature works showed a hiker with a broken leg atop a mountain ridge calling for a helicopter. Apple later cited winding roads as another place where iPhone users might find themselves out of range. But this feature could be useful in outdoor wilderness settings. Fires, hurricanes, and other disasters can cut cell phone service, and being able to contact emergency services or tell your family where you are can literally be a lifesaver in these conditions. Another example: Apple’s $799 or more Watch Ultra has an 86-decibel siren that can be heard up to 600 feet away and compass features that let the wearer retrace their steps without the internet. As with satellite mode, Apple advertised it as a useful tool for adventurers, but it could also be useful in more mundane settings. Imagine sounding the alarm as a deterrent to an intruder, or using the reset function 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 has occurred. “We really hope you never need it, but that you feel a little bit safer every time you get in the car,” an Apple presenter said, moments before showing images of a driver being hit by an airbag in slow motion after a crash. . Apple launch events are designed to do one thing: increase demand for Apple’s new products. The company now wants to make the iPhone even more “essential” to its users through security features, giving users reasons not to switch to competing Android devices. Will these features actually increase iPhone adoption and sales? It turns out that Apple has at least considered the 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 an earlier version of the “SOS” function as an example of Apple’s work to create functions for emergency situations. “As severe weather events become more frequent, consumers may value more the immediate and ubiquitous availability of reliable portable computing devices for use in situations where transportation, power and other services may be temporarily interrupted,” Apple representatives wrote. Apple cited the 9/11 disaster and “extreme weather events” such as Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Harvey that occur more frequently. “Over time, as people begin to experience severe weather with greater frequency, we anticipate an increasing need for confidence and preparedness in the arena of personal safety and the well-being of loved ones,” Apple wrote in the disclosure. Apple isn’t the only consumer electronics company developing security features for its devices. However, Apple’s devices also come with a robust set of health features, such as fall detection for seniors and heart monitoring, that underline its overall safety. “The iPhone is there when you need it most,” said a presenter at the launch event. “That trust is especially important in times when your safety is at risk.” Perhaps we’re seeing the start of a new messaging strategy at Apple: Its devices are the ones you want when things go wrong.