WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.560 One of the coolest features in Apple's iPhone 11 lineup is called the U1 chip, 00:00:04.560 --> 00:00:09.440 with the U being short for Ultra Wideband Positioning or UWB. 00:00:09.440 --> 00:00:11.680 But what the heck does that even mean? 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:19.280 Well, the basic idea is that devices equipped with UWB chips can determine each other's position, 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:26.000 and although the tech has been around since the early 2000s, it hasn't seen much adoption in consumer applications yet. 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:31.680 The thing is, Ultra Wideband signals take up lots of spectrum. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:36.880 They're about 500 MHz wide, as opposed to, for example, Wi-Fi, 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.560 which typically takes up only about 20 to 80 MHz. 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:47.360 And due to the laws of physics, a wide signal allows UWB to send very quick pulses. 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:54.480 Furthermore, the speed at which UWB operates means that it can use what's called time of flight, 00:00:54.480 --> 00:00:58.480 similar to radar, to accurately locate objects. 00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:02.400 Now generally, you need multiple antennas for this technology 00:01:02.400 --> 00:01:05.600 so that the position of the other object can be triangulated. 00:01:05.600 --> 00:01:11.120 But Apple has been quite vague about how exactly they're going to do it. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:19.280 Anyway, what's so special about UWB? Because Bluetooth can also help you figure out where something is located over short distances. 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:25.120 So why do we need it? Well, as it turns out, UWB is superior to Bluetooth in a handful of ways. 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:30.800 Depending on how it's implemented, it can locate objects with a margin of as little as 5mm, 00:01:30.800 --> 00:01:34.240 as opposed to about the 1 meter that you get with Bluetooth, 00:01:34.240 --> 00:01:39.200 and UWB can also update its position 10 times per second. 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.600 And because UWB operates at a relatively low frequency, 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:49.040 it should do a better job compared to Bluetooth of passing through walls and other objects, 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:55.920 even though it's a short-range technology. Combine that with data transfer rates of up to 27 megabits per second, 00:01:55.920 --> 00:02:01.840 way faster than Bluetooth, and UWB looks like it could be a very versatile little piece of technology. 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.040 But what exactly is it going to be used for? 00:02:05.600 --> 00:02:11.440 Well, at the iPhone 11 launch, Apple said that the U1 chip would make it easier to use AirDrop. 00:02:11.440 --> 00:02:16.800 You just point your iPhone at someone else's, and it'll see that other person is close by 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.600 and bump it to the top of the list for a file transfer. 00:02:20.480 --> 00:02:24.320 But that in and of itself isn't particularly exciting. 00:02:24.320 --> 00:02:30.800 The real potential is what Apple, and especially third-party developers, might do with it in the future. 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:34.000 For example, UWB is more secure than Bluetooth 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:37.520 because of the aforementioned support for time of flight. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:40.720 That means that UWB can be used as a check 00:02:40.720 --> 00:02:45.040 to ensure that someone attempting to send a signal is actually nearby. 00:02:45.040 --> 00:02:52.640 So imagine, for example, a smart door lock that will only unlock when it senses that the homeowner's phone is right in front of it, 00:02:52.640 --> 00:02:57.440 or a car locking system that can beat the so-called relay attacks 00:02:57.440 --> 00:03:01.440 that rely on spoofing a signal from a transmitter that's actually farther away. 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:06.640 There's also a rumor that Apple is working on a tagging system similar to Tile, 00:03:06.640 --> 00:03:11.120 so you could slap a UWB chip on something like your keys, 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:14.800 and your iPhone's U1 chip could help you find it much more accurately 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:20.800 and more quickly than Bluetooth. There's also the potential to combine UWB with augmented reality, 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:26.640 so searching with your phone's camera could cause the missing object to light up on your screen. 00:03:26.640 --> 00:03:29.680 UWB could also help you learn more about what's around you, 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:33.200 facilitating interactive tours at the local UFO Museum, 00:03:33.200 --> 00:03:36.880 or tracking down hard-to-find products at the supermarket. 00:03:36.880 --> 00:03:42.000 UWB's precision and greater security could lead phone manufacturers to combine it 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.600 with Apple Pay or Google Pay in order to buy something, 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:49.120 just by pointing your phone at it like a magic wand. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:54.320 And even if that's not your style, UWB could improve indoor navigation in large spaces, 00:03:54.320 --> 00:04:03.200 like airports, malls, and convention centers. Of course, that sounds great, but it all depends on developers actually writing software for UWB 00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:08.560 and more gadgets than just iPhones incorporating UWB-compatible hardware. 00:04:09.200 --> 00:04:15.520 But personally, I'm pretty hopeful that this tech is going to find its way into our lives 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:21.360 sooner or later. So thanks for watching guys, like, dislike, check out our other videos, 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:24.640 leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a future fast as possible, 00:04:24.640 --> 00:04:28.000 and don't forget to subscribe, because if you do, 00:04:28.960 --> 00:04:33.280 rats will live in your shoes. No, no, if you forget.