The brand new AirTag, introduced earlier right now, does the identical issues as the primary one, nevertheless it does them somewhat higher. It has an extended Precision Discovering vary and a louder speaker. This sounds good, and definitely isn’t unwelcome. The issue is what hasn’t modified.
We gave the 2021 AirTag a strong evaluate as a result of it did its job nicely. The design was slimline and unobtrusive, monitoring was efficient and simple to make use of, and the worth was proper. It was a wonderful Bluetooth tracker embodying lots of Apple’s greatest qualities.
However there have been issues too. For one, that engaging design was accessible in only one wallet-unfriendly dimension and was too elegantly minimalist to incorporate something as plebeian as a gap, which meant the AirTag almost all the time had for use along with an adjunct comparable to a keyring or baggage tag. For one more, there emerged critical issues about privateness, after unscrupulous events began utilizing the machine to stalk their victims: slipped in a pocket or tucked right into a automotive’s wheel nicely, it won’t be found till too late.
Apple, to its credit score, took the stalking problem severely and rapidly addressed it with firmware updates. These days, AirTags beep as soon as separated from their proprietor for a matter of hours moderately than days, and can ship smartphone alerts to any unfamiliar gadgets which are touring with it. This was a needed and admirable step. However the aspect impact is that AirTags aren’t as helpful as anti-theft gadgets, as a result of monitoring a stolen machine is functionally the identical as stalking the thief. You possibly can beat theft or stalking, however not each.
Regardless of these two quibbles the unique AirTag was broadly praised and seems to have been a minor success. So it will not have been a shock if Apple launched a follow-up one or two years later with solely minimal modifications: if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it.
The unique AirTag had issues that haven’t been fastened.
Foundry
However Apple didn’t try this, and it progressively grew to become clear that the second mannequin wouldn’t arrive for some time. (Again in 2023, I wrote an article warning that the AirTag 2 had been postponed to 2025. Seems even that was optimistic.) When the second model of a product arrives the higher a part of 5 years after the primary one, shoppers are liable to count on one thing extra substantive. Or perhaps that’s simply journalists.
Regardless, a variety of time has handed. Certainly, within the absence of latest {hardware}, Apple has been busily engaged on the software program aspect to improve the AirTag expertise. In an excellent older article, I mentioned seven methods the product might be improved within the second technology, and it’s gratifying to notice what number of have been quietly sorted earlier than the AirTag 2 arrived. Separation alerts: Verify. Sharing: Verify. Improved privateness measures: Verify.
Towards that backdrop, I used to be keyed up for the precise AirTag 2 to finish the set with {hardware} upgrades. On the plus aspect, we get an extended efficient location vary, which ticks one other of my requests. And there may be a toddler security mechanism on the battery compartment, which most likely wouldn’t get a point out in a press launch for apparent causes. However we’re positively lacking the a number of dimension/type choices and the all-important keyring gap, which you’ll discover have been the highest two entries on my record.
Which is moderately disappointing. This was a chance to rethink the product from the bottom up, to actively interact with the issues that firmware can’t repair. And as an alternative of asking the arduous questions, the corporate selected to tinker very barely with the weather that already work. It places me in thoughts of the HomePod 2, whose designers apparently spent 5 years rebalancing the bass and fully failed to handle the unique mannequin’s critical points with voice management and Wi-Fi connectivity.
This isn’t to say that the AirTag 2 is a foul product; I look ahead to attempting it out and have excessive hopes for a slick, competent person expertise… identical to the AirTag 1. I simply assume that in spite of everything these years, and all these firmware updates, Apple might have been somewhat extra bold on the {hardware} aspect than a brand new chip and a louder speaker.
