AirTag With New Chip and Improved Location Tracking Due Next Year

[MacRumors]

Apple's next-generation AirTag item tracker is on track to launch in mid-2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman discussed Apple's work on the next-generation version of the AirTag, codenamed "B589." Apple is currently completing manufacturing tests with partners in Asia and the new item tracker is still timetabled to launch around the middle of next year. The new model will apparently feature an upgraded chip and enhanced location tracking capabilities.

In October 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass production of the second-generation AirTag had been postponed from the fourth quarter of 2024 until some point in 2025. He believes the new AirTag will have some kind of integration with Apple's Vision Pro headset, but he has not shared any more specific details. See our AirTag 2 guide for more information.

Article Link: AirTag With New Chip and Improved Location Tracking Due Next Year

 

[steve09090]

This is going to be an exciting upgrade! 🙄

 

[Kottu]

Many use AirTags to protect their belongings like Bicycles, Cars, bags etc. At the same time a thief who has an iPhone gets notification that an AirTag is nearby. So, what is the purpose of AirTags? Just find your lost key?

 

[Surf Monkey]

This is going to be an exciting upgrade! 🙄

If they’re smaller and thinner it will be an “exciting upgrade” for those of us who use them.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Many use AirTags to protect their belongings like Bicycles, Cars, bags etc. At the same time a thief who has an iPhone gets notification that an AirTag is nearby. So, what is the purpose of AirTags? Just find your lost key?

That isn’t really how they work.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

This is going to be an exciting upgrade! 🙄

Apple has a form they fill out to describe a new product. It says "Upgraded Chip and Enhanced ____________ (enter existing feature here)."

 

[MTShipp]

Probably a design change making it more difficult to disable the speaker chirping for those unscrupulous people that do that.

 

[Robert.Walter]

I’ve got 8 Air tags which for last year have been awol from my phone, occasionally show up on my watch and are visible on the admin on my Mac m2 but not in the daily use acct on same appleid and Mac.

Reporting this to Apple via feedback after nearly every beta has brought no fix.

I would like Apple fix deficiencies in exisiting products before moving on to new ones.

 

[omenatarhuri]

AirTags are awesome, haven’t really missed anything on them.

 

[SoldOnApple]

Would be nice if the camera showed where it is exactly in a bag or box or whatever, like x-ray vision. Or of it were small enough to put on a cat collar.

 

[canyonblue737]

If they make them smaller, thinner, or have more versions (like a CC sized one for a wallet) it will be a useful upgrade. If the upgrade just allows the 432 known Vision Pro users to "see" the new tags in their virtual world it won't be that useful.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Many use AirTags to protect their belongings like Bicycles, Cars, bags etc. At the same time a thief who has an iPhone gets notification that an AirTag is nearby. So, what is the purpose of AirTags? Just find your lost key?

Well, yes - among other things.

The purpose is NOT theft protection.

 

[alexandr]

Would be nice if the camera showed where it is exactly in a bag or box or whatever, like x-ray vision. Or of it were small enough to put on a cat collar.

And if it could also self destruct in case of theft killing the thief.

 

[ignatius345]

Many use AirTags to protect their belongings like Bicycles, Cars, bags etc. At the same time a thief who has an iPhone gets notification that an AirTag is nearby. So, what is the purpose of AirTags? Just find your lost key?

Yes.

Substitute "stalking victim" or "victim of domestic violence" for "thief" in your sentence and maybe you'll understand why. The network has zero way to tell the difference someone tracking their bike and someone following potential rape victim home.

 

[alexandr]

Many use AirTags to protect their belongings like Bicycles, Cars, bags etc. At the same time a thief who has an iPhone gets notification that an AirTag is nearby. So, what is the purpose of AirTags? Just find your lost key?

So first off — if you lose your keys you'd be pretty thankful to the AirTag for helping you find them. Secondly, if you act fast — you can retrieve a stolen item as a thief has to move fast too and doesn't necessarily have the time to find your AirTag as he is biking away.

 

[BigBellyBelcher]

They need a verified users mode for those desiring anti theft tracking. Also locally when the news reports about someone being stalked by these the perpetrator is always caught.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

My main interest in owning these- which is theft protection- has been undermined by the few bad guys using them for nefarious stalking resulting in changes to how they can be used. Remove the theft detection and my own perceived value in them drops by a lot. Find my "stuff" has some value but do we really lose our stuff that often? Being able to track a checked bag has some value but how often do our own bags actually get lost anymore? Etc.

One hidden in car and bike offered the appeal of helping the police recover either if stolen. If you can direct police right to where the stolen thing is located, you have a good chance of getting it back. Now that they have to alert the thieves of their existence, they just about can't do that job anymore. Yes, the relatively few being stalked by this bit of tech will have their problem a bit more marginalized (and thus, I can respect the functionality change for them) but the bad guys wanting to use this for that kind of thing will just use other tech.

Yes, they still have their "intended uses" but at least I don't find those nearly as valuable as this "unintended use." But of course, I recognize that others can feel very differently. So I'm probably out as a buyer of any "new improved" version as they have evolved away from what made them mostly valuable to me.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

How about a louder speaker. I’d feel like the way the AirTag chimes is hard to pinpoint.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Yes.

Substitute "stalking victim" or "victim of domestic violence" for "thief" in your sentence and maybe you'll understand why. The network has zero way to tell the difference someone tracking their bike and someone following potential rape victim home.

What will we do when rapists figure out there are smaller devices that are designed for exactly what they want and are even cheaper?

Not saying that there shouldn't be a warning like this but there's something much worse right around the corner.

 

[ignatius345]

What will we do when rapists figure out there are smaller devices that are designed for exactly what they want and are even cheaper?

Not saying that there shouldn't be a warning like this but there's something much worse right around the corner.

There's always something worse right around the corner. But the topic at hand is what AirTags do and don't do, and what their intended purpose is.

 

[Iconoclysm]

There's always something worse right around the corner. But the topic at hand is what AirTags do and don't do, and what their intended purpose is.

Well the topic changed to stalking and tracking.

 

[Martin Bland]

Yes.

Substitute "stalking victim" or "victim of domestic violence" for "thief" in your sentence and maybe you'll understand why. The network has zero way to tell the difference someone tracking their bike and someone following potential rape victim home.

And what is the likelihood of what you describe? Out of the potential 1 billion AirTag users, how many are stalkers?

Likewise, people often slip in showers. Many more than are stalkers. Clearly, showers are a potential public health hazard. Maybe showers should be banned, too.

This AirTag hate is baseless fear mongering.

In the end, AirTags are going to be maliciously disabled for giggles, and sport, or your misplaced paranoia, by bored teenagers. Good luck finding your stuff, if you leave it on a bus.

AirTags are now pointless.

 

[ignatius345]

Well the topic changed to stalking and tracking.

So, what's your point, exactly, then? AirTags warn people potentially being followed and you agree they should continue to do that. You just want to do some random speculation about Bad Devices? Maybe people will make personal signal scramblers or something. Who the **** knows.

 

[Iconoclysm]

So, what's your point, exactly, then? AirTags warn people potentially being followed and you agree they should continue to do that. You just want to do some random speculation about Bad Devices? Maybe people will have personal scramblers or something. Who the **** knows.

I'm thinking something different needs to be done. This is a band aid that mostly affects the wrong people, and doesn't apply to things like LoJack or dog collars.

 

[System603]

I'm thinking something different needs to be done. This is a band aid that mostly affects the wrong people, and doesn't apply to things like LoJack or dog collars.

Does Apple make LoJack or [cellular GPS] dog collar trackers? They make AirTags and they apparently don't want them to be used "that" way. Let's face it, they just don't want their brand to be connected with when something similar happens so they just mitigate the possibility. Almost nobody will drag some noname company through the papers and class action lawsuits. Many people would and share value could be affected when Apple makes the headlines.

As a grey bean counting pencil pusher, they just try to avoid that. The fact that they actually "help" a few potential victims here and there is just a bonus. Also on individual level I can see that there are employees that pushed for that purely because of bona fides.

They're not evil nor saint (not implying Iconoclysm meant anything like that in their post). Apple is just pragmatic here.