I would like an Apple version of the Chipolo flat wallet tracker.
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AirTag With New Chip and Improved Location Tracking Due Next Year
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Yes, it's definitely partly because Apple doesn't want to be the face of stalking with technology...but also that the ubiquity of the AirTags made them an easy target for the media and legislators. I'd been tracking my music equipment for years with Tile trackers, wishing that a first party native option would appear one day to track more reliably. It's disappointing that what it led to was this. But again, I'm sympathetic to the problem, just at a loss for how this can actually be done to help those being stalked yet still allow me to track items without buying spy tools.
Airtags aren't completely useless, they do let you know when you've left something behind...but that doesn't even need tracking functionality to work.
I trail run with a dog at a park off leash only leashing up when passing other people. Once my AirPods case had migrated to be tangled in the leash and fell to the ground of course I was unaware, although it didn't give me a notification till a 1/4 mile later it was extremely handy to locate it so quickly and easily. I never have lost my keys or wallet but immediately got one with a keyring holder for my keys for this exact scenario.
HobeSoundDarryl
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I didn't say they were useless other than theft scenarios... just that my own primary use for them is that "unintended use." That was what moved me to buy a set of them a few years ago- the only real driver of buying them for me.
There can be 50+ stories like that where they can "save the day" via the "intended purpose." And that's great.
There can be 50+ stories like that where they can "save the day" via the "intended purpose." And that's great.
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I have 4 and use them. I just throw them in my luggage and laptop bag for travelling. Size is not an issue for me. But like others say, it’s unlikely to be a size change. So what upgrade could it possibly have that will make a noticeable difference? Enhanced location would be a benefit for shortrange locating.
The hardware is fine. Fine tune the software so I don’t get notifications about leaving something behind when it’s actually in my pocket. Ive lost count of all the times I’ve been told I left my wallet behind when it’s in my pocket.
This isn’t just a mild annoyance. It’s an unnecessary distraction while I’m driving, which is when I want to be notified of an item left behind but not when the success rate is 1:10.
This isn’t just a mild annoyance. It’s an unnecessary distraction while I’m driving, which is when I want to be notified of an item left behind but not when the success rate is 1:10.
My only complaint about airtags is, I wish I could take pictures of the items I want to track and import the pictures to use as the icons in the FindMy app. Using emojiis is too limiting.
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I would bet on the next version being slimmer, waterproof thus we'll no longer be able to replace the battery ourselves, but it'll include some way to recharge it wirelessly.
How it'll work with the Vision Pro has me perplexed, spatial finder?
How it'll work with the Vision Pro has me perplexed, spatial finder?
it doesnt alert immediately, striking a balance betweenn protecting people from stalking and protecting the ability to track personal items is hard but it mostly is done well now
Also fwiw technically apple doesnt recommend them for theft (though yes, I use it for that too)
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I’m certainly not going to make it easier for a car thief to find mine. Except the decoy in the glove box.
Apple. Make a smart dog dollar. Apple Watch for dogs + AirTag tracking. You’d sell so many.
Tim: “The criminals are going to love this”.
That falls into the category of "Not our problem" for Apple. Apples cares that they were being blamed for people doing bad things with AirTags, so they made changes to try to get people off their backs about it.
What I find interesting is that my AirTags seem to have worked better when they first came out than they do now. It takes my phone longer to find them and with less accuracy. Have they made them worse so they can call the new ones better?
Hopefully the update will fix that. AI is very good at distinguishing bikes from potential rape victims.
My money is on an AirTag Ultra with M4.
What? Also, I sometimes get randomly pop ups on my iPhone that an AirTag is nearby. Especially in places like train stations etc.
They need form-factors that are useful for the intended use.
e.g. Card shaped for wallets:
Maybe a bit fatter than a normal card for wireless reception and good battery capacity but too slim for USB-C (and lightning)
Use the same ‘magic’ pin contacts from iPad for charging, without the internal space the inductive coils of MagSafe would waste.
e.g. Card shaped for wallets:
Maybe a bit fatter than a normal card for wireless reception and good battery capacity but too slim for USB-C (and lightning)
Use the same ‘magic’ pin contacts from iPad for charging, without the internal space the inductive coils of MagSafe would waste.
One very useful use case is to add them to your luggage, so you can track that the luggage left the airport with you, and that it landed in your new airport.
You won't laugh at them if you have ever had your luggage lost by an airline.
Another use case is for people who do in fact frequently lose their keys or other items.
You can laugh at such people. Or you can try to help them with a tech solution. Most of us think help is better than laughter.
I had this happening with two of my eight. I put in a new battery and it resolved those issues. I was hoping I'd have received a "low/replace battery" message, but didn't.
AirTag as a keyring attachment, my two main issues are the lack of built-in attachment system and poorly wearing casing materials, resist making everything a vehicle for accessory sales that also make the device chunkier.
In a perfect design, where assembly, battery containment/swapping and wireless comms aren’t considerations, you could have a near solid puck of metal in a texture that patinas elegantly. Failing that a glass-plastic composite that doesn’t shatter or crack, feels like glass but allows the multipart construction for assembly, CR2032 battery swaps and wireless comms.
A plastic-glass composite may patina nicely if finished in the right translucencies, textures and colours. Recyclability may be more problematic than single-material casings unless Apple provide an attractive buy-back program that refinishes or fully recycles severely damaged casings.
In a perfect design, where assembly, battery containment/swapping and wireless comms aren’t considerations, you could have a near solid puck of metal in a texture that patinas elegantly. Failing that a glass-plastic composite that doesn’t shatter or crack, feels like glass but allows the multipart construction for assembly, CR2032 battery swaps and wireless comms.
A plastic-glass composite may patina nicely if finished in the right translucencies, textures and colours. Recyclability may be more problematic than single-material casings unless Apple provide an attractive buy-back program that refinishes or fully recycles severely damaged casings.
I'll bite—this is me, and my partner. Airtags have helped find car keys a bunch of times, and have been a huge positive.
If you GENUINELY never misplace stuff...I mean, yeah, probably don't buy airtags!
You're maybe joking, but there are some really good cellular-based dog tracking collars out there. The advantage of cell-based is that the dog can be out in a field far away from the Find My network (aka, people walking around with iPhones) and the collar can still be located as long as it's got cell coverage.