Apple Announces Find My Network With Support for Third-Party Devices

[ApfelKuchen]

Interesting perspective. If Apple decides to launch the product I would totally agree on this approach. I wasn't pondering what would happen IF they launch it, I was considering the question on whether they would put the effort into launching it in the first place.

Tile, in nine years and I think 5 rounds of investing, they still aren't able to stabilize the company and market enough to go public. That is not to say they are not successful or have a flawed business model. I just think if the market was good enough to enter into you would have already seen Tile go public and the fact they haven't yet been able to, in my mind, casts doubt on Apple entering into the same space.

Also, this feels a lot like when HomeKit first launched. People were saying that Apple would release smart home devices but since launch in 2014 they haven't (unless you consider the AppleTV and HomePods, but those are controllers more than devices). The fact that Apple released the Find My platform and didn't release the device, I believe is a sign against it becoming a product. Not 100% certain of course, who knows! But iIt's not like they haven't had years to work on such a simple device. In the same amount of time Tile has released 3 different versions, so Apple is more than capable of releasing a device if they so choose. IF they do release it though, I am sure it will occupy a space in the stores, and for its size, might be a great addition. I am sure they will give it attention and such. And who knows, maybe Apple sees some bigger initiative that this would tie into and would launch this product.

I guess we will see, but how long does one wait before finally saying that Apple is not actually releasing a product just shown off in some sketches? It has already been two years of "imminent release" and now even a framework for third parties to release competing products that would have the same exact functionality. Eh, I guess we could give if a couple more years for those who really want an Apple version of a Tile?

All reasonable concerns.

As to Tile, going public is not necessarily the only endgame or mark of success. Sure, venture capital generally moves things in that direction, but there are plenty of very successful businesses that remain closely-held, even with venture capital involvement.

I think Apple has better potential for market penetration than Tile in this particular segment. Find My has become a platform - something that can be built into a wide range of products. The more products include the feature, the more mindshare Apple receives for it, the more people will want to have it - a tag extends that capability to non-electronic objects. As an Apple-branded service, an Apple-branded Tag carries a certain home court advantage. Maybe Apple decides to cash in on that advantage (just as it has with a variety of accessories), maybe not. I'm not willing to place bets either way.

As to "waiting?" As we can see with the addition of the Items tab in Find My, Apple's vision is fairly expansive. An infrastructure needed to be built-out before that vision could come to fruition. So it's not a matter of saying, "It's been two years, where is it?" As far as the tags themselves, the clock has just started.

 

[j2004p]

I could see car manufacturers building this directly into their keyfobs. That'd save having a seperate AirTag/Tile type device.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I could see car manufacturers building this directly into their keyfobs. That'd save having a seperate AirTag/Tile type device.

Car makers are hoping to do away with key fobs altogether - unlock with mobile device.

But yes, since its unlikely those intentions will be fully realized (say, providing a single key fob rather than two with each vehicle) there's no reason key fobs could not be used as tracking devices.