Agree. I don't remember the U.S. Mint announcing they were embedding lead skeletons for anti-counterfeiting.
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iFixit Shares AirTag Teardown Revealing 'Impressively Compact' Design Compared to Tile Mate and Galaxy SmartTag
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Does the hole when added retain the IP rating? Drilling a hole might be worth a $29 punt, but not if it stops working down the line when attached to something valuable
I like how Apple went with a standard battery size. 2032 batteries are used by many devices and is very easy to find. I’ve only ever seen Tile use a 1632 and I’ve had issues finding them. I think tile did this intentionally to do a premium subscription plan.
That's been my experience too. I did have to reset one to get it to work a little better, but still trying to get it to pull up the finder arrow is pretty tough, but I'm hoping/guessing this will improve with a software update.
So far, Tile is working better for me. Louder sounds to find stuff, connection time seems to be similar, and the UWB just isn't really that helpful since the directional arrow isn't always available, and a loud sound in general is pretty good at helping you find things. But I see the directional arrow's utility, especially for those that have hearing issues or if it's buried somewhere really deep.
The Find My network is really the big plus of AirTags though, and setup is very simple. Looking forward to see how they change over time!
I don't have a problem with Apple putting so much care into a product.
I do have a problem with the fact that everyone is covering this product like it's the next Apple Watch when it's dramatically less than the next Apple Pencil... it's hard to think of a product that matters less than the AirTag.
I'm confused - I already owned a pack of Tiles 6 years ago. They died and I never replaced them because there wasn't anything useful to attach them to. Why do people still have stuff they lose?
Wallet? What for? Nearly everything is digitized and on my phone or watch. The case on my phone holds 3 physical cards as backup.
Keys? My phone, watch, and car can all lock/unlock my house. I keep the physical backup in my glovebox of my car. My phone can be used for my car, and I have a physical backup in my wallet case.
Phone? My Watch can help me find it (honestly, this is probably the most useful functionality on the Apple Watch...)
What else is there to lose?
Drilling a hole is insane when a holder is around $3… https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&SearchText=airtags+case
If you have kids, things go missing. Keys, eyeglass case, airpod case, etc. You’ve never had luggage disappear after a flight, or had difficulty finding it because it shipped on an earlier flight and it’s in a stack in the corner of the giant baggage claim? Never had anyone steal a bike? Never gone to Disneyworld/land with a stroller, and when you come off the ride the stroller has been moved? Own a Davek umbrella?
I’ve already successfully located my kid’s AirPod case (which was randomly in the pantry) using airtags.
Duct tape is even cheaper. (If you drill a hole, you aren’t worrying about aesthetics anyway). (I attached an airtag to the underside of my bike saddle using a piece of black gaffer’s tape. No hole required).
I foresee third party wallets coming out with a spot inside to house the airtag
Amazon already sells a credit card-shaped piece of plastic with a hole in it for an airtag.
Of course, it’s pretty thick, so unless you’ve got one of those George Constanta-sized wallets I wouldn’t recommend it.
I feel like this whole speaker design is the justification for why the airtag doesn’t have a hole punch in it.
iFixit has shared the first of its two-part series in tearing down Apple's AirTag item tracker, revealing that Apple had to make impressive design decisions to achieve its small design, including rethinking the speaker layout.
For comparison, iFixit compared Apple's AirTag to the Tile Mate and the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag. Compared to the competition, AirTag is the smallest in size, with the most internal space used to house the battery itself. One notable design difference is AirTag's lack of a built-in keyring hole, which iFixit attributes to Apple's history of "turning essential functions into premium, add-on accessories."
An x-ray of the three devices does indeed show that Apple wasted no internal space for its item tracker. On the other hand, the Tile Mate and Galaxy SmartTag seem to be "sprawling" with internal space, and despite their larger footprints, neither tracker includes ultra-wideband technology like AirTags. It is worth noting that Samsung recently launched an ultra-wideband variant of the Galaxy SmartTag; however, iFixit was unable to attain a piece for its comparison.
The Tile Mate, Galaxy SmartTag, and AirTag all feature coin cell replaceable batteries. AirTag and the Galaxy SmartTag use a .66Wh CR2032 battery, while the Tile Mate uses a smaller .39Wh CR1632 battery. AirTag features a twist and lift mechanism for its backplate in terms of battery replacement, but it doesn't include an easy way to lift the backplate if you happen to have greasy or slippery hands. Replacing the battery is the furthest an average customer will be able to get into their AirTag without proper tooling. Even in that case, iFixit says Apple showed "surprising restraint in sealing the AirTag," noting that completely opening the tracker only requires a vise and some plastic sticks.
AirTag features a built-in speaker which emits sounds when pinged by a paired iPhone through the Find My app, during set-up and other situations. However, given its small form factor, Apple had to think of a new way to fit a speaker into the tracker. With AirTag, Apple decided to use the entire body as the speaker driver, with the underside of the cover serving as the speaker's magnet. As we noted earlier this week, it is possible to drill a hole through an AirTag to make up for its lack of a built-in keyring hole. Doing so will certainly void your AirTag's warranty, and while it is possible, it is a risk. As iFixit notes, "drilling in the wrong place can cause serious damage."
iFixit says that the second part of its teardown will include detailed information on the AirTag's circuit board and other hidden secrets. For everything you need to know about AirTags, be sure to check out our guide.
Article Link: iFixit Shares AirTag Teardown Revealing 'Impressively Compact' Design Compared to Tile Mate and Galaxy SmartTag
I don't understand people having a problem with something that doesn't affect them in the slightest. Or having them covered because they are interesting to other people. Seems weird.
I could come up with a thousand products I have no interest in and would still not let a single one of them, or having them being covered for those who are interested in them, have that kind of power over me.
That is an X-ray of a quarter. The article mentions there are only three X-rays done. iFixit threw that last image in there as a gimmick.
George Washington is on the Quarter; not Jefferson.
Air Tags are not the size of a Nickel.
You can easily fit one in a normal wallet, unless you use something like a Ridge wallet.
Actually, I have preordered one along with an unnecessary case to hold it. My wife losing her keys has been a consistent problem. The tile was useful for a while, but she switched to iPhone and Apple killed the ubiquity tile app.
My Apple purchases have greatly decreased over time, but not 100% abandoned. I shop around MUCH more often and mentally justify the built in restrictions that Apple places on devices before any purchases. It wasn’t always the case that Apple thought about AAPL before making the best user product possible.
Where’s the wooden teeth?
