Kuo: 'Apple Tags' to Feature Ultra-Wideband Technology, Likely Far More Precise Than Tile's Trackers

[iGeneo]

There obviously is a market for such a product but what I find surprising is that some people seem to lose things a lot or are afraid they will lose something.

I travel 250+ days a year...

Tile has missed more than hit, understandable due to their smallish ecosystem

 

[csurfr]

Bye-bye, Tile... Apple already killed one company this year (the one that let you use your iPad as a display for your Mac) so why not another one?

Sure, why not. Those people didn't have families anyway, right?

It seems Apple won't be happy until they can have their hand in every category under the sun. They are walking a slippery slope, and their QA has been pretty shoddy as of late.

 

[ellsworth]

Great.... another device transmitting radio frequencies into the air/universe. I hope they come with a small foldable foil hat.

 

[Dave245]

Sure, why not. Those people didn't have families anyway, right?

It seems Apple won't be happy until they can have their hand in every category under the sun. They are walking a slippery slope, and their QA has been pretty shoddy as of late.

Wow take a chill pill I’m sure they didn’t mean it like that. This category is ripe for Apple anyway, think about it, how many people iPhones. A Tile like device fits into the Apple ecosystem really well.

 

[Jimmy James]

Very legacy Apple. Take existing tech and make it better.

 

[mikayla82ca]

Uh-oh, a new technology that’s useful... included in the new iPhones??
Nobody tell the “lack of innovation” crowd!

Innovation: "The action or process of innovating. A new method, idea, product, etc."

I hate the burst your bubble here but... this is about as innovative as adding an eraser to the top of a pencil. Just because they are adding a technology that already exists doesn't mean it's innovative.

But if you believe that it is, I just invented this new thing where I thermoset the resin and after it cools I mix in an epoxied which is really a fancy-schmancy name for any simple oxygenated adhesive. I'm going to apply it to the back of small note papers. I'm thinking of call it a post-ums...

 

[mrkite77]

How many times is iBeacons going to fail before Apple gives up on it?

 

[iGeneo]

But it sounds like (based on info currently available) if the thief gets more than 10 metres away from you once he has taken the object, you are out of luck. You may be notified that the object is no longer within 10 metres of your phone, but you will not be able to track it. If they put GPS in them, then you may have what you are excited about.

I think you may be missing the concept. They crowdsource all iPhones to assist in locating your device.

* Not sure if opt in or not

 

[kasei]

I wonder if I can clip one of these to my 2 year old's belt loop to keep track of him when we are out.

 

[xxray]

I wonder how much these will cost.

 

[mtneer]

If these are truly that round, white and candy-like - I wouldn't be surprised to find a bunch of trackers ending up in the tummies of toddlers and pets.

 

[jonen]

I wish I could tell how big these are supposed to be. Both of my Tiles are due to be replaced soon, and I've been holding off to see if these will be worthwhile.

I'd definitely buy at least 2 if they end up being ~$20-25/each. If there is true convenience in the way they adhere, one is definitely going on our puppy's harness too!

 

[Eduardo1971]

These concepts are not thin enough!!!

Someone please redo these concept:
They need to much thinner.

 

[Fidgetyrat]

These concepts are not thin enough!!!

Someone please redo these concept:
They need to much thinner.

The battery only lasts 24h, but look how THIN!

 

[chasonstone]

Thinking out loud here, but what if these play a role with the *hypothetical* AR Glasses. It would make some level of sense that instead of relying solely on some camera recognition to display relevant information around an item, these help pinpoint exactly where it is to help do so. So if you put one on say your wallet, not only do you get the tracking features, but you also can wear the *hypothetical* AR Glasses and when you look at the wallet (with tracker) it displays your Apple Card balance or relevant financial information. It'd be a handy way to make regular ole items you use, smart, but primarily trackable.

I also have a similar thought about sidecar for the iPad/Mac. Imagine if you could go on your Mac, choose sidecar, then instead of choosing an iPad to become a second screen you can choose your *hypothetical* AR Glasses and display one or two extra displays around your Mac. Then dare to say, if they put the UWB tech into all new products, your *hypothetical* AR glasses will recognize your Mac, your iPhone, your iPad, your Apple Watch, your HomePod are in view and display secondary screens/information around them. Plus, anything that has a tracker on it.

To be honest, Apple just taking on tile for the sake of becoming the new item tracker seems too small scale for Apple. I think these are going to be an ecosystem item that will help tie all your experiences together. Hopefully, that's with the *hypothetical* AR glasses one day.

 

[CarlJ]

do they stick to a surface? should be flat IMO. I can see the bevel/curve at the bottom getting caught on things and pried off...

These are MacRumor's guesses at what the devices might be like. And this image looks more like candy than electronics.
[doublepost=1567796844][/doublepost]

I'm running iOS13.1 and i keep getting an annoying popup that says Tile is tracking my location in the background. Me and my tinfoil hat believe this is an indication Apple is about to release a product in this space.

This is why we can't have nice things. Any app that is using your location in the background will trigger these warnings at some point - jumping straight to conspiracy theories when coincidences happen... leads us down a path to being governed by fear rather than by reason.

 

[CarlJ]

Because he can take care of things without tech assistance that you can't?

Says the person using dozens of different technologies to post comments on a technology forum. You're using 97 different technologies to argue that having a 98th would be completely unreasonable.

 

[Rob_2811]

When you get your credit card bill and see how much Apple is charging for these things you will wish you had lost your wallet.

 

[diddl14]

Actually, what I really want is a tracker I can put on my cats that isn’t the size of a pager.

https://tractive.com/r/QcnjUt

 

[bgiuriceo]

Last week, MacRumors revealed new details about Apple's upcoming Tile competitor, with internal iOS 13 code suggesting that Apple plans to release small, circular "tags" that can be attached to electronic devices, backpacks, keys, and other personal belongings to keep track of their locations.

Apple Tags concept by MacRumors​

Now, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has thrown his weight behind this rumor. In a research note with TF International Securities today, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said he expects Apple's tags to feature ultra-wideband or "UWB" technology. As he has said previously, Kuo also expects all three 2019 iPhones to support UWB.

Ultra-wideband is a short-range, low-power radio technology that is able to provide more precise indoor positioning than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi, suggesting that Apple's tags will be more accurate at pinpointing the location of lost items than Tile's current item trackers, which rely on Bluetooth LE.

The distance between two UWB devices -- such as an upcoming iPhone and Apple Tag -- can be measured precisely by calculating the time that it takes for a radio wave to pass between the two devices, according to Electronic Design, which notes that UWB is up to 100× more accurate than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi:It is unclear if Apple's tags will rely solely on UWB, which would seemingly limit their compatibility to 2019 and newer iPhones, or if they will also incorporate Bluetooth LE for use with older devices.

Last week, MacRumors revealed that Apple's tags will be closely integrated with the new "Find My" app in iOS 13, which merged the Find My iPhone and Find My Friends apps into one package. Specifically, Apple has been working on an "Items" tab in the app for tracking the location of Apple-tagged items.

iPhone users will receive a notification when they are separated from a tagged item, according to an internal version of the "Find My" app obtained by MacRumors. If necessary, users can then tap a button in the app that will cause Apple's tag to chime to help them locate the lost item.

"Safe Locations" can be set where the user will not be notified if this item is left in those locations, and users will also be able to share the location of items with friends and family members, based on internal iOS 13 code.

If users are unable to find an item, they can place the attached tag into a "Lost Mode." Then, if another iPhone user comes across the lost item, the owner will be instantly notified. The stranger will also be presented with the owner's contact information, possibly via push notification or in the Find My app.

Like the Pixie Tracker, the Find My app will likely incorporate functionality from Apple's ARKit platform. An internal build of iOS 13 includes an asset for a 3D red balloon that could help a user pinpoint a lost item after scanning a room with their iPhone. There's also an image of a 2D orange balloon.

"Walk around several feet and move your iPhone up and down until a balloon comes into view," a string in the internal Find My app bundle reads.

Apple is hosting an event at Steve Jobs Theater next Tuesday, where it is widely expected to unveil new iPhone and Apple Watch models. It certainly seems like development of Apple's tags has reached an advanced stage, but it is unclear if the product will be introduced at the keynote or later.

Article Link: Kuo: 'Apple Tags' to Feature Ultra-Wideband Technology, Likely Far More Precise Than Tile's Trackers

Embed it in my Apple Card and I wont loose my wallet.

 

[steeevo]

Nothing about it is "proven" at all.

The concept is good, the actual product has a ton of drawbacks that are not currently solvable.
- The devices are themselves are too large. Anything I might actually lose that I would need a short range tracker to find is object that is already too small to be paired with a tracker.
- The battery will eventually die, defeating the purpose. No one wants to keep track of the battery on these things, and if it dies when you need to locate it, it didn't fulfill its only purpose. Since the battery is likely not rechargeable or replaceable, people will lose interest and not replace them when they die.

These are not small problems, nor are they easily solved problems. They take a good concept, and make a meh product. So no...useful is not something that has been established or proven at all. There are lots of interesting concepts that are nothing more than a glorified tech demo in the real world (like the entirety of AR to date).

You have no idea what is going to be released yet you are already “guessing” how its not going to work because it has drawbacks. You do make me laugh

 

[Justanotherfanboy]

Innovation: "The action or process of innovating. A new method, idea, product, etc."

I hate the burst your bubble here but... this is about as innovative as adding an eraser to the top of a pencil. Just because they are adding a technology that already exists doesn't mean it's innovative.

But if you believe that it is, I just invented this new thing where I thermoset the resin and after it cools I mix in an epoxied which is really a fancy-schmancy name for any simple oxygenated adhesive. I'm going to apply it to the back of small note papers. I'm thinking of call it a post-ums...

Bubble unbursted!!! =)
Because you are WRONG.
Not sorry.

Lol, innovation would nearly not exist at all if anyone adhered to your bizarre & narrow personal definition (thank heavens nobody does!).
To you, even the 1st person to ever put an eraser on the end of a writing utensil was NOT being innovative??!!
Ok. So a smartphone itself is NOT an innovation whatsoever, since a phone, a gps, a camera, and a mobile computer all existed separately prior to that??!!
Good luck convincing the entire rest of the world that what’s considered the most amazing innovation of our century isn’t innovative at all.
Fingerprint scanners in phones.... NOT innovative. Existed elsewhere before.... etc.
See how silly this sounds??
Even sillier than your analogy that did not land AT ALL.

As a last aside... it’s poor form to use the word in the definition of the word.

 

[bigjnyc]

Uh-oh, a new technology that’s useful... included in the new iPhones??
Nobody tell the “lack of innovation” crowd!

Oh yeah baby, nothing says innovation like adding an additional radio frequency to a smart phone.. That will definitely show them

 

[SBlue1]

What Pathetic humans we have become requiring nannies to do everything for us so we don’t have to actually use our own god given brain.

Yeah. F*** those suckers who use calculators. What are fingers for?? Or scissors, when I was young my parents let us bite everything. Oh and dont let me get started with lighters! What happened to the good old rubbing two pieces of wood to light a fire? Humanity has become so pathetic...

 

[Hi Tek]

Uh-oh, a new technology that’s useful... included in the new iPhones??
Nobody tell the “lack of innovation” crowd!

Underrated comment because those same ones (the crowd) wouldn't admit it as we read this article now.

How much are we betting that the batteries are not user replaceable?

Apple Watch Magnetic charger.