It all depends on many models Samsung has implemented UWB, Apple's UWB is on ALL the 11 series and 12 series.
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Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag With UWB Beats AirTags to Market, Launches April 16 for $39.99
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Nothing unusual about Apple being "second best"
I will attach a Galazy SmartTag to an AirTag that's attached to a Tile smart-tag that's attached to the Galaxy SmartTag and summon the UWB tagpocalypse! 🤯
Samsung has nowhere near the reach of Tile, let alone Apple with the iPhone 11 and 12. Galaxy find will go nowhere
My mother (a hoarder) is constantly losing her keys, sometime taking hours to find them. This would be a godsend for her.
I still dont believe that the "AirTags" are a real thing that is going to be released. I feel it was an in house thing to work on the Find My network.
I have this feeling sometimes about the Tile trackers...and these newer ones. Why would I need one of these things.
But we had my family over for Easter. My brother drove over, his wife drove home...then they realized they couldn't find HIS key. We still have not located it and neither has he. $150 key so a $40 thing wont be too bad. (perhaps keys nowadays have them included as a Tracker but his BMW key (and our older VW keys) do not have that.
I can also see this for tools but know the larger tool companies have trackers you can add to your tools too. I wonder if these TAGS can be added to a vehicle. You wont be able to contact anyone but see where the vehicle is. dunno, just some thoughts.
I believe Samsung also beat Apple to the market with their foldable screens as well...
Apple had the foldable iPhone 6+ prior to Samsung.
Use your imagination...I have one attached to my keys, one in my computer bag, one in my luggage, and one 'hidden' on my bicycle.
I can't wait to swap my Tiles out for AirTags simply because the 'network' and tracking ability will improve exponentially as soon as every Apple device can participate.
Imagine fastening anything to your keys that would make them physically twice as big and the chances are you would reduce the likelihood of them being lost.
I'm going to connect one to my iphone to see if I can find my headphone jack!
If you only look at the reign of Cook, then sure, Apple is a follower scrambling to make money with no passion or innovation or product. They're selling me-too widgets based on other people's innovation.
If you look at the overall history of Apple, they've been incredibly innovative with a lot of firsts. Apple created the smartphone and tablet markets. The first commercial computer with a GUI was the Apple Lisa followed by the Mac. Apple used to create whole markets and then dominate them.
Heck, Apple invented the spreadsheet that didn't need a mainframe, the first "killer app" which is what arguably turned the computer into a serious industry instead of the days of "a global market for 5 real computers and a bunch of hobbiest toys". That is what sent IBM into it's crazy panic which led to the IBM-PC and IBM's mistakes in their blind panic also are the reason Microsoft exits.
To say Apple has never been first is just blind and shortsighted. And seeing the company as the soulless corporate copycat is the reason older Apple users hate Cook so much.
I’m curious but cautious about UWB trackers, particularly from a legal perspective. Basically just waiting for the first horror story so we can all find out what loophole was missed.
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We are already extremely trackable - our mobile devices self-report their location and, if necessary, cell tower data can be subpoenaed. However, those are active tracking mechanisms.
UWB tracker tags rely on others who are constantly polling for nearby devices and reporting the device ID and location back to the cloud. This is passive tracking (the UWB tag is not broadcasting its location). For this to work, millions of mobile devices must become a de facto spy network, constantly scanning and reporting the ID of any UWB tag they encounter.
If person A wants to monitor the activity of person B, all person A needs to do is conceal a UWB tag in clothing, a purse, book bag, vehicle, anywhere. It needs minimal or no power and it doesn’t need to broadcast its location. The ”network” of UWB devices (phones) are constantly polling, detecting that tracker, and reporting back the tracker ID and their location. The phones are oblivious to the purpose or intent of that tag. Person A never really had to “spy” on Person B - everyone else did it for them. Even if Apple terminated Person A’s ability to see the tag’s location history, the network of UWB devices are still reporting that tag every time it is encountered.
Phone manufacturers will not want you to disable UWB because it will undermine their efforts to monitor everything humanly possible. Expect victory stories to be brought forth early on about toddlers being rescued from kidnappers because a tag was sewed into a jacket. Later, the backlash will come: cheating spouses will be tracked to a lover’s house and murdered. Congressional hearings will be conducted to ask Apple and others what they’re doing to protect people’s privacy. No power will be relinquished.
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We are already extremely trackable - our mobile devices self-report their location and, if necessary, cell tower data can be subpoenaed. However, those are active tracking mechanisms.
UWB tracker tags rely on others who are constantly polling for nearby devices and reporting the device ID and location back to the cloud. This is passive tracking (the UWB tag is not broadcasting its location). For this to work, millions of mobile devices must become a de facto spy network, constantly scanning and reporting the ID of any UWB tag they encounter.
If person A wants to monitor the activity of person B, all person A needs to do is conceal a UWB tag in clothing, a purse, book bag, vehicle, anywhere. It needs minimal or no power and it doesn’t need to broadcast its location. The ”network” of UWB devices (phones) are constantly polling, detecting that tracker, and reporting back the tracker ID and their location. The phones are oblivious to the purpose or intent of that tag. Person A never really had to “spy” on Person B - everyone else did it for them. Even if Apple terminated Person A’s ability to see the tag’s location history, the network of UWB devices are still reporting that tag every time it is encountered.
Phone manufacturers will not want you to disable UWB because it will undermine their efforts to monitor everything humanly possible. Expect victory stories to be brought forth early on about toddlers being rescued from kidnappers because a tag was sewed into a jacket. Later, the backlash will come: cheating spouses will be tracked to a lover’s house and murdered. Congressional hearings will be conducted to ask Apple and others what they’re doing to protect people’s privacy. No power will be relinquished.
Did you even read the portion you quoted? Wow.
And I don't know anyone who doesn't have a key tag (or fob on car keys) that isn't larger than these tracking tags. I guess if you say you literally carry bare keys in your pocket, I'll have to believe you but you'd be the first person I've ever heard of who does.
Despite your clever use of qualifiers such as "markets" to qualify smartphones and tablets (whatever that even means), and "didn't need a mainframe" to qualify spreadsheets, Apple did not invent nor was it among the first in any of those markets. That's like saying Ford invented the car because it was the first to use a moving asembly line.
In fact, Apple did not invent the spreadsheet, smartphone, tablet, computer, MP3 player, ear buds, headphones, smart watches, wireless charging, routers, SSD drivers, OLED displays, or tile trackers.
There's no win lose here in my mind, there are now a number of choices, I have two Tile tags and I'm not completely sold on it's usefulness, So it is good at home, but not much more as it is bluetooth so it has a very limited range. It's not like a forgot something with one of these devices...of any flavor in my car, parked 3 blocks away and it will show me that it is there.
How has that worked out for them over the last 10 years. First at first, then last in adoption