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Apple Introduces AirTag

apple.com

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Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#81

Post by shuckles »

crazygringo wrote: post #71

I thought one of the big use cases for this was to track stolen items, like a backpack or maybe even a bicycle. But the "anti-stalking" feature will notify someone if an AirTag they don't own appears to be traveling with them. Does this render it useless for anti-theft, then? Since it will just notify a thief that the bike they just stole is being tracked, and they can look for the AirTag and throw it in the nearest…

Vanmoof seems to have adopted the Find My spec and integrated it into their bike hardware itself. AirTag is for lost items. Hardware manufacturers can build Find My support into their product to defend against stolen items. I’d guess that’s the strategy.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#82

Post by eneloopy »

p1mrx wrote: post #39
eneloopy wrote: post #5

Would have been nice to have an attachment hole on the device itself, rather than requiring you purchase accessories to attach to a set of keys, for example.

If these become popular, you'll probably find plastic adapters for $1 on AliExpress.

Yeah I'm sure there will be cheap aftermarket alternatives to the Apple branded accessories, but it would be nice not to have to need an additional purchase for the common use case of just tying the thing to something. It also seems a bit wasteful

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#83

Post by ehsankia »

habibur wrote: post #16

> AirTag is designed for over a year’s worth of battery life with everyday use. The CR2032 battery is user-replaceable and widely available. Replacement batteries are sold separately. That's the piece of information I wanted to know first. Devices like this can be built, but those can't run on batteries for a reasonable time frame. Apple made it practical.

As pointed out above, this is already the status quo (replacable battery, 1 year life, etc). Tile has had it for years.

I'm curious if it would've been technically feasible to have wireless charging on these instead of replaceable battery. Or would that greatly increase the price?

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#84

Post by shuckles »

function_seven wrote: post #76
Nextgrid wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how they allow a device to tell that the same AirTag is being seen repeatedly without allowing malicious third-parties to do the same? I thought the system was designed in such a way that the data is meaningless to anyone but the owner of the tag, so that third-parties can't learn anything from said data.

My speculation: The iOS device keeps seeing a random AirTag in close proximity. Even as the ID rotates, it's still about 2m away, and continues to be 2m away as you move. It doesn't know who it belongs to, but it's probably the same physical device, because it keeps going to wherever you're going. That's a different scenario than the evil store owner who wants to track their customers. In that case, it's just a rando…

The random ID has a fixed suffix in the spec, so you can infer that it’s the same AirTag if you see the same suffix across multiple rotations.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#86

Post by ehsankia »

crazygringo wrote: post #71

I thought one of the big use cases for this was to track stolen items, like a backpack or maybe even a bicycle. But the "anti-stalking" feature will notify someone if an AirTag they don't own appears to be traveling with them. Does this render it useless for anti-theft, then? Since it will just notify a thief that the bike they just stole is being tracked, and they can look for the AirTag and throw it in the nearest…

Does anti-stalking only work for Apple users? I assume it won't notify someone who doesn't have an Apple phone, making it kinda useless for half the population.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#87

Post by eigen »

suprfsat wrote: post #36
habibur wrote: post #16

> AirTag is designed for over a year’s worth of battery life with everyday use. The CR2032 battery is user-replaceable and widely available. Replacement batteries are sold separately. That's the piece of information I wanted to know first. Devices like this can be built, but those can't run on batteries for a reasonable time frame. Apple made it practical.

Tile's been doing one-year battery life with a CR2032 for quite some time now.

only the $35 Tile Pro has user-replaceable 2032 battery.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#88

Post by shuckles »

booleandilemma wrote: post #65
p49k wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s in the article too. It will start beeping when moved if it’s following someone that’s not the owner for a while.

So if a thief steals my jacket with an AirTag inside, some time later it’ll start beeping? At which point he’ll discard the AirTag and I won’t be able to track down my jacket. Kinda lame.

You assume that in a counter-factual world, professional thieves can’t learn to check the pockets of stolen jackets? They are already known to use Bluetooth network scanners to identify, eg, cars with electronics stored inside.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#89

Post by BitwiseFool »

polyvisual wrote: post #27
athorax wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The holder accessories are as/more expensive as the tracker itself lol > Apple-designed AirTag accessories include the Leather Key Ring in Saddle Brown, (PRODUCT)RED, and Baltic Blue for $35 (US); the Leather Loop in Saddle Brown and (PRODUCT)RED for $39 (US); and the Polyurethane Loop in White, Deep Navy, Sunflower, and Electric Orange for $29 (US).

My side business is making handmade/handstitched leather belts, wallets etc. These keyfob holders look like the sort of thing I'd make and sell... probably for the same £ cost as the Apple branded, mass-produced alternatives.

Thank you for chiming in with your experience. I, like many others, assumed these accessories were being sold with an exorbitant markup but it seems like they may be pretty reasonably priced.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#90

Post by shuckles »

prionassembly wrote: post #22

I've been thinking about a solution that would let me find a 4-10 year old child that gets lost in a big city crowd. Like a bracelet or something. Is the AirTag truly first or best in class?

Apple Watch for kids launched last fall with cellular and GPS support. You probably want something like it for kids in the older end of that range.
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