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Apple Introduces AirTag

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Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#681

Post by SilverRed »

gnicholas wrote: post #646
billyhoffman wrote: post #557

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can’t wait for an AirTag-enabled AirPods case! I misplace that often.

The AirPods case can already be tracked, but annoyingly you can't make it make a sound. If you leave a single AirPod out, you can make it make a sound, but for me this is useless because I always misplace the case (with AirPods inside). I don't see why it's not possible to have the AirPods make noise from within the case. I understand the sound would be muffled by the case itself, but that's still better than nothing…

Can they be tracked? Every time I try, the map location is seriously out of date

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#682

Post by rataata_jr »

s3r3nity wrote: post #555
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

God damn it's like I'm back in 2010 where people praise Apple for doing things other people have already done. Apple did not invent device trackers with replaceable batteries. Tile has been doing that since 2018 on some of their devices (Basically all except the smallest ones), and I imagine someone else did it before then.

> ...people praise Apple for doing things other people have already done. As Drake once said: "it ain't about who did it first/ It's about who did it right."

Oh yes the canadian philosopher man.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#683

Post by Dylan16807 »

xondono wrote: post #637
flatiron wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did like having two batteries and an external charger. 30 seconds I’m out the door with a freshy

Would you want it enough to pay 20% to 30% more and have the phone be ~5mm thicker? Because the obvious issue is that most people won’t.

Why is that the requirement? The extra layers of plastic to enable removable batteries cost close to zero dollars and don't have to cost more than a millimeter.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#684

Post by Dylan16807 »

ryanfreeborn wrote: post #651
bobthepanda wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was definitely a time when they had no product that had replaceable batteries in their line. I swore Tile off when I found out the hard way that the battery gives out a year from time of sale, not from when you activate it.

You swore Tile off because because you don't like how batteries generally function?

They chose to set it up this way, and also that's not even close to the normal shelf life of an unused battery, so it must be actively draining it and not "how batteries generally function".

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#685

Post by trissylegs »

avipars wrote: post #276
alephnan wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some Tile models don't have replaceable batteries either. There's a tradeoff in form factor

actually not much in mine... maybe in the tile slim ones though

The one on my keys is. The one in my wallet isn't. I suppose because there's not standard "Very thin" battery. Button batteries are the limit.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#686

Post by theshrike79 »

cute_boi wrote: post #190
matthew-wegner wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any iOS device will relay the AirTag’s beacons to iCloud—-not just your devices. If you lose a tracked device, you can see its location if a random person’s Internet-enabled iDevice hears any of its chirps. The stranger’s device doing the relaying is unable to decrypt the contents; it just forwards the data to Apple.

hmm I don't think I would like my device should send data for others property (AirTag) becons to cloud? Why should I spent my data cost to send beacons for someone else? I hope it can be disabled.

The amount of data for all the possible AirTags you can encounter in a day is less than loading a single image on a modern web page.

If your data caps are THAT tight, you might consider a different provider.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#687

Post by oivey »

GurnBlandston wrote: post #581
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.

That's comparable to existing products. I was hoping to read that Apple made the device sealed and rechargeable via a mat or the like. This device will be used like find my phone - a removable battery will make it trivial for thieves to disable the tracking.

Even easier than removing the tag: thieves could just remove the tag from the object.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#688

Post by sneak »

Skunkleton wrote: post #566
sneak wrote: post #561

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a good idea to turn off location services on all Apple devices systemwide. Having it on sends your location over the network to Apple (via visible Wi-Fi MAC address lists) all the time - it's not just passive GPS reception. Apple then shares this data with the US federal government without the requirement for a warrant, whenever they ask via a FISA request. No probable cause of criminal activity is required: it…

True enough, but the same data is also available via your cellular provider, and they are happy to provide it to law enforcement as well. Your cell provider also sells the data for profit.

This issue also applies to macs and iPads, most of which don't talk to the cellular network.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#689

Post by Dylan16807 »

austhrow743 wrote: post #548
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #488

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GP said that "Apple made it practical" while quoting a part about having user-replaceable batteries, implying that Apple's use of replaceable batteries in a device tracker was Apple's innovation.

No it's implying that there was a worry that Apple wouldn't have user replaceable batteries. They at no point reference any competing product.

I disagree. The comment is drawing a contrast between what apple did and "devices like this".
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