I'm really hoping AirTags put some downward pressure on the tracker industry. There's an outrageous markup on most other trackers like Tile. Maybe if people can get AirTags for $30 Tile will stop pretending their $3 plastic squares are worth $25.
AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
121–130 of 207 posts
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#122The lack of loophole was disorienting, but then I went and looked up how they want you to attach it, and the hangtag accessories look so pretty https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airt... -- things like the appearance and the sound quality really show a commitment to making polished products rather than practical ones. I've been fairly negative on Apple for a few years and they still need to pull…
The Tile is much more compact than the kitted out AirTag. Shame that Apple had to pander to the twin gods of accessories margin and fashion.
It doesn't matter though. The AirTags' tracking (on a map) actually works, while Tiles' doesn't.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It's hilarious to a certain extent that they built the thing smaller than all the competition and bulk it up with a wad of leather anyhow. That's essentially how I feel when I see the "Our thinnest iPhone ever" slide knowing that 95% of iPhone owners put it in a bulky case. That said, that's not unique to Apple and the phone is at least usable without a case.
It's not like the choice is "thick and doesn't need a case or thin and needs a case". Even if the phone was thicker, people would be using cases if they bought it, right?
> Even if the phone was thicker, people would be using cases if they bought it, right?
People started using cases for most part after the iPhone came out. Older phones were almost never used with a case, except perhaps for use case requiring a ruggedized enclosure.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
>add a loophole Now, throw it in a glass of water for an hour. I'd be amazed if it didn't trash the IPx7 rating, which is an AirTags differentiator over Tile.
That's a silly argument. There's absolutely no reason that a built-in loophole would have to let water in (unlike iFixit's drilled hole, which might).
i meant that iFixit’s argument that you could be cheeky and drill a hole for a key ring is true, but also would in all likelihood ruin the waterproofing.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#125What are the practical ramifications of Apple harnessing every existing iPhone as an AirTag discovery device in the Find My network? (I think it's awful from a privacy and device-ownership standpoint, but let's leave that aside.) For instance, because physics is real, it must take some amount of battery power & data transfer to collect information about nearby AirTags. Suppose I walk into Disneyland on a summer weeke…
The AirTag transmits every 2 seconds. The iPhone should scan every 2 minutes for 2 seconds in order to capture the AirTag. BLE scanning costs about ~20mW. So the average power consumption is 20mW * (2sec / 120sec) = 0.3mW. Over an entire day, it's 7mWh. The iPhone 12 battery is 10000mWh. Conclusion: it's neglibile.
It's the principle: other people's tags get to commandeer resources from 'my phone' without me giving permission. Unless somewhere in the iPhone fine print it say something like "by using an iPhone, you are implicitly agreeing to become part of Apple's Global BLE Network" --- well, if not that, I'm not sure how Apple gets away with this.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would say those AirTags will be with the iPhones of their respective owners. Mine report as “With you” so perhaps they don’t advertise themselves in this state. The phone will be frequently updating its own location to Find My anyway so no extra power draw. However if you’re walking by a set of left luggage lockers or through some similar environment where lots of AirTags not with their owner then there would indee…
> Mine report as “With you” so perhaps they don’t advertise themselves in this state. So you know for certain that AirTags have multiple broadcast states (e.g., "with me" vs. not)? Apple's description makes it sound like they only have one state: "Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network." [1] [1] https://www.apple.com/airtag/
The air tag just broadcasts location, the ‘with you’ state is generated within Find My iPhone, recognizing that the airbag is in the same location as your phone. That, and signal strength for locating the device.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#127I wouldn't want to use their hack for drilling a hole - not because of the risk or loss of water resistance but because the edge of the hole isn't going to have great structural strength and will likely crack and let the keyring out. You'd also probably want to get some small split rings to use with that hole, then connect one of those to anything else.
It was only a 1/8" hole, you can't line it with much and still fit a keyring through.
Unfortunately the most obvious use case of attaching it directly to your keychain so you don't lose your keys probably won't work because in your pocket the keyring itself will act like a lever against the hole and tear the case to shreds. You really do need the overpriced accessory for that use case.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#128Do people actually need to use these things? Maybe I'm weird, but when young, I had drilled into me Benjamin Franklin's "A place for Everything, and Everything in its Place". If I can't remember where I put something, then I suspect Bigger (medical) Problems are on the horizon... (!)
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
The AirTag transmits every 2 seconds. The iPhone should scan every 2 minutes for 2 seconds in order to capture the AirTag. BLE scanning costs about ~20mW. So the average power consumption is 20mW * (2sec / 120sec) = 0.3mW. Over an entire day, it's 7mWh. The iPhone 12 battery is 10000mWh. Conclusion: it's neglibile.
It's the principle: other people's tags get to commandeer resources from 'my phone' without me giving permission. Unless somewhere in the iPhone fine print it say something like "by using an iPhone, you are implicitly agreeing to become part of Apple's Global BLE Network" --- well, if not that, I'm not sure how Apple gets away with this.
It also helps find your phone if you loose it. So everyone wins.
Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks
#130What are the practical ramifications of Apple harnessing every existing iPhone as an AirTag discovery device in the Find My network? (I think it's awful from a privacy and device-ownership standpoint, but let's leave that aside.) For instance, because physics is real, it must take some amount of battery power & data transfer to collect information about nearby AirTags. Suppose I walk into Disneyland on a summer weeke…
The AirTag transmits every 2 seconds. The iPhone should scan every 2 minutes for 2 seconds in order to capture the AirTag. BLE scanning costs about ~20mW. So the average power consumption is 20mW * (2sec / 120sec) = 0.3mW. Over an entire day, it's 7mWh. The iPhone 12 battery is 10000mWh. Conclusion: it's neglibile.
Would it be more if we consider the radio boot time to send a tx, and the amount of bytes sent to apples server? Also what happens if I'm at the air port with 100 air tags in range? I know they try to piggy back the data transmissions but now we are counting on apple's software having no bugs.