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Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

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Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#181

Post by yabones »

coderatlarge wrote: post #88
minton wrote: post #74

> Designed exclusively for tracking objects, and not people or pets, the new AirTag incorporates… Interesting to call out that it’s not designed for pets. I know several people with AirTags on their pet collars.

why not pets?

They work best for things that a human has to move, and since a good chunk of humans (at least in US/CA) have iPhones, the movement of the physical thing will be tracked by an iPhone fairly reliably. Any time the critter is outside the range of an i-device picking it up the location will be stale. There isn't really a way around that, since GPS/5G radios are a lot more power hungry than the occasional bluetooth pings an airtag broadcasts.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#182

Post by philsnow »

anton-107 wrote: post #53

does this update also enable precision finding from the watch? would this start working with the previous generation of airtags as well (currently you can use precision finding from your iphone, but not from the watch)

From the linked article:

> For the first time, users can use Precision Finding on Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, to find their AirTag, bringing a powerful experience to the wrist.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#183

Post by jshier »

kstrauser wrote: post #98
wslh wrote: post #57

Great that they are improving a relatively low profile product. I imagine that the warning of using AirTag on pets is just for regulatory purposes?

Yep. They continue to be excellent pet trackers. “They’re not for use with pets, wink wink ”, when if you set out to build a pet tracker from scratch, that’s what you’d hope to end up with.

They're great if you're in a populated area. If you're tracking pets in the country, you'll never see them, as there aren't any relay devices out in the woods.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#184

Post by tuetuopay »

kwanbix wrote: post #143
singularity2001 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That just work. I know it sounds simple but if you have been burned by Bluetooth devices before again and again get unburned by AirPods. Also, they stick in my ear even though all other headsets with cable fell out. I don´t know how

Maybe I got lucky, but I never had issues with my Bose, Shokz, or even with my Soundcore headphones and bluetooth. I don't use in ear, so I can not comment on that.

From what I've read, it's an accumulation of small details.

I have a pair of Soundcore buds, and they work well. Unless only one of the two decides to not connect to the phone. Or they randomly decide to change the noise cancellation setting. Or their gesture detection randomly triggers. To be fair, it's pretty rare and easy to fix: put them back in the case and back out, etc. But it's small things that remind me "yeah, I did not shell out for AirPods". (also, their transparency mode for conversations is nigh useless, but it may be because those are a 4 year old model).

I regularily use a pair of Sony headphones too, and they are a bit less troublesome, because it's a much simpler product: a single BT connection, physical buttons for some quick controls, etc. But they still have their warts: can't charge and be used at the same time, handoff between two source devices still don't work after years, etc.

It's an accumulation of details that are not big, happen rarely, and don't need much to get used to. But they still need to get used to.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#185

Post by CGMthrowaway »

logicalfails wrote: post #6

> The new AirTag is designed with the environment in mind, with 85 percent recycled plastic in the enclosure, 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and 100 percent recycled gold plating in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards. The paper packaging is 100 percent fiber-based and can be easily recycled. I'm no material scientist, but this seems pretty impressive to me that Apple's economy of scal…

I don't see old-gen airtags for sale on the website. Are they throwing them all out?

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#186

Post by kube-system »

numpad0 wrote: post #69
buzzerbetrayed wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it would notify your ex that you did so, no? Apple has already done more than enough to discourage stalking. We shouldn’t nerf all our technology to the ground because assholes exist.

It's too late when they are notified. The last known address is where the victim is at.

The perpetrator has to already find the victim, and physically be there, to put the tag on the car

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#187

Post by fragmede »

nathancahill wrote: post #138
traceroute66 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dude... not cool to put your Amazon `ref` link in there....

It's not theirs, internal Amazon stuff. Also, plug for Firefox and the Copy Clean Link function.

But I got my pitchfork out and everything! How dare someone try and make money to pay their bills!

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#188

Post by Bigpet »

sofixa wrote: post #141
Bigpet wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shouldn't most comodity GPS receivers also be GLONASS compatible (I get that Galileo is more niche and might not be included). Does the Sensor Apple uses not use GLONASS in Russia? Or is it cheapo Android Phones picking up the tag and then sending GPS coords into cloud? edit: Nvm, I might be dumb, I guess unless your jamming includes all commodity GNSS it's pretty useless.

> Or is it cheapo Android Phones picking up the tag and then sending GPS coords into cloud? AirTags have no integration with Android devices. There's a shitty app from Apple you can install that allows you to scan for AirTags nearby, one shot. It's supposedly against stalkers, but it's practically useless. There a bunch of other community apps with varying features like finding and notifying you there's an AirTag nea…

Oh, thank for the correction. I must've muddled it up in my mind with the contact tracing integration that had during Covid.

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#189

Post by dmix »

etchalon wrote: post #81
gusgus01 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Russia does pretty widespread GPS jamming and spoofing both in their country as well as across the Baltics and Nordics (and others). If a phone is receiving bad GPS data when it reports sensing the tag, the tag location will reflect that bad GPS data and not reality.

Thanks for explanation. I had absolutely no awareness GPS jamming was a thing, let alone at scale.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasukha

Re: Apple introduces new AirTag with longer range and improved findability

#190

Post by pjerem »

kwanbix wrote: post #143
singularity2001 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That just work. I know it sounds simple but if you have been burned by Bluetooth devices before again and again get unburned by AirPods. Also, they stick in my ear even though all other headsets with cable fell out. I don´t know how

Maybe I got lucky, but I never had issues with my Bose, Shokz, or even with my Soundcore headphones and bluetooth. I don't use in ear, so I can not comment on that.

Yep but with AirPods, you are listening music or watching a video, on your Mac, your iPhone rings (on your AirPods), you accept the call, and now the video is paused on your Mac and your AirPods are already connected to your iPhone.

Any time any of the registered devices needs to emit sound, the AirPods instantly switch to this device (and both devices will show an unobtrusive notification to reverse the auto switch).

And it works every. single. time.

Apple can't make Airdrop work reliably after decades but somehow, they are able to magically and instantly transfer bluetooth audio from a device to another device.

Though, if you use your airpods with anything non apple, it will juste work like a classical bluetooth device, with manual pairing and no magic switching.

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