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Apple Introduces AirTag

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Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#291

Post by Me1000 »

dijit wrote: post #287
ehsankia wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

> Tile has had it for years. I had a tile and it most assuredly did not have a replacable battery, I had to mill the thing open: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhM5ujSU6w

Yeah, I had to check their website... it looks like some of the their models have replaceable batteries now, but they certainly didn't start that way (and not all of their products have a replaceable battery today).

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#292

Post by crazygringo »

mercutio2 wrote: post #263
crazygringo wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirTags are anonymous to other end users . Obviously Apple is internally maintaining an association between the AirTag's permanent identifier, and its current temporary signal identifier. This isn't E2EE or anything.

Huh? It certainly is E2EE. "Whether attached to a handbag, keys, backpack, or other items, AirTag taps into the vast, global Find My network1 and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption."

Is the E2EE applying to the Bluetooth ID's?

I think it's referring to other aspects of the system -- this sentence is specifically referring to location data, not Bluetooth ID's.

In any case, my point remains that obviously Apple has to be internally associating the Bluetooth ID's with owner ID's.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#293

Post by omegaworks »

mercutio2 wrote: post #263
crazygringo wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirTags are anonymous to other end users . Obviously Apple is internally maintaining an association between the AirTag's permanent identifier, and its current temporary signal identifier. This isn't E2EE or anything.

Huh? It certainly is E2EE. "Whether attached to a handbag, keys, backpack, or other items, AirTag taps into the vast, global Find My network1 and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption."

Even with E2EE it makes sense that it is still possible to differentiate "registered, known" tags from "unknown" tags. Unknown tags won't reveal any information about who owns them, but they will still transmit on the same frequencies and with the same protocol as your air tags.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#296

Post by phinnaeus »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #89
polyvisual wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm not sure that's what polyvisual meant. If they handmake an item and it sells for the same price as a mass-produced item, the mass-produced item is definitely marked up.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#297

Post by phinnaeus »

twobitshifter wrote: post #20
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).

I imagine the Hermès holder is going to be much more than that.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MX872AM/A/airtag-herm%C3%...

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#298

Post by Kye »

pfranz wrote: post #204
ehsankia wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Tile didn't start with replaceable batteries--they still don't use them in all their products. I don't know how AirTags will be in practice, but user-replaceable batteries haven't been great. I don't know if it's a technical restriction or not, but "low-battery" seems to be a time based warning and not based on battery charge. So I either get an alert when 1 year has passed on all of my devices at the same time, or t…

Your choice is a reasonable timer or extra circuitry and logic for monitoring battery power that cuts the battery life.

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#299

Post by Eric_WVGG »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #280
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess bicycles thieves are either savvier or have an easier job. Their modus operandi is to throw a bicycle into a truck or van, move them in lots of fifty across state lines, and tear them down to components. Any trackers will be quickly rendered useless once they're in the van, and immediately found and discarded. I'm definitely planning on getting Airtags for my bikes, but mostly for amusement and occasionally f…

Hint: tight up under the Brooks saddle with hot glue.

yeah, I'm gonna do that short term, and looking into a 3D-printed mount that clamps onto the rails for the long term

still kind of silly since a saddle is an easily stolen part

Re: Apple Introduces AirTag

#300

Post by duskwuff »

randyrand wrote: post #241
duskwuff wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the "interest" that you're worried about AirTags "working against" is being able to stalk people by attaching trackers to them or their belongings -- sincerely, fuck you. It is entirely appropriate for Apple to build functionality into their products to mitigate this sort of abuse.

....It’s alerting thieves that the device they stole is being tracked. That’s anti-user. The user is the one trying to do the tracking.

And not the user of the phone that is reporting the location of those tags to a stalker? Their interests are important too.

Anyways, I don't think there was ever any intent for AirTags to function as an anti-theft tracking device. Anti-theft is much harder to do well than anti-loss (which is what Apple is targeting), and is very difficult to distinguish from stalkerware for a mass-market product.

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