AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks • Hacker News Board

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#71

Post by jayd16 » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:05 PM UTC

kemayo wrote: post #53

spoonjim wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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... isn't, though? There's a side-by-side comparison photo of the naked devices in the linked article, and I'm fairly sure from eyeballing it that the AirTag + the smallest of the accessories (the Belkin one [1]) is still smaller than the Tile. [1]: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HNPR2ZM/A/belkin-secure-h...

The latest tile is thinner and more flat. You could probably fit it in a wallet but the round shape of the airtag makes it a bit more awkward. Still, I'm sure people will make it work.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#72

Post by gumby » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:07 PM UTC

perryizgr8 wrote: post #52

dijit wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I distinctly remember people at Nokia laughing at how the first iPhone didn’t stand up to any of their robustness tests. Obviously they were wrong and people bought them (due to the fit and finish of the software, not robustness or battery life) and the first iPhone feels like it was much more durable than the latest generations with their protruding cameras, glass on two sides and edge to edge screen.

Yeah the new phones are laughably non-robust. Use an iPhone without a case or protective film for a year and I guarantee you there will be micro scratches on the back glass. They don't design the phone to be used without a case. People use cases because of that, not because of the price tag.

Who cares about micro (or even macro) scratches on the back? It’s the front you look at.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#73

Post by jayd16 » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:09 PM UTC

texec wrote: post #45

fblp wrote: post #3

I wonder what the internal discussion at Apple was about whether or not to include a loophole in the product. The fact that fixit has gone out and shown how you can add a loophole rather than wasting $13 on an accessory is a bit of a facepalm moment.

Beside the size it's probably a tradeoff on mechanical integrity: a keyring can introduce immense mechanical stress. On my last tag the small loophole just broke away after a year on a key that was not used daily or in harsh environments. With the AirTag you can just replace a $2 third party accessory. Apple didn't have to engineer a very durable (maybe milled?) loophole, which would have increased cost.

This is what I would guess. They didn't want to see a bunch of broken look airtags floating around in a year's time and they also didn't want to spring for the metal reinforcement.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#74

Post by BoorishBears » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:11 PM UTC

threepio wrote: post #25

What 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…

> I think it's awful from a privacy and device-ownership standpoint, but let's leave that aside.

Why is that so?

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#75

Post by gumby » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:11 PM UTC

selykg wrote: post #37

caturopath wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Probably not everyone. But for me, after spending $1400 I’m putting it in a case. My Xs Max is nearly two and a half years old now and I took it out of the case for it’s scheduled cleaning and after wiping it down and getting the built up pocket crud out of the crevices where the case and phone meet, its like brand new. I’m hoping I can get at least another year out of this thing. Battery is excellent. iOS doesn’t se…

> I’m hoping I can get at least another year out of this thing.

A year should be no problem. I just replaced my iPhone 6s and Apple Watch 0 in February. If I hadn’t decided I wanted the NFC functionality I would have simply replaced the battery.

I don’t bother with a case because it’s often simply my pocket, which is a case I guess.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#76

Post by fencepost » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:13 PM UTC

elliekelly wrote: post #19

culturestate wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that their guiding principle with this was as it is with every other portable device they have now - make it as small as practically possible and let people extend it if and how they want[1] to. Saves a little bit of material, makes manufacturing a little less complicated, and makes the accessory ecosystem a whole lot more appealing. 1. I don’t carry a keychain, for example, but I…

> I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that their guiding principle with this was as it is with every other portable device they have now - make it as small as possible and let people extend it if they want Here I am, desperately clutching my nearly-obsolete iPhone in my small hands, waiting for Apple to return to this principle and make an iPhone that I can comfortably use one-handed again.

Is the 2020 SE still too large? Because I'm pretty sure they're not going smaller than that unless it's for radically cheaper devices targeted at the third world and I don't see that happening.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#77

Post by asdff » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:15 PM UTC

Exmoor wrote: post #27

caturopath wrote: post #18

The 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…

> 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 the thinnest iphone ever that hasn't sat flat on a table for years. Touch the screen and it wobbles like a bar table needing some coasters under a leg. Apple purposely designs their cases to be flush with the camera bump, knowing that for most users, the phone will just live in a case.

It's kind of ridiculous to build that baked in expectation for more accessory buying directly into your device, but I guess that's modern design principles. Extract more dollar, and leave you with the equivalent of a wobbly table if you don't buy in.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#78

Post by gumby » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:17 PM UTC

rand_r wrote: post #14

Jpoliachik wrote: post #4

> But why bother putting a real driver in here at all? Magnets not only add weight, they take up a lot of space. Looks like one corner Apple refused to cut on this tiny disk is sound quality. I find it fascinating what tradeoffs are decided upon. Apple is arguably the best luxury brand in the world - and this is why.

Apple’s unique ethos is technology as a means for creative expression. That’s why they’ve excelled in font rendering, colour accuracy, sound fidelity, and input-lag. I think this value came from Steve Jobs, and I hope they never lose it because it imbues Apple with real human spirit. They’re more than just another profit-seeking company.

> They’re more than just another profit-seeking company.

I do like Apple but be real: this is how they garner their profits.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#79

Post by gumby » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:19 PM UTC

fastball wrote: post #59

fnord123 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That’s why they’ve excelled in font rendering, colour accuracy, sound fidelity, and input-lag. That'll be why mac laptops connect to bluetooth speakers using the worst default settings for sound fidelity so it sounds like a dying frog. And the input lag is quite terrible when the machine is under any load.

I'm sure that will be fixed once Apple inevitably starts building their own Bluetooth chipsets.

> you’ll have to wait until 2015: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple-designed_processors#W_se...

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#80

Post by fencepost » Sun, May 02, 2021, 5:19 PM UTC

I 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.