Apple released their soon-to-be-iconic AirTag trackers today. They have everything we have predicted in our countless AirTag rumors and our AirTag FAQ has already been updated to reflect all the details of today’s latest and greatest news.

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Key AirTag Features:

• AirTag uses Apple’s vast, global Find My network of iPhone and iPad users to help locate a lost item
• Location data remains private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption
• Launches / Available for order beginning Friday, April 30 at 5 a.m. PT
• One AirTag costs $29, and a four-pack of AirTags is available for a discounted price of $99
• Makes one heck-of-a Pet Tracker

What is Apple AirTag’s “Precision Finding”? How does the U1 Ultra-Wideband chip help you find your stuff?

• AirTag enables Apple’s “Precision Finding” system by using its proprietary “indoor GPS” U1 Ultra Wideband chip to help direct you to the exact location of whatever you attached AirTag to, instead of relying on just a simple beeping system like AirTag competitors from Samsung and Tile
• Precision Finding helps you more accurately determine the distance and direction to a lost AirTag when it is in range. As you walk or drive with your iPhone or iPad in-hand, Precision Finding fuses input from the camera, ARKit, accelerometer, and gyroscope, to help guide you to AirTag using a combination of sound, haptics, and visual feedback… So you can be inside your house, and it can help you turn left, right and go straight, tell you whether you’re getting hotter or colder, and then take you to that long-lost set of car keys, quickly.

So, how do you find your lost items with Apple AirTag trackers?

• Are you worried about losing an important item (or furry friend – see article on Are Apple AirTags Good Pet Trackers?), well then the first thing to do is to attach an AirTag to it!
• Then, you simply use the Find My app, which is built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac, to help find your lost item & AirTag (just like you’ve used the Find My App in the past to track down your lost iPhones)
• If the AirTag and your precious cargo are in Bluetooth range (e.g., in the the house), it will lead you right to it (oh look, the remote is under the couch… again)
• But, if your item and the AirTag is separated from its owner and out of Bluetooth range (e.g., if Fido ran away!) then you’ll rely on Apple’s nearly-billion-strong network of other iPhone / iPad / Apple Watch users… This is called the “Find My network” and it will help you help track your missing AirTag down
• Apple notes that “the Find My network is approaching a billion Apple devices and can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag and relay the location back to its owner, all in the background, anonymously and privately”
• Lost something? Simply open your Find My app and place your AirTag into “Lost Mode” – and you’ll (quickly) be notified when it is in range of anyone in the world with a modern iPhone or iPad, as they are the ones who comprise the Find My network
• Imagine – Fido is bound to be chewing on a bone down the street… but what street is he on, and what if he’s hiding behind a bush? Well, if he’s within 300′ or so of any random stranger with an iPhone – their phone will find him, and anonymously let you know exactly where he’s hiding. That’s. Freaking. Amazing. Welcome home Fido, and thank you AirTags!
• Did you find someone’s lost device with an AirTag on it, and want their hero / new BFF? You can help them find it! Simply tap it with your iPhone or any NFC-capable device and you will be taken to a website that will display a contact phone number for the owner, if they have provided one, and help them get it back quickly! I found someone’s locked iPhone on the street the other day, and it was much harder to return than it should have been… I had to keep it charged for hours until a friend of theirs called to ask where it was. Things should be easier to find and return, and with AirTags, now they are.

That sounds amazing… But, what about privacy? Can someone hide an AirTag in my car and spy on me and track me around the world? Do I need to be creeped out by stalkers with AirTags?

• Maybe… But Apple has thought this through, so AirTag has privacy built-in from launch
• First off, you don’t need to worry about Apple or some government entity finding and following you using your own AirTag trackers. Apple boasts that AirTag is designed to keep location data private and secure, as there is “no location data or location history physically stored inside AirTag.” So, check creepy hacking off your list.
• Further, “communication with the Find My network is end-to-end encrypted so that only the owner of a device has access to its location data, and no one, including Apple, knows the identity or location of any device that helped find it.”

That’s nerdy and reassuring… But that doesn’t stop my angry ex from sticking an AirTag in my car and following me around. How do I know if such a small AirTag is hidden in my bag somewhere?

• AirTag is also designed to prevent unwanted tracking a key differentiator from its many AirTag Competitors
• On a technical level, bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag rotate frequently to prevent unwanted location tracking / hacking
• More importantly, iOS devices can also detect an AirTag that isn’t with its owner, and notify the user if an unknown AirTag is seen to be traveling with them from place to place over time. This means that if someone stuck one in your bag and you own an iPhone it will warn you that a tracker belonging to someone else has hitched a ride with you and is announcing your location to the world. That’s pretty slick
• If I use Android, do I need to worry about stalkers tracking me with a hidden AirTag? Unfortunately, you kind of do. Since you won’t have an iOS device to automatically warn you that a suspicious AirTag is traveling with you, you’re likely not going to notice it right away. Fortunately, Apple has a backup system in place to give you some privacy… an AirTag separated from its owner for an extended period of time will play an audible sound when moved to draw attention to it. I guess we have to all tune our ears to listen for random beeps from now on!
• And, if you do find an unknown AirTag in your stuff, you can tap it with an iPhone (or Android phone – or any NFC-capable device) and instructions will guide them to disable the unknown AirTag. But, let’s be real, you’d A) throw it out or smash it immediately, and B) quickly fire off a text to your Ex telling them to stop being creepy, ASAP
• Basically, if you’re worried about privacy, it might be worth getting iPhone now just to “bug-sweep” your life and ensure that you are AirTag free!

Apple is launching its AirTag trackers with CR2032 battery, which they claim provides “over one year” of battery life. Real-world battery life is yet to be determined (we haven’t had AirTags a year yet!) but will likely vary depending on environmental and use conditions. AirTag batteries won’t last as long in the cold, for example, and if you use ring the speaker on your AirTag every day, it’s going to die faster than if you do it just once every couple of months.

Importantly, AirTags have a user-replaceable battery – so you can simply open the AirTag battery cover, and swap in a new CR2032 battery and get another year of tracking. Amazon sells a 6-Pack of CR2032 AirTag batteries for about $10, so thank-you-Apple for choosing a widely available and standardized replaceable battery.

How does Apple AirTag battery life compare to Tile?

Tile has a range of bluetooth trackers, with both user-replaceable and permanent / built-in batteries.

• User-Replaceable Batteries Deliver One-Year Battery Life: Both the Tile Pro and the Tile Mate have user-replaceable batteries (CR2032 (like AirTags) and CR1632, respectively, for you battery-nerds out there). These deliver one-year of battery life, on average. Pros: Your tracker lasts “forever” as you can simply replace the battery every year when it dies. Cons: one-year of battery life sounds decent when compared to an iPhone’s or Apple Watch’s daily charging requirements, but it’s not necessarily as good as the Tile devices with built-in batteries. Another con is the size – replaceable battery devices are naturally larger than permanent batters . Plus, who’s going to remember to replace the battery in the AirTags on your bicycle. I can see a lot of “Hey Siri – please remind me in a year to replace all the batteries in all of my AirTags before I permanently lose all of my things!” (Editor’s Note: I’m joking a bit… Your iPhone automatically reminds you when your AirTag batteries are getting low… still, people are going to be buying A LOT of CR2032 batteries on Amazon next year when they all start to die at once)
• Fixed or Permanent Batteries Deliver Three-Year Battery Life: Tile’s Slim and Sticker lines of trackers have built-in, non-replaceable batteries that last for three years. That’s three times the battery life of CR2032 in Apple AirTags. Pros: 3x the battery life, smaller enclosure, less hassle for the user. Cons: unlike AirTags, when your Tile Slim’s battery dies, your Tile has died.

Other thoughts on batteries – Will Future AirTags be Rechargeable?

Let’s look at some of Apple’s other devices… Do any of them have replaceable batteries? Do any have permanent non-replaceable (non-rechargeable batteries)?

• Standard Rechargeable Batteries – Plug It In: iPhones, MacBooks, iPads – they are all rechargeable, and do not have replaceable batteries. Apple long-ago did away with the second battery port or concept of swapping batteries on its laptops. That’s no longer in the Apple design DNA… So it’s a bit surprising (though a pleasant surprise) to see a replaceable battery with the AirTag Launch. Still, one has to wonder if Future AirTags (see our AirTag Rumors coverage) might switch to rechargeable technology
• Novel Rechargeable Batteries – Apple likes Wireless Charging: Apple is also the king of battery charging innovation – Magsafe chargers appeared years ago on MacBooks, and now they’re on the new iPhone 12 as well. The Watch also has always had its own special magnetic charger (oddly, not called “MagSafe”). The Apple Pencil for the iPad originally had to be uncapped and plugged into the iPad’s Lightning port to charge, which in itself was rather slick, but now they just magnetically stick to the side of the iPad to charge wirelessly – which is way cooler.
• Failed Wireless Dreams – The Death of AirPower: Apple did something unusual a few years ago… In September of 2017, Apple announced it was releasing AirPower – a slick looking mat that promised to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at once, wirelessly, without having to worry about where you put them down on the mat. To make a long story short… it never worked and was never released. Apple officially canceled it a couple years later.

Bottom-line: Apple released AirTags on April 20th, 2021 with an inexpensive, easily replaceable year-long battery. We do that expect potential future AirTags releases may offer long-lasting (multi-year) permanent, non-replaceable non-rechargeable batteries instead / as an option (maybe “AirTags Pro”?). Rechargeable batteries are slick but they don’t have the battery life needed (e.g., do you really want to bring your bicycle inside every week to charge your AirTags?).

Editor’s Note: Check out the results of our AirTags Range Ultimate Challenge – Tracking an AirTag from 3,500 miles away

As another real-world example, let’s say you rode your bike to the beach, and after a long day of playing in the waves and having lunch in the sun, you cannot remember where you parked. Luckily, you installed an Apple AirTag on your bicycle… how do you find your missing item with AirTags and how far away can you be from your AirTags and still have them work?

Bluetooth-based trackers, like the Tile Pro (see our Apple AirTags vs. Tile Trackers Comparison) or Samsung Galaxy SmartTag (see our Samsung SmartTags vs. Apple AirTags Review), have a maximum range of 300 feet or 100 meters. Apple’s AirTag matches this in basic bluetooth range, plus AirTags have an effectively unlimited range due to Apple’s global Find My network of iOS devices.

Does that mean you need to walk or drive around with your iPhone in your hand until you are within 300 feet / 100 meters of your lost bicycle with AirTags in order to find it? Nope. The best part about finding something with an AirTag is that it uses the network of Apple products and users to help you find your lost item (the so-called “Find My network”)… so you really just need anyone with an iPhone to be within 300 feet or 100 meters of your lost bike and you’ll be able to find it. With already nearly a billion Apple devices in the Find My network worldwide, someone will walk by your bike soon and you’ll find your AirTags-tracked device quickly!

Plus AirTags using the U1 chip can locate missing items within 30cm of accuracy! Your sunburned-self will be back on your bike in no time.

Looking for the Best AirTag Cases and AirTags Accessories? Check out our recent article on where to buy AirTags and AirTag Accessories

One of the coolest (and possibly most valuable, if you’re a dog-lover) uses of Apple’s new AirTag Trackers (check out our AirTag launch coverage and AirTags FAQ) is clipping one to Fido’s collar and being sure he’s never lost… Whether you’re worried about your pup running away from home, or if you have the kind of dog who likes to explore off leash while hiking or playing on the beach, dog-finding GPS trackers can literally be lifesavers.

My dogs are a bit too crazy to wander the world off-leash, so for me, Apple’s new AirTag trackers will give me peace of mind in an emergency: AirTags will help me find my dogs if they ever run away!

AirTags have many of the key features needed in a good dog-tracker, at a fraction of the cost:

• AirTags have a year-plus long battery life, with an easily replaceable battery (see more on AirTag Battery Life). Giving Fido an Apple Watch wouldn’t only be expensive (and let’s face it, would be kind of awesome to see his rings at the end of the day), but it would also be impractical… You don’t want to charge his collar every night. An Apple AirTag can clip to your dog or cat’s collar and be good to go for a whole year of safety
• AirTags are water-resistant (and basically water-bowl-proof): My dogs somehow consider drinking of the water bowl to be some sort of cannon-ball contest. Add walks in the rain, chewing on sprinklers, and other dog-hobbies, and having a waterproofing pet tracker is essential. Apple AirTags make great pet trackers, as they are IP67-rated for water and dust resistance (meaning they can handle a thirty-minute-session of meter-deep Portuguese-water-dog-swimming). Read more about AirTag water-resistance on our AirTag FAQs.
• AirTags offer the world’s best pet location system: Apple’s billion-device strong, global Find My network. What good is knowing how many steps Fido’s taken today, but not being able to find him tomorrow. Some of the other pet trackers out there offer admittedly-fun but gimmicky features, but only Apple’s AirTag tracker and the new Find My-compatible Chipolo ONE Spot Tracker (affiliate) let you leverage nearly every iPhone user out there to help you find your lost pup. Read more on How to Use the Find My App to Locate an AirTag on your lost pup here.
• AirTags are inexpensive: AirTags cost $25-30 upfront and don’t require a monthly or annual service plan. That means they save you over $225 the first year vs. the popular Whistle Go Explore Tracker and roughly $100 the first year vs. the FitBark GPS Dog Tracker

So, how do AirTags compare to other dog tracking collars and dog GPS devices? Let’s take a look at some dog- and cat-specific AirTags competitors in the pet tracking arena. Two of the top-rated pet trackers (other than AirTags) are the Whistle Go Explore Tracker and the FitBark GPS Dog Tracker, as discussed below.

How do AirTags Compare to the Whistle GO Explore Tracker for Finding Lost Dogs?

Whistle makes some of the post popular dog tracking collars on the market, including the top-rated Whistle GO Explore. Here are the key features and an assessment of Apple AirTags vs. the Whistle GO Explore Tracker GPS dog collar:

• Price:
  • Whistle GO Explore: $129.95 (often on sale at Amazon for ~$100)
  • Apple AirTags: (Cheaper)
• Annual Plan:
  • Whistle 360° Plan: $95.40/year
  • Apple AirTags: (Cheaper if anything at all)
• Location Tracking Technology:
  • Whistle GO Explore: 4G + GPS
  • Apple AirTags: U1 Ultra-wideband Chip + Bluetooth + Network of Apple iPhones & Apple Watches
• App & Compatibility:
  • Whistle GO Explore: Proprietary Whistle App for iPhone & Android
  • Apple AirTags: FindMy App built into every iOS device (but not Android compatible)
• Battery Life:
  • Whistle GO Explore: 20 days (depending on usage)
  • Apple AirTags: Much longer battery life (see our article on AirTags Battery Life)
• Waterproof / Water Resistance:
  • Whistle Go Explore: Yes, rated IPX 8, so it’s submergible up to 6 feet (2 meters)
  • Apple AirTags: Expect robust waterproofing
• Size:
  • Whistle GO Explore: Width: 1.4″, Height: 1.8″, Thickness: 0.7″ – and weighing in at just 0.96 oz
  • Apple AirTags: Size is still TBD, but Tile Trackers clock in similarly (see our Tile Bluetooth Trackers vs. AirTags Overview), so expect AirTags to be competitive
• Health & Wellness:
  • Whistle GO Explore: Scratching, licking, and drinking tracking – pretty cool but highly dog specific
  • Apple AirTags: Not going to track your licking or scratching!
• Global Compatibility and Range:
  • Whistle GO Explore: Only works in the United States. Uses 4G cellular network so it can ping back to your app and tell you where Fido is, so long as he is somewhere with cell phone coverage (e.g., probably anywhere in the city but not necessarily if he’s lost in the woods)
  • Apple AirTags: Worldwide coverage. But, since it relies on U1 Ultra-wideband and bluetooth, Fido needs to walk within say 300-500 feet (100-200 meters) of anyone with an iPhone (who needs to be in cell phone range too)… So call this anywhere in the world with cell phone signal for AirTags, vs. just anywhere in the US with cell phone signal for Whistle (see our AirTags Range article)

So those are the technical specs, but what are the real-world use-case differences in how you’d use Apple AirTags to find a lost dog vs. a pet-specific tracker like the Whistle GO Explore?

• AirTags Pros vs. Whistle GO Explore for Dog Tracking:
  • AirTags are cheaper on a monthly / annual basis: AirTags don’t require a monthly 4G wireless plan
  • AirTags work anywhere in the world as opposed to Whistle GO working just in the United States
  • Both need somewhere with cell signal to have the ability to call home from afar, but AirTags have arguably better coverage in the US – AirTags aren’t carrier specific, so you just need someone with an iPhone with signal (whether on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) to walk by Fido for you to find him. With Whistle, you’re using AT&T and need to Fido to be somewhere in AT&T’s coverage universe
  • AirTags will have much better battery life than Whistle GO – this is a key advantage of using Apple’s proprietary U1 ultra-wideband chip + bluetooth as opposed to using a 4G wireless antenna and GPS. See our AirTags Battery Life overview for more information
• AirTags Cons vs. Whistle GO Explore for Dog Tracking:
  • Whistle Go Explore offers health tracking for dogs – including cool features like monitoring how frequently they drink water, scratch themselves and chew… Then again, these things are pretty easy to see (my dog’s currently asleep on the couch, but if he was itching, I would notice) if you’re home… so put this is in the Pro colum for Whistle / con column for AirTags, but it’s level of usefulness depends on how often you leave Fido home alone
  • Whistle Go Explore has a 4G antenna – this is a huge pro on one hand, as it means Fido can “call home” if lost anywhere with cell phone signal (e.g., if he’s down the street sleeping under a neighbor’s porch) without having to be near someone with an iPhone. If Fido’s on the move in an urban area, expect AirTags and Whistle to both help find him quickly – he’ll be in an area with 4G signal and passing by lots of folks with iPhones… If he’s not near other people (let’s say he’s scared and hiding), that 4G antenna will be really useful to find him. On the other hand, the 4G antenna and GPS receiver mean battery life takes a huge hit (have to recharge Whistle Go every 2-3 weeks, vs. multi-year long battery life in AirTags)

Bottom Line on AirTags vs. Dog-Specific GPS Collars for Finding Lost Pets: the Whistle Go Explore and other dog-specific tracking collars (like the FitBark Smart Collar) are available today, offer pet specific-heath tracking features, and use 4G + GPS to keep Fido safe and findable, but at a cost: a high monthly/annual service fee and short battery life. AirTags will be cheaper, offer significantly better battery life, and usable worldwide instead of just in the United States – but without the dog-specific health tracking features, and they’ll require lost dogs to walk within range of someone with an iPhone or Apple Watch to be able to ping back home.

Editor’s Note: Check out our hands-on article reviewing AirTags as Pet Trackers (includes discussion of using the Belkin AirTag Keychain on a Dog Collar vs. AirTag-Specific Dog Collar Accessories)

How does AirTags cost compare to AirTag Competitors such as Tile and Chipolo (affiliate)? Read on below. (And for other questions and answers, see our AirTag FAQ)

AirTags Device Cost:

Tile prices its Pro line of bluetooth trackers at $35 each – or as low as $25 each if you buy a four-pack – which is the same as Apple AirTags. Tile also has sells the less-expensive Mate series of trackers for $25 each – or as low as $17.50 each if you them in a four-pack, but these really aren’t comparable… Think Apple would release something that wasn’t at the Tile Pro-level? We don’t. So expect that AirTags should cost somewhere in the range of $25 – Editor’s note, this AirTag Rumor was confirmed.

AirTags Monthly or Annual Service Cost?

Apple released its Q4’20 earnings release on September 20th, 2020 and put right in the headline that Services hit an all-time record – so its obviously an area of focus for the company in terms of how to grow its top-line. And, you can see in their actual 10-Q financials that Services accounted for 20% of fiscal 2020 revenue for Apple, and an impressive 34% of gross profit (Services are higher margin than hardware or “Products” as Apple calls them). So Services are a real thing… Apple wants you to pay them monthly, yearly, heck if you’ll pay them daily & buy them lunch they’d probably take that too.

But will AirTags simply fall into the Products revenue line item as a one-time charge on your Apple-branded credit card, or will AirTags have a recurring subscription fee? Well, unlike the competition (sorry Tile), AirTag does not require a monthly or annual service fee.

Tile sells its Premium service for $30/year and its Premium Protect product for $100/year. Tile Premium gives you additional features (smart alerts if you walk away from your device (e.g., you leave your wallet at the bar), free battery replacement, and 30-day location history for your devices), extended warranty (extends warranty on Tiles from 1-year to 3-years), and expanded customer service. Those last two (warranty and premium support) sound a lot like AppleCare, so we’ll have to see if Apple ultimately offers AppleCare for AirTags.

Will Apple offer a service for AirTags like Tile’s Premium Protect? Tile’s Premium Protect offers everything Tile Premium does… but it’s $100/year instead of $30, so what are you getting for that extra $70? Insurance. Premium Protect covers lost items that you had Tile trackers stuck for up to $1000 in reimbursements a year. Tile explains it like this “If your Tiled item is lost for any reason, and Tile can’t find it, we reimburse you. This service warranty provides up to $1000 per year with no additional fees through XCover.” XCover is a third-party insurance company with whom Tile works…

Do you think Apple wants to be in the insurance business? They sort of are already, with AppleCare, but that’s only for their own devices… I don’t see them wanting to insure against the theft of a lost bicycle. But hey – who’s Apple third-largest shareholder (after mutual fund companies Vanguard and Blackrock)? Why, it’s the insurance-magnate and Oracle-of-Omaha Warren Buffett’s very own Berkshire Hathaway. They own Geico and loads of other insurance companies. Maybe Apple would offer Geico insurance on AirTags Premium+ AppleCare+ Super-Duper-Crazy-Insurance? Editor’s note: <– that’s obviously not going to be the name of AirTags AppleCare… We clearly need to take a marketing class! We’ll have to see.

The key to this question is… Which Apple iPhones and Apple Watches have the Apple U1 Ultra-Wideband location chip? This is also what determines the size of the AirTags compatible network. AirTags work with (and are findable by) all iOS devices that use the Find My app – which is currently nearly a billion devices, spread all over the world. But to find the coolest AirTag features, the precision-location (indoor GPS with augmented reality) powered by U1 chip, you need one of the following iPhones:

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max

Apple first included the U1 ultra-wideband chip, which is essential for AirTags compatibility, in its iPhone 11. According to Omdia, Apple sold over 52 million iPhones 11s in the first half of 2020. The iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini all include the U1 chip and are therefore all compatible with AirTags… and Apple is expected to sell approximately 80 million iPhone 12s in 2020 (according to DigiTimes). So that’s approximately 130 million AirTags-compatible iPhones in the world by New Years, right there.

So is your iPhone compatible with AirTags? Yes, if you have an iPhone 11 or newer (i.e., an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12), your iPhone is AirTags-compatible.

What other devices are AirTags compatible?

Apple has now included its U1 ultra-wideband location chip in the Apple Watch for the first time, starting with its September 2020 release of the Apple Watch Series 6. So, every Apple Watch Series 6 and newer (but not the Apple Watch SE) has the potential to be AirTag compatible as well. We will have to see if and when Apple enables this functionality – so watch our AirTag Rumors carefully.

Apple doesn’t release unit-sales info for the Apple Watch, but they were estimated to sell 30 million units 2019 alone… So let’s assume another 20 million are sold this coming holiday season… That bring us to approximately 150 million to 200 million AirTags-compatible devices out in the world by the start of 2021.

Why does this matter? The more people out in the world who are walking around with AirTags compatible devices (iPhones and Apple Watches that have the U1 ultra-wideband chip), the faster you’ll be able to find your missing item!

In Q3’2020, IDC estimated that Apple had approximately 12% marketshare in worldwide smartphone shipments… That’s roughly one in eight smartphones sold. Extrapolate that out, and as more people start using the newer iPhones (iPhone 11 or 12), you’ll need only 8 or so people to walk within 300 feet of your lost AirTags-equipped device for you to be able to find it. Can’t remember whether you left your precious whatever with AirTags installed on it in a cab or at a restaurant? You only need 8 people to walk by for you to to be able to find your missing object using in Apple’s Find My app! That’ll be pretty quick.

AirTag’s “secret sauce” is the U1 ultra-wideband chip, which powers AirTag’s ability to ping an iPhone or Apple Watch with their precise location – with accuracy to within 30cm (1 foot).

Apple first included the U1 ultra-wideband chip in its iPhone 11 release but subsequently included it in the Apple Watch as well, future-proofing them to ensure AirTags compatibility.

Apple began including the U1 ultra-wideband chip in the Apple Watch Series 6, but importantly, it is not included in the lower-priced Apple Watch SE nor is it included in the even-lower-priced (and somehow still-for-sale) Apple Watch Series 3.

Bottom line is: though it is still a Rumor, we expect the Apple Watch will ultimately be AirTag compatible. So if you want to ensure your Apple Watch is compatible with AirTags, get the Apple Watch Series 6 – as it’s currently the only model that includes the U1 ultra-wideband location chip.

Well, one of the best ways to understand AirTags’ potential is to compare it to the current leader of the pack, Tile.  Apple wouldn’t plan on releasing a new product if it wasn’t going to be the best one out there! (some clear failures aside, this has generally been true…)

What Are the Technical Differences Between Apple AirTags and Tile Trackers?

• Native Apple integration – Apple AirTags software / tracking will be fully integrated into the iOS platform (e.g., every modern iPhone will be ready to find lost items from day 1) vs. having to have bespoke software installed for Tile
• Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology vs. a purely Bluetooth-based approach – Apple’s AirTags are expected to take advance of the U1 UWB chip inside iOS devices since the iPhone 11, to more precisely be able to locate AirTag’d objects (even within a building / house / office) 
• Network Effect / iOS Halo – one of the coolest things about Tile trackers and the upcoming Apple AirTags is the way they can utilize the millions of other phones out there running the Tile app (or billions of iPhones in the world, when AirTags are released) to help locate missing items.  To understand this better, see our article on How Tile Trackers Work (and How AirTags Will Probably work)
  • The more devices you have in the world that are capable of tracking your missing keys, for instance, the more likely you are to find them.  For example, let’s say you left your keys (with a Tile tracker or an Apple AirTag on them) in the back of an Uber – but you’ve taken two Ubers already today and are not sure if you left your keys in the car, or at home, or in your gym bag… what do you do?
  • Well, Tile uses bluetooth to help you “ping” / “ring” or make your keys play a sound if they’re nearby – but that’s only if they’re still in Bluetooth range
  • If your keys are rolling around the back of that Uber Prius and halfway across London by the time you realize it, how do you find them?  For that, Tile goes to the Tile network of installed users – you hit “Notify When Found” on your tile App and then every phone running the Tile app can anonymously join your search party to help you find your keys… It’s an awesome feature, but you’re banking on someone with the Tile app installed on their iPhone getting into your runaway Uber Prius or sitting really close to it at a light, to help you track down your missing keys.
  • The good news, is even with Tile’s currently market-leading but still rather limited installed base (they claim 10s of millions of devices sold – but if the average Tile owner has multiple devices… well, it can’t be too too many users), Tile says that 90% of items marked as lost are found! That’s pretty incredible! Current Tile stats below:
    • > 6 million items found every day using Tile
    • > 195 countries currently in the Tile community (with active Tile users)
    • > 90% of items marked as lost with Tile are eventually found
  • So imagine how that will work with an iPhone and Apple AirTags? In our ugh-I-left-my-keys-in-the-London-Prius-Uber-AGAIN example, odds are probably 50/50 that the next Uber rider will have an iPhone, and if they’re an Android person, the next iPhone rider will be coming in soon… So you put out the alert with your “Find My” app on your iPhone, anonymously bringing to bear the billions upon billions of iPhones out there in the world, billions of which (since the iPhone 11) have the U1 ultra-wideband chip, to help you find your keys.  I’m pretty sure you’ll find them nearly immediately.  Heck, the Uber driver probably has an iPhone and it’ll spot the keys right away. Or the first stoplight on your keys’ journey through London – probably 5 of the 10 cars in bluetooth range at the red light will have iPhones that finding your keys.  AirTags are going to be amazing

How Will Apple AirTags Pricing Compare to Tile Trackers?

• We know there’s at least one area where Apple isn’t guaranteed to be as good as the competition… price.  So how much will Apple AirTags cost / what is AirTag pricing going to look like?  Well, let’s start by comparing them to Tile Trackers
• Tile has four lines of Tile Trackers currently on the market, at a range of prices:
  • Tile Pro – $35 – their best / most durable Tile. Meant for keys, backpacks, shoes, etc.; longest Bluetooth range of the Tile line (400 feet / 122 meters), with the loudest ring; comes with a user-replaceable CR2032 battery (roughly 1-year battery life); water resistant (not waterproof)
  • Tile Mate – $25 – probably the most popular Tile; 200 foot (61 meter) Bluetooth range and a user-replaceable CR1632 battery (roughly 1-year battery life); water resistant (not waterproof)
  • Tile Slim – $30 – skinny & flatter but wider/longer – these are the size of 3 credit cards stacked on each other; Meant for wallets or laptops – things that a low-profile thin card-like Tile would be perfect for;  200 foot (61 meter) range;  Other key differences: 3-year built-in (not replaceable) battery, and is actually waterproof
  • Tile Sticker – $40 (for a two-pack) – a button-shaped sticker that sticks to things like remotes, bikes, etc.; smallest Tile overall (but thickest); Like the Tile Slim, the Tile Sticker has a 3-year built-in (not replaceable) battery, and is actually waterproof

So, what is Apple going to charge for its AirTags?

This is the key question – we know that AirTags will have a structural advantage over Tile given the huge installed base of Apple iOS users and the U1 ultra-wideband chip, but how will AirTags compete with Tile in terms of price?

One area to look to is the service concept – Apple has been focused on expanding its services revenue (AppleCare, iTunes, App Store, Apple Pay, Apple News, Apple Music, new Apple One bundles, etc.) to help the company continue to drive top-line growth in the face of long-term iPhone market saturation (everyone already has an iPhone – they’ll occasionally upgrade to a new one, but they probably don’t each need two, so there are only so many they can sell each year now!)

Can AirTags help Apple in two areas by creating both a new hardware product and a new service area? We think this is likely!

Let’s look to Tile again. Tile offers its Tile Premium service for either $3/month or $30/year which gives “Smart Alerts” and free battery replacements. The “Smart Alerts” concept is definitely something Apple should mimic – they can alert your phone as you’re walking away from your keys before you notice that you left them at the restaurant. That’s a pretty valuable feature. Free battery replacements every 1-3 years when they run out? Not sexy, but sure, I’ll definitely take that too.

Tile also offers a new version of premium – its “Tile Premium Protect” for $100/year. This one is a combination of the Tile Premium above + insurance for your items. Basically, it covers up to $1,000 / year for lost items if Tile cannot find them. Cool, but for $70 more a year, I hope you’re protecting more valuable things than you’re remote? And man, if I couldn’t find my puppy with a Tile on his collar, well, I guess $1,000 would adopt a lot of new dogs, but it wouldn’t make me less sad – I’d have wished I would have bought Apple AirTags and been able to find Fido instead.

I’d expect Apple to want to undercut Tile on price in some fashion, while still driving services revenue. Maybe AirTags will always come bundled with the service – so they’re $50 a year for instance, instead of a separate up-front cost and monthly fee? I’m sure Apple will offer AppleCare on them as well. We’ll have to see what they do in terms of pricing… What do you think?