Is this the end of the AirTags dream of the beginning of the AirTags revolution? Let’s discuss!
Big news, AirTags fans! Apple launch its Find My network and opened it to third parties this past week, officially announcing that third-party accessory makers can create devices that enable users to keep track of their belongings in the new Items tab within the Find My app! Even better, our friends at Chipolo (affiliate) are one of Apple’s key launch partners, and effectively already launched AirTags with the Chipolo One Spot tracker – read on below for more.
Confirming many of our AirTags Rumors, Apple hailed the private and secure tracking capabilities of their newly named “Find My network,” noting that it already comprises of hundreds of millions of Apple devices (see our article, Does My iPhone Work with the Find My App?).
Even better, Apple is just opening up some nerdy protocol in their systems without any use to us, the end-users… Apple announced a whole slew of products are launching this week from third-party developers! Specifically, new products that work with the Find My app from will launch this week from Belkin, VanMoof, and Chipolo.
In the announcement, Apple VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, Bob Borchers noted that “For more than a decade, our customers have relied on Find My to locate their missing or stolen Apple devices, all while protecting their privacy… Now we’re bringing the powerful finding capabilities of Find My, one of our most popular services, to more people with the Find My network accessory program. We’re thrilled to see how Belkin, Chipolo, and VanMoof are utilizing this technology, and can’t wait to see what other partners create.”
What Are the New Apple Find My Products? Are there any AirTags Competitors?
Apple’s Find My launch partners include general accessory-maker Belkin, and two relatively obscure names… VanMoof and Chipolo. What are they releasing? An AirPods competitor, a couple of e-bikes, and importantly a true AirTags competitor.
Belkin’s first Find My compatible product will be its SOUNDFORM Freedom True Wireless Earbuds, a $99 set of noise-cancelling AirPod competitor headphones, launching in June. Key feature of note here is that you can find the charging case, if lost, using Apple’s Find My app…
VanMoof’s Find My compatible products will be the latest S3 and X3 e-bikes. Having built-in Find My tracking on a $2,000 e-bike is a huge and obvious plus! Will make a stolen bike so much easier to recover (and even possibly prevent thefts, if smart thieves know what they’re dealing with). I might have to try one of these S3s…
Most Importantly… What is Chipolo launching? The Chipolo One Spot – a real Apple-approved AirTags Competitor. Chipolo’s launch is exciting. A tracking tile that is compatible with Find My, and therefore enables hundreds of millions of iPhones to help you find your lost item (just like AirTags). This is basically the first release of Apple AirTags, and will certainly give Tile a real run for its money. I signed up to pre-order one for the June launch, and if you want to see one anytime soon, I suggest you do as well! In the meantime, you can also check out the Chipolo One for $25 at Amazon.
What does this mean for AirTags?
So the above was exciting, and we cannot wait to see what new products Chipolo and others launch… But we have to ask and wonder – is Apple still coming out with AirTags? Why would Apple allow its accessory makers to launch a whole new category of products before it release AirTags?
Some have speculated that this is classic, legal “CYA” – and Apple is simply trying to demonstrate that it is not stifling competition (in fact, it is encouraging competitors and giving them a head-start). Though, one must wonder, who has the most to lose to AirTags in a launch? I would have said tracker companies like Chipolo (but they are participating in the Find My launch) and Tile (still conspicuously absent). The Tile Pro is the best-selling AirTags competitor out there today (other than perhaps the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, though it only works with Samsung Galaxy phones…), and therefore has the most to lose when Apple ultimately launches AirTags. Will today’s launch of the Chipolo One Spot, and Belkin / VanMoof products + promise of more on way mean Apple is now legally clear to launch AirTags? Will Tile ultimately join the party? We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m sure plenty of highly paid lawyers will choose to weigh in.
