The one feature this article did not touch on is the ability of Tile to ping your iPhone and have it make a loud pinging sound. Anyone know if AirTag does this also? Its a great feature. I know, the Apple Watch does this too but its handy for another device to as well. Seems like a missed opportunity if not...
(...) What does Chipolo have over an AirTag (tldr, you know...)
Three things: - They have a keyring loop so no need for a fob - They may well be cheaper - They may not have the anti-stalking feature. This could be a good thing if you are using it as (say) a bike anti-theft device and you don’t want the thief to get a ping!
Exactly, there are cases for both IMHO. It doesn't have to be an 'either or.' I've ordered a set of Apple's and also have Tiles.
I'll probably get a few AirTags once I start traveling again, but I'm surprised at how visible people want to make this item. Wouldn't the effectiveness be improved if other people didn't know you had this tracker attached to your item? I would bury an AirTag inside the item, such as luggage. Yes, I realize some items are too small (such as keys), so I'd use a nondescript cover in this case.
But I realize I'm more practical/functional than fashionable.
Agreed. Even if someone didn’t want to steal you bag they might be inclined to take the AirTag.
“All three models are powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, one typically used in watches”
I’ve owned dozens of watches, but never have I seen or heard of a watch carrying a CR2032 battery.
They’re huge!
My pocket computers from the 1980s all use CR2032 batteries. The 2nd generation Ring door/window sensors now use the CR2032 batteries instead of the much larger CR123A. The good news is that the CR2032 batteries are very easy to find and are inexpensive.
Important question: Can you get guacamole and extra queso on the Chipolo tags?
They are not queso proof but can last 30 minutes submersed in guacamole.
The only irritant I have so far with what I currently know about AirTags is the lack of any way to attach them to stuff without buying another accessory. This makes AirTags effectively more expensive than the other options for for even some trivial use cases, like attaching to a keychain.
You cannot convince me that Apple couldn't have designed this device with an attachment point, especially with the example of the others having actually done so. That makes this is a deliberate design decision, and the cynical part of me says that it's precisely to encourage the purchase of accessories.
And for those who going to wax eloquent about "esthetics", that's a distraction.
Why are you limiting counter arguments to exclude esthetics? And to answer your question, yes they could have designed an AirTag with an attachment point that might or might not work with your keyring (for instance my Jeep key fob doesn’t fit my keyring well) but they didn’t. And third party vendors will provide solutions which combined with the AirTag total less than the single Tile price.
While Tile is the main target for Apple, it's not the only one on the market that Apple has to be concerned about.
LOL. Check back in 6 months see who should have been "concerned."
As others have said this part week, Tile had a few years to get entrenched in the market and they've barely scratched the surface. Apple will outsell the lifetime production of Tile within a few months. If nothing else, there are hundreds of millions of people who will learn about the Apple product who has never heard of Tile. And when they compare, they'll find that the incumbent offers no price advantage over Apple.
The only irritant I have so far with what I currently know about AirTags is the lack of any way to attach them to stuff without buying another accessory. This makes AirTags effective more expensive than the other options for for even some trivial use cases, like attaching to a keychain.
You cannot convince me that Apple couldn't have designed this device with an attachment point, especially with the example of the others having actually done so. That makes this is a deliberate design decision, and the cynical part of me says that it's precisely to encourage the purchase of accessories.
And for those who going to wax eloquent about "esthetics", that's a distraction.
I can easily toss one in a zippered compartment of my luggage or briefcase or numerous other items I might want to track. The only time it seems necessary to have an accessory for AirTags is to place on a key ring. I have already seen numerous 3rd-party options that are less expensive than Apple's, if that's a concern. Buying a key ring accessory is certainly not a deal breaker.
That still makes them more expensive than they need to be. The need to buy an accessory to meet the needs of such a trivial use case raises the cost unnecessarily.
Agreed - it's not unlike the moronic charging setup for the magic mouse. People cry 'but you can quick charge it in a couple of minutes.' the point is there's no valid reason you should need to. The same applies to airbags - yes, you can get an keyring holder from apple or someone else, but why? was it so hard to put a hole in them like Tile or Chipolo did? Airtags otherwise seem like a really solid product. It's too bad Apple missed such an easy point.
The only irritant I have so far with what I currently know about AirTags is the lack of any way to attach them to stuff without buying another accessory. This makes AirTags effectively more expensive than the other options for for even some trivial use cases, like attaching to a keychain.
You cannot convince me that Apple couldn't have designed this device with an attachment point, especially with the example of the others having actually done so. That makes this is a deliberate design decision, and the cynical part of me says that it's precisely to encourage the purchase of accessories.
And for those who going to wax eloquent about "esthetics", that's a distraction.
It’s aesthetics. A hardware loop integrated into the seamless design would have been ugly.
With that said I agree that they should included the option.
Apple could have included a clear case with a loop on it. Just like Apple includes a lightning to USB-C to Lightning adapter in iPhones. Nothing fancy just a clear plastic case with loop.
I think Apple is using its market power here in a little bit of anti-competitive behaviour. Airtags will get access to the full apple ecosystem for detecting tags while tile can only access the part of the ecosystem that uses tile app. So, unless apple makes available the BLE capability of the full ecosystem to Tile, they are forever handicapped and can't hope to compete with Apple. This one is going to be tough to defend in the court.
This is ridiculous. Apple owns the iPhone and Find My network. Apple has EVERY RIGHT to use their own products.
Why does everyone think they own a piece of Apple real estate?
The Tile app wouldn’t exist without Apple.
No 3rd party company is entitled to anything from Apple. It’s enough Apple develops and maintains platforms for companies that had nothing to do with their creation.
Unless Tile/Epic/Tinder/whatever app of the week pump billions into R&D and co-develop with Apple, they aren’t entitled to ANYTHING Apple launches and spent money creating.
“All three models are powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, one typically used in watches”
I’ve owned dozens of watches, but never have I seen or heard of a watch carrying a CR2032 battery.
They’re huge!
My pocket computers from the 1980s all use CR2032 batteries. The 2nd generation Ring door/window sensors now use the CR2032 batteries instead of the much larger CR123A. The good news is that the CR2032 batteries are very easy to find and are inexpensive.
Important question: Can you get guacamole and extra queso on the Chipolo tags?
My growing number of 2032 batteries is why I'm moving to rechargeable, LiIon 2033 batteries.
(...) What does Chipolo have over an AirTag (tldr, you know...)
Three things: - They have a keyring loop so no need for a fob - They may well be cheaper - They may not have the anti-stalking feature. This could be a good thing if you are using it as (say) a bike anti-theft device and you don’t want the thief to get a ping!
As you point out, the anti-stalking function also prevents anti-theft function. Would be great if chipolo allows anti-theft. Is this a function of the tag, or of the Find My network?
One of the biggest flaws of Tile is the fact that your Tile product expires annually and is no longer accessible though the app. You have to mail it back in for a "discount" on a new one. There is absolutely no reason for this! I solute you Apple for providing an awesome alternative which I will dominate since it uses the millions of apple devices out in the wild to provide location pings.
I think Apple is using its market power here in a little bit of anti-competitive behaviour. Airtags will get access to the full apple ecosystem for detecting tags while tile can only access the part of the ecosystem that uses tile app. So, unless apple makes available the BLE capability of the full ecosystem to Tile, they are forever handicapped and can't hope to compete with Apple. This one is going to be tough to defend in the court.
This is ridiculous. Apple owns the iPhone and Find My network. Apple has EVERY RIGHT to use their own products.
Why does everyone think they own a piece of Apple real estate?
The Tile app wouldn’t exist without Apple.
No 3rd party company is entitled to anything from Apple. It’s enough Apple develops and maintains platforms for companies that had nothing to do with their creation.
Unless Tile/Epic/Tinder/whatever app of the week pump billions into R&D and co-develop with Apple, they aren’t entitled to ANYTHING Apple launches and spent money creating.
Apple has every right to completely remove the app store and sell a phone with only apple created apps. Nobody stops apple from doing that.
But since they have created an app store where third parties can sell their ware, they have a legal obligation to maintain a fair market. They can't have their cake (by getting all the third party app ecosystem) and eat it too (by using anti-competitive measures against these third party developers). Remember, the legal suits and complaints are by these third party developers and not by the government. They have every legal right to expect a free and fair market and to sue when they don't get it.
Tile has a fatal flaw- no low battery alerts. When you activate a Tile it starts a 1 yr clock to remind you to change the battery in 12 months. But if your battery dies early you’re out of luck. Several times I’ be needed to find something, Tile couldn’t find it, and when I finally found it the old fashioned way the Tile battery was dead. I lost an expensive set of keys, keyfob, and post office key this way. Ever since then I just swap out all my Tile batteries every 6 months.
I’m hoping the airtags use real battery life alerts and not just time based alerts.
I'd forget about tags altogether mate and start thinking about why you keep losing sh*t
A head to head test of the devices would be interesting.
I say this because the reddit thread about the AirTags launch included a lot of comments from aggrieved Tile owners telling their experience with Tile, some interesting and often repeated points included:
The app:
Wouldn't find lost items on the "Tile network", even when a phone was open, running Tile in the foreground and physically near the lost item
Upon launch the app pings through all Tile products, freezing out the user until complete, many of which timeout entirely. Leaving the user waiting minutes just to select the Tile they want to search for.
The hardware:
Often drops the connection, effectively making the item unfindable
Clunky hardware despite being at this for years
Most options don't include replaceable batteries, after a year they turn into waste
Still only using BT, despite many other complementary technologies being available
Now Apple comes in with a product that is comparably priced, includes a user replaceable battery, includes useful technologies like NFC and UWB to provide better finding and recovery features, then also providing a significantly more stable BT implementation, with a network that ensures user privacy and protection against stalking.
And the likes of Tile think this is anticompetitive.
I bought one Tile then gave up when the not-replaceable battery died. No thanks.
Comments
They are not queso proof but can last 30 minutes submersed in guacamole.
Why are you limiting counter arguments to exclude esthetics? And to answer your question, yes they could have designed an AirTag with an attachment point that might or might not work with your keyring (for instance my Jeep key fob doesn’t fit my keyring well) but they didn’t. And third party vendors will provide solutions which combined with the AirTag total less than the single Tile price.
LOL. Check back in 6 months see who should have been "concerned."
As others have said this part week, Tile had a few years to get entrenched in the market and they've barely scratched the surface. Apple will outsell the lifetime production of Tile within a few months. If nothing else, there are hundreds of millions of people who will learn about the Apple product who has never heard of Tile. And when they compare, they'll find that the incumbent offers no price advantage over Apple.
I want that mug!
With that said I agree that they should included the option.
Apple could have included a clear case with a loop on it. Just like Apple includes a lightning to USB-C to Lightning adapter in iPhones. Nothing fancy just a clear plastic case with loop.
Why does everyone think they own a piece of Apple real estate?
The Tile app wouldn’t exist without Apple.
No 3rd party company is entitled to anything from Apple. It’s enough Apple develops and maintains platforms for companies that had nothing to do with their creation.
Unless Tile/Epic/Tinder/whatever app of the week pump billions into R&D and co-develop with Apple, they aren’t entitled to ANYTHING Apple launches and spent money creating.
But since they have created an app store where third parties can sell their ware, they have a legal obligation to maintain a fair market. They can't have their cake (by getting all the third party app ecosystem) and eat it too (by using anti-competitive measures against these third party developers). Remember, the legal suits and complaints are by these third party developers and not by the government. They have every legal right to expect a free and fair market and to sue when they don't get it.