Early teardown video of Apple AirTags surfaces online

Posted:
in General Discussion
Apple's AirTags are officially arriving on customer doorsteps Friday, and one Japanese teardown company has already taken one apart to reveal its internal design.

Credit: Haruki
Credit: Haruki


Japanese repair channel Haruki on Friday published a teardown of Apple's AirTag, giving us a first look at the internal components and design of the tracking accessory.





The first shows how easy it is to remove the back metal cover of an AirTag to replace its battery. But Haruki went a step further and disassembled the battery plate on the device, revealing components like the U1 chip.

Although the video's narration is in Japanese, the clip does give a look at Apple's internal design. The chip portions of AirTag, for example, are contained in a compact donut-shaped board.

In the video's description, the teardown engineer notes that AirTag's voice coil motor, located in the device's central magnetic field, vibrates because of changes in the current. The housing on the coil side of the device acts as a diaphragm.

AirTags became available for preorder on April 23 with an official ship date of April 30. As orders begin arriving in the U.S., it's only a matter of time before other teardown sites, like iFixit, get their hands on the Apple tracking accessory.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    Hmmmm ... Disable "speaker" so it can be used as a covert personal tracking device? (Just asking for a friend)
  • Reply 2 of 9
    XedXed Posts: 2,559member
    The first shows how easy it is to remove the back metal cover of an AirTag to replace its battery.
    He snapped his finger and jumped to after he had separated it. Not exactly insight into how to remove the back panel to access the battery.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    XedXed Posts: 2,559member
    SSD1400 said:
    Hmmmm ... Disable "speaker" so it can be used as a covert personal tracking device? (Just asking for a friend)
    I believe it also notifies devices of the people that are likely stalking targets.
    edited April 2021 mike1
  • Reply 4 of 9
    Xed said:
    SSD1400 said:
    Hmmmm ... Disable "speaker" so it can be used as a covert personal tracking device? (Just asking for a friend)
    I believe it also notifies devices of the people that are likely stalking targets.
    Yes, but it doesn't tell them WHERE the AirTag is located.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,125member
    I half suspect some clever entrepreneur will make a replacement battery cover with a key loop attached.

    PATENT PENDING  :D
    MplsPcornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 9
    SSD1400 said:
    Xed said:
    SSD1400 said:
    Hmmmm ... Disable "speaker" so it can be used as a covert personal tracking device? (Just asking for a friend)
    I believe it also notifies devices of the people that are likely stalking targets.
    Yes, but it doesn't tell them WHERE the AirTag is located.
    If the message says "AirTag Found Moving With You" I think it's a pretty safe bet you'll be able to find it considering it would be either in/on you personally or in/on one of your possessions.  Dump your bag or pat yourself down.  
  • Reply 7 of 9
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Technology can be used for both good and bad purposes. The bad guys will figure out a way to stalk someone no matter what security measure are used. That’s just how the universe works according to Albert Einstein. Remember, he wrote the letter to FDR encouraging development of the bomb then spent the rest of his life regretting it and trying to put the genie back in the bottle.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    SSD1400SSD1400 Posts: 9member
    SSD1400 said:
    Xed said:
    SSD1400 said:
    Hmmmm ... Disable "speaker" so it can be used as a covert personal tracking device? (Just asking for a friend)
    I believe it also notifies devices of the people that are likely stalking targets.
    Yes, but it doesn't tell them WHERE the AirTag is located.
    If the message says "AirTag Found Moving With You" I think it's a pretty safe bet you'll be able to find it considering it would be either in/on you personally or in/on one of your possessions.  Dump your bag or pat yourself down.  
    Yup, it's somewhere in this vehicle your driving ... Center console?  Engine compartment?  Headliner?  Under seat?  Under carpet?  Rear bumper?  The point is, the AirTag does NOT need to be in the immediate "possession" of your target. Without that little "speaker," the AIrTag might be difficult to locate if hidden properly.  I'm just thinking out loud.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    CloudTalkinCloudTalkin Posts: 916member
    SSD1400 said:
    SSD1400 said:
    Xed said:
    SSD1400 said:
    Hmmmm ... Disable "speaker" so it can be used as a covert personal tracking device? (Just asking for a friend)
    I believe it also notifies devices of the people that are likely stalking targets.
    Yes, but it doesn't tell them WHERE the AirTag is located.
    If the message says "AirTag Found Moving With You" I think it's a pretty safe bet you'll be able to find it considering it would be either in/on you personally or in/on one of your possessions.  Dump your bag or pat yourself down.  
    Yup, it's somewhere in this vehicle your driving ... Center console?  Engine compartment?  Headliner?  Under seat?  Under carpet?  Rear bumper?  The point is, the AirTag does NOT need to be in the immediate "possession" of your target. Without that little "speaker," the AIrTag might be difficult to locate if hidden properly.  I'm just thinking out loud.
    Thinking out loud myself, if I see that message I am clicking on that message and following the instructions to disable the AirTag.  Hidden properly or not, the tag can be neutralized.  If I want to take it any further, I can turn the serial number info over to law enforcement and they can get info on the associated Apple ID.   https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212227 ←that's a pretty informative support doc.  Helped me alleviate a lot of my supposition surrounding AirTags. 
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