AirTag review: sets out to do one thing, and does it near perfectly

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  • Reply 21 of 36
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    sflagel said:
    Keys I get. Everyone misplaces keys. But what other item, that is sufficiently large to attach an AirTag to, do people misplace? Has anyone, ever, really lost a back pack, or forgot your carry-on luggage? And even if, these are three items.  I’d love to read ideas because I ordered four AirTags and I don’t yet know what to do with them! 
    I was traveling once with a friend who forget his backpack at the hotel. It wasn’t until we got to the airport that he realized his backpack was missing. The hotel had it, but this was a case where the AirTag really would not have helped much. If AirTag had a geofencing capability the story would be different. Hopefully Apple can add geofencing later. But truthfully, after having dealt with the hassle of a bag left behind, even though it wasn’t mine, I cannot imagine leaving a bag behind. 

    I’ve never lost my keys because they’re on a swivel ring clip that clips to the belt loop on my pants. I’ve had the same key ring for well over 30 years. Yeah, it’s reminiscent of the pocket protector era of nerd fashion. If AirTag supported geofencing I’d put one on my key ring, and another one in my pocket protector. 

    The only physical thing I routinely lose track of are reading glasses. My remedy is to buy enough pairs and scatter them around so there is always a pair nearby, indoors and outdoors. They are cheap.

    If I had pets, children, or elderly parents or spouse with cognitive deficiencies like dementia or Alzheimer’s I would tag all of them. But what I really need is geofencing to tell me I’ve accidentally left something behind and stolen item tracking, neither of which are supported by AirTag, at least not yet. And I need an iPhone with the U1 chip. 

    It sounds like Apple is off to a great start with AirTag as a 1.0 product. Hopefully there will be a lot more to come.
    edited May 2021 sflagelwatto_cobra
  • Reply 22 of 36
    pscooter63pscooter63 Posts: 1,080member
    sflagel said:
    Keys I get. Everyone misplaces keys. But what other item, that is sufficiently large to attach an AirTag to, do people misplace? Has anyone, ever, really lost a back pack, or forgot your carry-on luggage? And even if, these are three items.  I’d love to read ideas because I ordered four AirTags and I don’t yet know what to do with them! 
    Once, nearly two decades ago, I misplaced my primary keyboard (musical instrument) at the conclusion of a gig.  It was late, I was tired and unfocused (helping other band members distracted me).  I didn’t realize what I’d done until the morning after, by which time it was long gone, never to be seen again.  It was a Kurzweil, the Rolls-Royce of keyboards in its heyday.  Not cheap.

    You can absolutely bet I’m tagging my current music rig.
    StrangeDayssflagelwatto_cobra
  • Reply 23 of 36
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,265member
    William, I picked up the AirTags in India and they do show distance in metres.



    muthuk_vanalingamljbyrnewatto_cobra
    jki.jpg 167.5K
  • Reply 24 of 36
    MisterKitMisterKit Posts: 492member
    The AirTag found my car keys. They were in the car but the car was locked. That's a joke. note a real story.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 25 of 36
    CloudTalkinCloudTalkin Posts: 916member
    If it were possible to share an AirTag, then it would be impossible to stop coercion. Someone in a domestic abuse situation could be made to share access to their AirTag and Apple has therefore prevented this.

    Please stop spreading this fraudulent logic.  It makes no sense.  If it did, every other item in the Find My network would share the same prohibition.  AirTag is the only Find My device from Apple that doesn't allow you to share location.  The one device that's probably going to be with a person more than any other, their phone, allows location sharing.

  • Reply 26 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Sister has a clipolo, unsure how long. She said it's great because if she misplaces her keys she can find them from her phone and if she misplaces her phone she can press the button on the clipolo on her keys and her phone starts making a pinging sound. A feature AirTag lacks. Clipolo also requires no overpriced key fob.
    muthuk_vanalingamchemengin1
  • Reply 27 of 36
    insync88insync88 Posts: 30member
    What I can’t figure out is…if me and my wife both have airtags on our separate set of keys will we always be notified that the other ones tag is “tagging alone” every time we ride together?Or on a bus or train with multiple people with airtags on them 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 28 of 36
    CloudTalkinCloudTalkin Posts: 916member
    insync88 said:
    What I can’t figure out is…if me and my wife both have airtags on our separate set of keys will we always be notified that the other ones tag is “tagging alone” every time we ride together?Or on a bus or train with multiple people with airtags on them 
    No, because your AirTags aren't separated from their respective owners.  Additionally, if you're family, the notification can be dismissed by either of you for a day or permanently.
    insync88
  • Reply 29 of 36
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    sflagel said:
    Keys I get. Everyone misplaces keys. But what other item, that is sufficiently large to attach an AirTag to, do people misplace? Has anyone, ever, really lost a back pack, or forgot your carry-on luggage? And even if, these are three items.  I’d love to read ideas because I ordered four AirTags and I don’t yet know what to do with them! 
    Sure. I’ve lost numerous jackets over the years, leaving them at various spots. Put one of the fabric caddies in a pocket along with an AT, problem solved. 
    sflagelwatto_cobra
  • Reply 30 of 36
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    ivanh said:
    Like many Apple products purchased, the fantasy ends when you actually use it. If not, any marginal improvement v+0.1 reminds you of a planned obsolescence somewhere in time.
    Man, don’t you get tired of being unhappy all the time? Your continually disappointed point of view sounds like a miserable way to live. 
    pscooter63Detnatorwatto_cobra
  • Reply 31 of 36
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    Cult of Mac has a decidedly different take:

    https://www.cultofmac.com/741363/apple-airtag-review/

    This is at odds with AppleInsider which claims the sound is Loud, while Cult of Mac says it's just the opposite.  But Cult of Mac seems to have a firm understanding of Tile Pro with which to make a good comparison.  The inability to track through walls would seem to be an issue if I were in the market for one, although having a hole inside the tag isn't such a big deal for me.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 32 of 36
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,120member
    What the AirTags need is geofencing, specifically selectable geofencing.

    If I'm in a busy airport I want to know immediately any time my carryon or my messenger bag leaves my side — whether I forget to grab it of if it wanders 10 feet away.

    On a train where my bag is on the luggage rack on the other end of the car I want to know if it suddenly moves to the next car.

    I know this will drain the battery but that's why it needs to be selectable so I can turn it off when I'm in my hotel room.
    Except for the second one, those are good suggestions, and I can hope that they could be implemented in software, rather than requiring new hardware.

    As for the second one, I'm not sure it would be possible to distinguish between movement between train cars, and the movement of the train itself.  I can't think of any way to do it short of having the train car itself be a discrete "place" via some piece of hardware installed in each car. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 33 of 36
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,120member

    Xed said:
    The price doesn't seem like a con to me. They are less expensive than the competition while also having better HW.
    They're "less expensive" except for the trivial use case of attaching one to one's keys.  None of the others need an accessory for that, thus making AirTags more expensive.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 34 of 36

    No problem showing in metric in Australia. 
  • Reply 35 of 36
    SkepticalSkeptical Posts: 183member
    What the AirTags need is geofencing, specifically selectable geofencing.

    If I'm in a busy airport I want to know immediately any time my carryon or my messenger bag leaves my side — whether I forget to grab it of if it wanders 10 feet away.

    On a train where my bag is on the luggage rack on the other end of the car I want to know if it suddenly moves to the next car.

    I know this will drain the battery but that's why it needs to be selectable so I can turn it off when I'm in my hotel room.
    I put a tag in my luggage as a test. The AirTag was able to point out its location somewhere in the planes belly. I then located it coming off of the luggage turnstile. Not bad but in my opinion one key feature is missing: the ability of AirTag to alert you that you left whatever it’s tracking behind. Also, the ability to find your iPhone as well. 
  • Reply 36 of 36
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    What I want to see is a command line version of Find My so I don't have to interface with the GUI to automate things. Any programmers out there?
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