AirTag shipments rise could result in second-gen model, says Kuo

AppleInsider · June 19, 2022 12:38PM

Apple's AirTag could see a second-generation release, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suspects, but only if shipments of the tracking accessory continue to grow.

The AirTag has become a budget-friendly hit for users, albeit one mired by controversy from the misdeeds of some users. In a Sunday Twitter post, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities believes the accessory's popularity is still rising.

The AirTag "has gradually grown in shipments since its release," the analyst writes. The shipment estimates for the tracker are thought to have reached roughly 20 million in 2021, while in 2022, it is reckoned will reach 35 million.

Kuo points out that AirTag has "not received much attention," referring to how Apple released the tracker and set up connected systems, but hasn't made any real changes to the product so far. "If AirTag shipments continue to grow, I believe Apple will develop the 2nd generation," declares the analyst.

AirTag, which has not received much attention, has gradually grown in shipments since its release. Shipment estimations of AirTag reach about 20 mn & 35 mn units in 2021 & 2022, respectively. If AirTag shipments continue to grow, I believe Apple will develop the 2nd generation.
-- (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo)
June 19, 2022

A second-generation model is pretty much a given for most of Apple's releases, with the company typically refining its products with new features across multiple generations. Though not a massive leap in speculation, Kuo's comment is a rare vote of confidence that a new model could arrive at some point.

That said, for a relatively simple design, there's not much that could be tweaked or changed in a future update. Where Apple could go with the tracker in the future is anyone's guess.

Read on AppleInsider

mikethemartian · June 19, 2022 3:45PM

I would like to have a version that would combine the Find Me network with an option of adding a cellular link for pet tracking. Also to be able to link the tracker to an Apple device that stays in my home like a Mac or Apple TV and not my iPhone so it doesn’t start beeping when I am away from home.

caladanian · June 19, 2022 5:31PM

„Not much that could be tweaked or change???“ - it could be thinner (like a coin)! …maybe lasting longer, receive better water tightness, higher range - summing all this up I wouldn’t call these small improvements not „not much“.

Xed · June 19, 2022 6:50PM

mikethemartian said:

I would like to have a version that would combine the Find Me network with an option of adding a cellular link for pet tracking. Also to be able to link the tracker to an Apple device that stays in my home like a Mac or Apple TV and not my iPhone so it doesn’t start beeping when I am away from home.

I think we're a long ways off for cellular (or sat() chip size and battery life being small and efficient enough for that feature.

Xed · June 19, 2022 6:51PM

JP234 said:

Just one, and only one feature I want, is missing from the airtags. That would be allowing family sharing of devices. Other tags have this feature, and it would be convenient for my wife and i when we travel. She has two assigned to her, and I have two assigned to me. We'd like to both be able to see where our bags are, instead of just one of us being able to find two of them. I suppose we could just buy 4 more and assign them opposite, but that's $100 I'd like to keep in my pocket.

Yeah. I was hoping this showed up at WWDC this year.

robin huber · June 19, 2022 10:49PM

I duct tape mine to the inside shell of luggage, accessed through the lining’s zipper. Maybe there’s a better way?

swat671 · June 20, 2022 6:23AM

Two hardware features I’d be interested in is cellular connections and GPS, so it could connect to the Find My network and upload its GPS coordinates. That might make me get one.

A feature that could probably be enabled through software (maybe?) is some sort of ability to connect to smart home devices directly to do other things. Smart door lock unlocks the front door. Smart switch or lightbulbs turn lights on and off as you walk in and out of rooms. Maybe when you leave the house, the lights turn off, the doors all lock, and the alarm turns on. That could be cool

dewme · June 20, 2022 12:22PM

JP234 said:

Just one, and only one feature I want, is missing from the airtags. That would be allowing family sharing of devices. Other tags have this feature, and it would be convenient for my wife and i when we travel. She has two assigned to her, and I have two assigned to me. We'd like to both be able to see where our bags are, instead of just one of us being able to find two of them. I suppose we could just buy 4 more and assign them opposite, but that's $100 I'd like to keep in my pocket.

Excellent suggestion, but the inability to provide this capability isn’t on the hardware/tag side, it’s on the software and architecture side. Apple could provide this capability without changing the tag itself, although some of the suggestions for hardware changes that other commenters posted sound pretty good too without digging into potential downsides, like impact on battery life (e.g., GPS, presence detection). I haven’t thought about any security or privacy concerns that Family Sharing of AirTags would involve, but I’m sure Apple is most definitely thinking about such things.

On the hardware side, one potential area for consideration I’d be interested to see Apple consider would be a passive version of the AirTag, i.e., a tag that works without a battery. To do this the tag would have to obtain power from somewhere. In the case of passive RFID tags the power needed to interrogate the tag comes from a nearby tag reader. It would be fairly straightforward to support passive AirTags within a structure like a home or business by having a reader on-premise, which would be fine for finding lost stuff within the boundaries of the reader, but out in the wild the tag would be useless unless there is another power source.

Could nearby cell phones that are constantly pinging cell towers provide enough power to interrogate a passive AirTag? What about WiFi radiation or 5G antennas as a source of power? I don’t know the answer but I’d imagine Apple engineers are looking into various energy harvesting strategies that would enable a passive AirTag, or even some sort of a hybrid AirTag where energy harvesting is used to significantly extend the life of the onboard battery.

maltz · June 20, 2022 5:09PM

caladanian said:

„Not much that could be tweaked or change???“ - it could be thinner (like a coin)! …maybe lasting longer, receive better water tightness, higher range - summing all this up I wouldn’t call these small improvements not „not much“.

Not sure there's anything to be gained from any of that. Can it be thinner? The battery itself is already the size of a coin, so it has to be bigger than that. Making it smaller would probably necessitate making it disposable.

It already lasts a year - that seems pretty adequate. This is also directly at odds with decreasing the size.

Water tightness - It's already splash, and some submersion resistant. Would the Bluetooth signals be effective very far underwater anyway? You're never going to get it to work at the bottom of a lake no matter how water resistant it is. Also, you can put it in a Ziplock bag (or vacuum seal) with some desiccant, and it'll be completely waterproof.

Higher range would decrease the location accuracy, since it's the phone, not the AirTag itself, that is determining location.

maltz · June 20, 2022 5:14PM

JP234 said:

Just one, and only one feature I want, is missing from the airtags. That would be allowing family sharing of devices. Other tags have this feature, and it would be convenient for my wife and i when we travel. She has two assigned to her, and I have two assigned to me. We'd like to both be able to see where our bags are, instead of just one of us being able to find two of them. I suppose we could just buy 4 more and assign them opposite, but that's $100 I'd like to keep in my pocket.

This is really the big one. Honestly, the AirTag itself is so simple, it's hard to imagine what to change about its hardware - all it really is is a BlueTooth beacon. Maybe some other form factors, though - perhaps a thinner, credit-card shaped model for wallets, for example.

oldenboom · June 21, 2022 8:20AM

mikethemartian said:

[...] Also to be able to link the tracker to an Apple device that stays in my home like a Mac or Apple TV and not my iPhone so it doesn’t start beeping when I am away from home.

No need to link it to your Mac or Apple TV as it's possible to setup some safe zones from the Find-My app. For instance, [the airtag in] my laptop bag won't get my iPhone to beep if I leave the bag at my office while I go out.

A functionality I'm missing is family sharing of the devices. If this is added it will be an instant buy of 8 additional Airtags: laptop and camera bags, musical instruments, wallets, keys and maybe even my car wich I share with some other families - it sometimes takes 20 minutes to find the car in the neighbourhood.

Another missing functionality: have Find-My on icloud.com support Airtags. I just discovered the Find-My app on my MBP does seem to support Airtags as it does have the tab "Objects" but it doesn't show any. I can only find my objects using my iPhone.

AirTag shipments rise could result in second-gen model, says Kuo

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