Apple AirTag helps you track lost personal items with Ultra-Wideband and Bluetooth

After months of rumours, Apple has finally unveiled its AirTag. This is a tiny little accessory that can help you locate your lost keys, bags and various personal items with the use of Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth and NFC technology.

Pricing and availability

During the keynote, it was unveiled that a single AirTag costs USD 29 (about RM119) while a pack of four costs USD 99 (about RM407). Apple has already released its Malaysian pricing for a single pack which costs RM149 per piece and it is listed as coming soon.

Apple has also announced a couple of accessories which surprisingly costs the same or more than the AirTag itself. The original AirTag Loop costs RM149 while the Leather Loop and Leather Key Ring cost RM199 per pop.

If you’re looking for something more premium, the Hermes AirTag accessories cost between USD 299 (about RM1,230) to USD 449 (about RM1,848) each. Unfortunately, the Hermes accessories are not available for the Malaysian market.

AirTag features

The AirTag looks slightly bigger than a coin with a thickness of 8mm and it weighs 11 grams. It is powered by a user replaceable CR2032 battery which is said to be able to last more than a year with everyday use.

It utilises the Find My feature which is the same app that you use to locate your Apple devices. By default, it uses Bluetooth to find the device within range and you can enable the AirTag to trigger a sound with its built-in speakers. Even if the AirTag is out of range, other Apple devices can help detect the signal from a lost AirTag and relay that information to you in an anonymous and private manner.

Apple says they are close to a billion Apple devices on the Find My network which would increase the chances of you finding your lost items worldwide. If someone does find your item, any iPhone or NFC-enabled phone user can tap their device onto the AirTag to display the owner’s information.

If you’re using a UWB enabled device like the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 series, you can get a more precise tracking as it will show the distance and direction of your AirTag. This is made possible with the Apple U1 chip and the AirTag also comes with an accelerometer.

To help users that are visually impaired, the feature supports VoiceOver which can provide audio directions like “AirTag is 9 feet away on your left.” The AirTag supports both the iPhone and iPad that are running on iOS 14.5 and above.

Privacy still remains a main focus for Apple and they emphasised that the AirTag does not store any personal information and all location data is encrypted end to end. If someone misuses the AirTag for illegal tracking, Apple will let you know if another AirTag which belongs to another Apple ID user has been following you and it can play a sound to let you know that it’s there. You can also set the AirTag alerts to notify you when your item is separated from you.

To withstand accidental spills and splashes, the AirTag has IP67-rated dust and water resistance. Apple also offers free engraving which can include emoji, text or numbers for free when you order it from the online store. Due to its small size, you’re limited to 4 characters only.

You can soon expect more AirTag accessories in the market as Apple is allowing third-party support under the Find My network accessory program. According to the company, this would allow device and product manufacturers to add finding capabilities directly into their products.

You can learn more on Apple’s AirTag page.

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