APPLE AIRTAG
Apple was late to the tag game but its billion-strong
network of iPhones makes these an instant market leaderThe AirTag is exactly what you would expect from Apple’s
first foray into dedicated tracking tech. A slick solid circle
of Cupertino design, resolutely allergic to the idea of
having an ugly hole for attaching to anything. But buy
yourself an AirTag holder – no, you don’t need to go for the
Hermès option – and the AirTag is very good at exactly
what you want it to do.
AirTag makes the most of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) tech
alongside Apple’s Find My network to make sure you know
exactly where your items or even pets are. At home this
means the Find My app shows just how far away from your
AirTag you are at all times, and lets you ring it for even
speedier finding.
If you lose something in the outside world, though,
that’s when the AirTag really gets to flex its trackingmuscles. Thanks to the prevalence of iPhones, there’s a
ready-made network of fellow Find My app users.
Piggybacking off other iPhones means your lost things
will never stay lost and you can track them on a map.
This, the year-long easily replaceable battery, and a
built-in NFC chip for easy scanning to obtain owner
details, all make up for the fact that you can’t ping your
iPhone from the tag itself.
Vitally too, Apple has improved its safety options. Not
only can you set a separation alert to let you know when
you have left items behind, but AirTags belonging to other
people will make a noise after a number of hours so that
we can be aware of their potentially unwanted presence.
It’s also possible to scan for AirTags if you are concerned.
£29/£99 pack of four, apple.com- Slick design • Uses iPhone network • Replaceable battery
- iPhone only • No ping iPhone option • Needs holder^
BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS
52 T3 DECEMBER 2021
Next-gen tracking tags