This is the Apple AirTag, Apple's item tracker. Here's my initial impressions and short term review about using them. You can purchase an AirTag for $30, or a pack of 4 for $100. The back will probably get all scratched up after using it over time, especially with your keys, and the front is just white plastic.
Product Discussed in Video (Amazon Affiliate Link:
Apple Airtags: amzn.to/3trd3vZ
Amazon Affiliate Links to Gear I use:
Sony A7S III: amzn.to/3jD0fxC
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod: amzn.to/2O7V8Yn
M1 Macbook Air: amzn.to/3rV5Zru
Philips Hue Light Strip: amzn.to/2VZq2EV
Godox SL-60W: amzn.to/37LsdT0
Rode VideoMic NTG: amzn.to/2RKHVrL
Shure SM7B: amzn.to/30Dxji7
Logitech MX Master 3: amzn.to/30G1GV2
Logitech MX keys: amzn.to/3bHytQ8yo
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:32 Physical Features
1:06 Setup Process
1:43 Features and Personal Experience
3:43 Privacy Concerns
5:32 Price against Competitor
7:27 Conclusion
You can play a sound from the airtag and can also set it into lost mode, which will give a prompt to others who find your airtag your email and phone number. If someone owns an android device and finds an airtag, then they can scan it using NFC and find the owner. And lastly the feature people have been showing the most is the precision finding feature, which only works on specific iPhones. When you're close enough to the airtag, your iphone will provide you with directions on how to reach the airtag, putting you on an easter egg hunt for your item. The furthest distance I got precision tracking to start was around 28ft from the product, but that was when the airtag was in a clear open space. When I shoved the airtag into a closet, I needed to get in about 15ft before the precision tracking initiated with directions. When you're not near the airtag, the airtag updates its location by sending a signal out to other iphones and other supported devices around the area to update you on its location. A little over half of all US smartphone users use an iphone so that vast network of ios devices, and other airtags and apple products are used to ping location data for the airtag. That being said. This is not a live tracker. It doesn't update constantly and only updates in intervals of 15 minutes. When it is moving and it happens to update itself, the tracking is sometimes inaccurate.
But the question everyone has about whether these things could be used to stalk people? That'd be pretty hard, if you have an iphone on iOS 14.5 or later, the airtag will send a notification to your phone after you start going to your frequently visited locations, telling you there's an airtag following you. If you scan the airtag using NFC on ios or android and the webpage will tell you how to disable it if it's not in lost mode. If you're an android user or an iphone user on an older iOS version, then the airtag will start beeping after 3 days of not being with the original owner. I think 3 days is a long time before the thing starts beeping and by that time a potential stalker could figure where you live. That's a scary thought for sure.
Now let's talk about the price. It's quite nice that airtags are the same price as the tile and cheaper than the tile pro. But I think people look at this price tag and think the airtag is cheaper. Which is not the case. The airtag is round, and the tile is square but with a hole punch in the top left. This leads to more versatility with the tile, letting you easily slide it into a backpack, hooked onto your keys, or even zip tie it to the handle of things. On the other hand, the airtag really can only be slipped into your bag until you buy accessories for it. So the cost of the airtag, if you want to use it any other way than just slipping it in your bag is going to cost you more money.
So, should you get these? As always, it depends. It does what it sets out to do. It's a tracker for your items, but can be inaccurate when the item is moving. It's not a live tracker. Is the precision tracking cool? it's useful for finding your lost keys around the house, and when you're close by, precision tracking helps you find items faster instead of pulling up every couch cushion trying to find your lost item. So if you're looking for an item tracker, and have an iphone this might be a good place to start, but again understand its limitations and be cautious of that low price tag because of how expensive this could end up being.
20 июн 2024
