So, Apple has introduced some new products. They include a new purple iPhone, colored iMacs and the new AirTag (more about that in a minute)
I will admit to being an Apple fanboy- to an extent. Yes. I did stand in line for the opening of the Apple Store at the Grove (what I won't do for a free t-shirt!) but no, I didn't camp overnight so I could be the first person in. I did not buy the first iPhone, or even the second. Up until very recently I still had an iPhone 4 and I still have and use a 14 year old MacBook. Yes, they tend to be somewhat style over substance and initially more expensive but if you are still able to navigate life with a 14 year old PC without issues or viruses, then I salute you.
I did however recently break down and get a new (ish) iPhone. My old one held a charge for maybe 20 minutes and for some reason the reception was so poor that even with my tinfoil hat and sitting on the lip of my balcony I dropped calls. Apple decided that I had been a good enough person to warrant a small amount of credit, so I splurged on a newer model “refreshed” iPhone. I figure I will be living with this one for a good 10 years..
Which brings me back to the AirTag. They released this little doohickey for people to track lost or misplaced things like keys or bags. Now, I only very rarely misplace my keys outside of my apartment (one memorable occasion recently dropping them on the street and once having a neighbor returning them from the door of my car) but for $29 and no monthly fee I thought “why not?”
Well, it certainly does what it says it will. I paired it with my new iPhone then walked away and used the “find my...” app to track it down. It gave more or less turn-by-turn directions until I could find it. If I had left it in, say, a pair of pants, I could even make it chirp to assist in the chase. It was a little more like playing that “getting warmer, getting colder” game than the demo suggests, but it worked. Handy for those of us who don't always put their keys in the dish.
As far as losing it (and trying to find it) outside, I haven't tested that yet. But I did find out something interesting. Apple built in something for the security conscious (or paranoid) among us who fear that vengeful exes or government agents will be gluing AirTags to the inside of our front bumpers to find out if you are really going out to the 7-11 for smokes and a Big Gulp or to Live Nude Girls Girls Girls for an assignation. (I assume that would be the interest of the former; the latter would just track your cell phone.) But clever Apple thwarts this by telling you via your “find my..” app whether an unrecognized AirTag is following you around. This I found out by running some errands while carrying my work iPhone, with which the AirTag on my car keys is not paired. It saw that a rogue tag was in the car and reported the incident and even gave me a map route, showing that the tag was with me. Cool.
Downsides? Well, he tags come in only one format: a rounded disk that requires an accessory to attach it to anything. This can be as simple as the 2 for $6 silicone thingy I got on Amazon up to the (not ready for delivery yet) $600 Hermes combination AirTag holder and luggage tag, in leather, with Hermes branded AirTag. Naff? You betcha. I want the $349 key ring. In Orange.
That and the fact that the form factor is only the disk. It's main competitor, Tile, has different ones that can slip into a wallet or stick onto, say, a TV remote- easily the most searched for thing in my house. But then again, I assume that they do not have an easily replaceable battery than can be picked up at any drug store. The fact that Apple included that feature is not only laudable, but, for them, an even unto itself.
So the days where I waited with bated breath to see if the new iMacs would be in purple or puce are passé. But at least I can find my car keys..
Photo: Apple
