Apple expected to charge $39 for AirTags, rumor claims

Millions of devices, no network necessary in lost device

They haven’t been announced, may not exist, have been speculated about for almost two years and are called ‘AirTags’, maybe. And the latest speculation claims these things will cost $39.

What is the claim?

Macworld cites a leak from Max Weinbach, who claims the following concerning the new AirTag device.

1. Size: 32-x-32-6mm.
2. Price: $39.

What we think we know so far?

iOS 14.5 developer beta introduced a new ‘Items’ tab in the Find My app, with a series of personizable icons for different things, such as headphones, luggage, backpacks and so on.

You can find them for yourself by opening Safari and entering findmy://items in the browser bar. (This works a little on Mac, too.)

You’ll be asked if you want to open FindMy and when you do you’ll see new icons appear, though not on a Mac.

What they do

We expect AirTag will be small, low power devices that work with Apple’s Find My system. It is thought they will enable people to find lost and stolen items easily using that system.

They rely on secured Bluetooth transmissions that turn Apple’s iOS devices into a form of location detection network.

The idea is that the location of lost devices can be obtained by someone so long as they log into the system using their approved Apple ID. No private information is otherwise shared.

https://twitter.com/caleblin_apple/status/1302203643521716224?s=20

What Apple says about Find My

As reported here, Apple states:

“The Find My network is a crowdsourced network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that can help users locate a missing iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and soon, third-party Find My network-enabled accessories, using the Find My app.”

Apple has opened its Find My Network technology up to third party makers with a range of APIs and specifications which are available here.

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