During its last Keynote, Apple unveiled a product that has been expected for two years already.
The AirTags officially went on sale on Tuesday and are arousing the interest of the most heads in the air.
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What's the point ?
These are beacons, which take the form of 3cm tokens, and which are made to help you locate the items to which they are attached: phone, wallet, purse ... During the life of the battery, i.e. one year, you will be able to save your beacons through the FindMy app, available on Apple devices.
You will then be able to know if your objects are nearby.
It is important to mention that no fastening system is integrated, so you will have to slip the AirTag in your wallet or your car.
How it works ?
To function, the AirTags are independent of the GPS network.
They rely on Apple's "Locate" network, linking the brand's billion devices in circulation via Bluetooth.
The object's primary purpose is not to locate an object, but rather to warn you that it has moved away from you.
When it does, the beacon will start ringing and your phone will notify you.
How much does it cost ?
These small devices have a fairly high hit, unique to Apple devices.
They are available for pre-order for € 35 each, or € 119 per set of 4. Depending on the company, orders will be delivered from April 30.
The connected object can also serve as a fashion accessory: "
Customers can personalize the AirTag by engraving free text or emojis chosen from among the 31 available,
" explains Apple.
Why is the product more expensive than its competitors?
The product costs more than that of its competitors like Tile, which sells its tags at € 70 for 4, or € 17.5 per unit.
A price difference which is explained by the use by Apple of an ultra-wide frequency band U1 chip, which facilitates communication with Iphone.
This frequency allows extremely precise localization, a technology currently inaccessible to the competition.
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Can I use it to track my son or my cat?
For more or less well-intentioned people, the main use of the tool may not seem sufficient. The temptation to follow a person is however completely countered by the system used. The product is not designed for living beings
.
"
They were designed to be used with objects,
" says Kaiann Drance, vice president of marketing for the brand. If the sensor attached to a person moves away from your iPhone, it will emit a repeated beep to signal its position. It would therefore suffice for the person warned by the noise to destroy the Airtag, and voila.
