You owe it to your keychain: We tested Apple's AirTag - Walla! TECH

2021-05-28T01:10:30.825Z

You owe it to your keychain: we tested Apple's AirTag TECH news You owe it to your keychain: we tested Apple's AirTag With a price tag of NIS 139, and a "pay for every extra" culture, Apple has launched the AirTag. The new component is designed to locate your keychain. But even as expected, it is changing the field and everything the competitors have tried to do so far Tags Dark Idigital Walla! TECH Wednesday, 26 May 2021, 15:16 Updated: 15:30 S

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You owe it to your keychain: we tested Apple's AirTag

With a price tag of NIS 139, and a "pay for every extra" culture, Apple has launched the AirTag.

The new component is designed to locate your keychain.

But even as expected, it is changing the field and everything the competitors have tried to do so far

Strictly "dark" design

Unlike competitors (Tile, Chipolo and Samsung), who launched a square tracking component, Apple's component is round and about the size of a half-shekel coin.

As expected, even with such a small component, the company was able to give it a design that screams "Apple".

One side is completely white and smooth, and on the other side you can find a silver frame with the manufacturer's logo.

However, the big problem with AirTag is its thickness.

It is slightly thicker than its competitors, and if you have a thin wallet, the component will stand out and even ruin the wallet in the long run.

Strictly "dark" design (Photo: Walla !, Mikey Levy)

Just for that, Apple has launched a keychain, which as expected (again), will cost you money.

The keychain allows you to connect the AirTag to your keychain and its price even exceeds that of the component itself.

How much exactly?

One and a half times the price of the product, about NIS 219 on iDigital.

Of course you can also find cheaper options on Chinese sites, but it is still an additional expense.

The competitors, however, made sure to "perforate" the tracking component so that you could easily attach it to the keychain.

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The gospel is severe

Apple has a built-in advantage over all competitors like Tile and Chipolo - and it is in hardware. In fact, this is mainly due to the fact that if the component is lost with the wallet or bundle of keys, any iPhone that is near them will be able to transmit their latest location to you. Describe a situation where you lost the keychain on the street, and after an hour you received an alert that it was on a certain street. This will most likely be due to the fact that an iPhone that was nearby broadcast its location to you. Tile also launched a similar feature, but following a much lower popularity than Apple's, it did not really manage to change the rules of the game. At the heart of the component is an U1 chip designed by Apple, which allows for incredibly accurate detection for iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 users, which feature the same chip. Thus, if the component is lost in your environment, you can get an accurate indication of its location in the room.

Another and even unusual line in Apple terms, is the possibility of replacing the battery manually.

Most competitors do not allow this, mainly in order for consumers to repurchase the product at the end of the battery life cycle.

In AirTag, on the other hand, you can remove the silver frame and replace the battery that operates it manually.

In addition, the component also has a weak speaker that makes a sound that helps it be found.

(Photo: Screenshot, Screenshot)

How It Works?
Just like Apple knows

Apple launched the "Find My iPhone" app a few years ago. Originally, the app was designed to locate iPhones and iPads remotely. Over the years, it has been joined by other products such as the manufacturer's computers and watches. What’s more, Apple announced during the AirTag launch event that it will allow outside companies to develop products that can connect to the same system.

The AirTag is managed from the same system that enables several modes: detection, sound playback and activation of detection mode in cases where the component is lost. Thanks to the U1 chip, Apple makes it possible to locate the component by indicating on the screen in a kind of "hot-cold" game that includes an arrow pointing in the direction of the chip and a range from the chip itself. From previous experience with some of its competitors, this is the best interface experience - just as Apple knows.

Other chips usually get a metric range that is not always accurate.

As a result, the user could not know exactly which direction to turn and had to go from side to side to check if the range was reduced.

The thought of the little details did not stop here.

Apple has also incorporated voice alerts about the direction of the AirTag in space, allowing even the blind to make use of it.

The thought of these little details is amazing to me.

It works exactly as Apple knows (Photo: Walla !, Mikey Levy)

Bottom line: a great product, with high costs

Individual companies, including Apple, know how to take a domain that has not taken off as expected, and lift it to the sky.

This is what Apple is expected to do with the AirTag, which comes with an excellent interface, advanced hardware, and most importantly a solution that no other company can provide: locating the component using other iPhones.

The component was given to us by iDigital and is sold for NIS 139.

If you tend to lose your keys frequently, you don't even have to worry - buy the AirTag today.

Note that, as mentioned, you can purchase a keychain at Chinese sites, thus saving hundreds of shekels on an original adapter.