It looks like Apple’s often-rumoured ‘AirTag’ is set to launch by the third quarter of 2020.
The rumour comes from reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and was first reported by 9to5Mac. Kuo says that Apple has plans to produce tens of millions of Bluetooth tracking devices by the end of the year. Given the Q3 2020 release date, it’s likely that the AirTags will be revealed during Apple’s September iPhone event.
There’s also a possibility the AirTag could be revealed at WWDC given its an entirely new product category for the tech giant.
Apple’s Tile-like Bluetooth tracker will reportedly be used to locate objects in the real-world like a backpack or luggage, though the company’s Find My app. While very similar to Tile’s trackers, Apple would be able to leverage the millions of iPhones, iPads and Macs already in the hands of people to create a crowdsourced network of devices capable of locating AirTags.
There’s also the U1 chip side to the rumoured AppleTag. This chip, which is featured in the iPhone 11 series, would allow the smartphone to more precisely view the location of the tag in augmented reality (AR). The feature would only work with Apple’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro max given these are the only devices that feature the U1 chip.
Rumours regarding the existence of the AppleTag first appeared back in April of 2019. Apple hasn’t confirmed that it’s working on Bluetooth tracking tags.
Source: Ming-Chi Kuo, 9to5Mac
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