AirTag is one of Apple’s products that, unlike the iPhone, does not follow a clearly visible update rhythm. There has been speculation about the second generation for months and every little sign in Apple’s supply chain is seen as a sign that the sequel is near. A current prediction now holds that Apple could replace the existing small, disc-sized tracking device with a new version in mid-2025.
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Mark Gurman of US financial news agency Bloomberg claims he has learned from Apple sources that the new AirTag, codenamed B589, is now in manufacturing trials and making good progress. Therefore Apple is preparing for market launch in 2025.
First AirTag in April 2021
The first AirTags were released in April 2021. It has no GPS antenna of its own, but it connects via Bluetooth to nearby Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and Mac so that they can be used to tell their current position in Apple’s “Where Are You” network. . Users can check these through the app or website and, for example, have the AirTag beep to find an item.
If the rumors are true then the AirTag 2 will likely be similar to its predecessor. Apple is reportedly planning to modernize the internals in particular. It is said that a more modern ultra-wideband chip could significantly improve location tracking and finding at close range, for example through a larger range. The idea of slightly altering the speaker to make it more difficult to use AirTags for unwanted tracking is under consideration, which has drawn criticism. Replacing the button cell battery with a built-in battery is also relatively high on the list of possible changes.
Relationship with Vision Pro?
In October 2023, Taiwanese analyst Ming-Chi Kuo announced that a second generation was coming. Early speculation was that a release could take place in late 2024. Gradually, Kuo and Gurman switched to 2025. Kuo raised the possibility that the new AirTags could interact with Apple’s spatial computer, Vision Pro, without going into more detail about what that would look like.
(MKI)
