Apple’s first AirTag back in April of 2020 was a huge success and racked up a lot of attention from Apple fans. The device allowed you to track any item it’s attached to all through the Find my app. The most common use for this was to attach it onto keyrings as we all have those panic moments where the keys suddenly grow legs and run off from the table where you swore you left them. It’s safe to say, the Apple AirTag certainly fulfilled its purpose so what would the reason be for an AirTag 2? After all, there’s only so much a tracker can do so it hardly needs a second generation, right? Well not quite, there are certain aspects whereby the AirTag can be drastically improved and these downfalls are what we can expect solutions for in the Apple AirTag 2.
Whilst Apple hasn’t been one for much cross-platform integration with Android in the past, the last few years have seen Apple become more welcoming to this idea, with devices such as the Apple Airpods and Apple Watch all having Android support. At this time being AirTags currently have no support for Android which in turn restricts them from flourishing in their market. If Apple does give in to their stubbornness with the AirTag 2, as they did with their Airpods, this would essentially allow for the AirTag to grow drastically in its market particularly because 87% of the entirety of smartphone users are using Android. It’s been done before so it’s not too ambiguous to anticipate it again for the AirTag 2 and quite simply, this is a small sacrifice to make to ensure a successful product.
As with everything wear and tear does occur, however, while the AirTag isn’t by any means flimsy, it is prominent to scuffing. We can expect the AirTag 2 to come with a design that ensures it stays in pristine condition for longer. The current AirTag has an IP67 rating which means that not only is it resistant to splash and rain, but it can also be submerged into water with a depth of 1m for 30 minutes without sustaining any permanent damage. Whilst this in itself is impressive for a small tracking device, most flagship devices currently come with an IP68 rating which would be preferred for something that can be easily dropped with some keys down a drain. The way we see it, the more waterproof the better.
Many other tracking devices on the market now offer users the ability to give other people access to its location. Surprisingly, this is something that AirTag users are still not able to do and would be a useful feature to help family members and friends track your lost item with you because, at the end of the day, two eyes are better than one.
Price & Release Date
Now, whilst nothing for the Apple AirTag 2 is set in stone, Ming Chi Kuo is a well-known analyst who has a track record of accurately predicting Apple releases. He’s claimed that Apple may develop an AirTag 2 if shipments of the current AirTag do continue to grow. The original AirTag can retail for £29 so it’s more than likely a second-generation model would retail at around the same price, we reckon this will be £34.99-£40 however Apple could surprise us. It’s tough to say when we could expect this to be released if Apple announce it but we’d like to think Apple would announce it between Q2 and Q3 of 2023.
The Apple AirTag 2 is still just a rumour and in actual fact, many of the expectations listed above for the AirTag 2 can be added to the current generation with software updates. With that said, I still do believe Apple will bring out a second generation of AirTag with the above expectations and more in 2023. Let us know whether you think Apple will bring us an AirTag 2 in the future in the discussion box below.
