this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2024
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OK, well… What would people want in a second generation AirTag anyway that couldn’t be addressed with software updates? Who, other than shareholders, want a second generation AirTag?
Smaller. Thinner.
Faster. Stronger.
Work it harder. Make it better.
Only thing I could see is making them somewhat harder to tamper with and sealed with a rechargeable battery.
They fit on the Apple Watch charger exactly. A lot of people assumed they were originally supposed to be rechargeable.
I don’t know how that could possibly been seen as an “upgrade”.
Yeah, it’s a stretch for sure.
That said, because the tracking network is way broader than the other BT trackers, so stalkers love use and mod these little things. And they’re very un-Apple like, in that they’re easy to open up.
Stalking has been the one thing that AirTags constantly get slammed for in the press about. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sold an updated tracker that was sealed, packed full of resin, and marketed as “more secure.”
It could be used to make the device completely waterproof.
There are plenty of waterproof devices with replaceable batteries.
The idea you have to seal in the battery (and the device goes to landfill instead of getting a replacement) is a myth.
Of course it can be made waterproof with a replaceable battery, but would you trust your grandma to swap such a battery so that it stays waterproof?
Would you want to be the customer support for a device like that with a billion users? The amount of idiots failing to close the case properly and drowning their device is staggering, and the idiots are usually the ones who call CS to complain…
EU objects. The replaceable battery regulation kicks in 2025 and I believe it will apply to devices like AirTag.
I kinda hope the next gen ones have a stronger nearby find feature. I love the feature but I still have to be within about 5 ft of it and practically have line of sight i imagine that cant be resolved with simple software updates
Those Apple fans see the need for a gen 2.
Show me those Apple fans. Show me anyone (aside from shareholders) who want a new generation. Really. Even those guys are pretty happy with the current generation.
Those guys are pretty happy with their current phone too. But when a new one comes out they buy it day one.
I worked for them for a while, and my observation was that the power users upgrade less frequently than the tech-illiterate ones. I think you actually see this behavior across a lot of machines people interact with—especially cars. People who understand and work on cars often like to take care of old ones and keep them running forever, while people who don’t know much about cars will just lease them or buy a new one when they can afford it.
Waste aside, it isn’t necessarily a bad approach. If a user doesn’t know how to update their software or properly care for their device, and they’d rather spend money than learn, then remaining on a relatively quick upgrade cycle does all that for them without them having to think about it, just like how buying a new car resets the clock on your brake pads.
I’d much rather have my tech illiterate mother be the person who comes in every other year for a new phone that she doesn’t really need rather than being the person who shows up with the crusty iPhone gen 1 who is furious that their long discontinued bible phrases app isn’t supported anymore.
Sometimes, money really is the easiest patch to a problem.