apple airtags ming-chi kuo
2 months ago
Published June 20, 2022 by

Ming-Chi Kuo: AirTags still haven't proved themselves to Apple

Where the quarter-size trackers stand on the adoption curve may determine when and if Apple releases a new generation.

From Kuo's Twitter feed:

My take: "Not received much attention"? Hasn't he been reading the tracking horror stories?  Kuo's numbers, meanwhile, are in line with Gene Munster's, who estimated 25 million AirTags sold in 2021.

8 Comments

  1. Romeo A Esparrago Jr said:
    All I know is that when I travel, I enjoy getting stalked by my luggage AirTags who I can see them follow me to the next plane at a layover airport.
    And that my Toyota Tacoma AirTag tells me it’s still safely at Park’n’Zoom at Austin-Bergstrom airport when we were at a wedding in Butler, PA.

    5
    June 20, 2022
    • Thomas Williams said:
      New York Times had a story in the Travel section about how beneficial AirTags are for travelers. LoJack & OnStar allow tracking of motor vehicles with an app, I’ve never read a negative story about those services.
      Apple has long been a punching bag for poorly informed journalists, bloggers and others still struggling with serious privacy flaws in Windows & Android operating systems. For years anyone speaking positive about Apple products were derisively spoken of as ‘fanboys.’ This done while major firms equipped their high-paid creative departments & scientists with Macs, students completed countless college degrees using Macs and the hardware functioned years after Windows laptops & desktops blew up.

      2
      June 20, 2022
  2. Horace Dediu said:
    Nothing says doubt better than 50 million units and $1.4 billion in revenue in the first two years of a new category of products. An updated version is no indication of lack of interest as functionality is “good enough” as it is and it could be maintained unchanged for years. Though, of course, I’m sure there is improvement possible in a new version and it would be welcomed by many. Lifting the limit of 12 units per account would be a good start, as I could use at least 40 AirTags.

    5
    June 20, 2022
    • David Emery said:
      Despite Apple being ‘late’ to trackers, it’s clear the AirTags have defined this category, just as previous (“late”) Apple products defined other product categories.

      I suspect most any other company would LOVE to have a “failure” like AirTags, both in terms of sales and in terms of ‘public mindshare.’

      1
      June 20, 2022
    • Aaron Belich said:
      Agreed, the only update required is the limit we can have on our shared accounts.

      0
      June 21, 2022
  3. Jerry Doyle said:
    “…. AirTags still haven’t proved themselves to Apple.”

    Ming-Chi Kuo Seems locked in a downward spiral losing ever more personal credibility.

    2
    June 20, 2022
  4. T R said:
    Family Sharing, with the trusted devices of iCloud Family members.

    2
    June 20, 2022
  5. Aaron Belich said:
    Develop new AirTags? Like Apple doesn’t have a version with Active GPS and a massive battery pack, ready to go? Oh wait, that’s every other Apple device. Within the current AirTags, the battery lasts over a year, and it’s replaceable. These things will just keep selling as AppleID’s find more things they wish to track as they explore the ever expanding Apple ecosystem.

    0
    June 21, 2022

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