If you really want to track someone it's not that hard to just buy an iPhone and turn "find my iPhone" on and slip it somewhere. You could even hardwire it into a car so it remains charged.
Are you really comparing a device that costs hundreds of USD and has a form factor of... A phone, with a device that's supposed to be hooked up to a keychain and that costs 29 USD?
To be fair, it's easy to buy an old working iPhone on eBay for $30. And size is entirely irrelevant if you're putting it in someone's car.
So I think the parent makes a point worthy of discussion. If Apple is providing this protection for Airtags, why aren't they providing it for all devices?
Well, "to be fair", a phone's battery would die in a few days. Airtags are supposed to last for a year.
Why work so hard to pretend these things are the same and therefore deserve to have the same protections applied when it is obvious with a few moments of thought that they are completely different things?
Why are you working so hard to pretend they're completely different when it's obvious from a few moments of thought that tracking is tracking, full stop?
If someone wants to stalk you for a couple of days to find out where you live or work or whatever, what does the difference matter of "a few days" vs a "a year"?
I don't understand why you think this isn't something worth discussing. It's a safety issue worth asking about, no?
I find it truly bizarre that this is being downvoted. Especially on HN which is generally so extremely anti-tracking and pro-privacy.