I would. I own a Tile, and it's limited by the relatively smallish network, at least out in the burbs where I live. Having every iPhone in the vicinity conscripted into the network would be good for me... even though I don't particularly want an iPhone.
Mind you, I only ever use it to locate my wayward cat, so perhaps my use case isn't the most common. I don't seem to find any other need for it, though perhaps I should attach one to my keys.
Except that many uses don't need a phone at all, and android hardware could give you an acceptable experience for most of the remaining uses, on par with many iphone models.
Maybe. But if I buy a third party GPS thing for $50 that also works with my Android, PC etc. then it is cheaper than getting the apple devices plus airtag.
A quick search on Amazon for 'gps tracker' will yield at least one option on the first page for $29.99. GSM for communications. Not as small as an AirTag, but 1.5 inches by 0.9 by 0.6 inches isn't exactly huge either.
A legitimate point is that the battery life isn't great. But that's not too hard to solve, if you tolerate a little more space for a bigger battery.
I'm sure there are even better options out there, that's just what I could come up with in under a minute. For anybody with more than idle curiosity, I imagine there are some pretty clever solutions available.
> A legitimate point is that the battery life isn't great.
A big difference is that these GPS trackers broadcast their position continuously, wherever there is cell coverage. The AirTags only update their position when an Apple device (made after 2015) is within the relatively short bluetooth range of the tag.
>> The AirTags only update their position when an Apple device (made after 2015) is within the relatively short bluetooth range of the tag, with an internet connection.
Luckily the "only" is pretty good. There are Apple devices almost everywhere i'd need to track a lost bike/car/schoolbag.
The last time this came up on HN someone suggested this: https://lightbug.io/. I've gotta say it looks amazing, the smaller unit has a battery life measured in months, the big one in years.
I'm surprised they really break down the pricing on their custom tracking devices. Most companies would just have a "contact us" button and then dump out some arbitrary pricing after a few email exchanges.
No Monthly fees if you don't want them with Lightbug. We introduced pay per location last week. Swings and roundabouts.. we know it's still money .. but think we've found a way to keep the business running, offer a globally easy to use product AND not rip people off with monthly fees..