For once, Marques Brownlee has managed to test an Apple product that is not yet available to the general public. This is the AirTag. Thissmart key fobmakes it easy to find lost belongings. How ? According to the YouTuber, very simply. It all starts when you receive the small device: it then emits a first noise when you unpack it, meaning that it has just turned on.
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A message then appears on the user's iPhone, similar to that offered by AirPods Max when trying to pair with it. The notification asks to validate the connection, then links to the buyer's Apple account. This way it will be easier to identify the owner of the device in case of loss.
Design des AirTags
Concretely, as we can see in the video above, a certified AirTagIP67– is barely larger than a large coin. One side is white plastic, while the second is metal with the Apple logo in the middle, surrounded by clearly visible noticesAssembled in China,Bluetooth LE,Ultra WidebandetDesigned by Apple in California. Quite minimalist, in short.
Only downside: thegroovesThe silver side of the AirTags very quickly stands out, which are also a bit too thick to fit with a classic wallet. On the other hand, only the white color is available at the moment. But given that the M1 iMac and fourth-generation iPad Air already come with multiple colors, it's likely that it's only a matter of time before we see Apple release its key fobs in different colors. editions.
© Apple
Autonomy
To show thepile boutonAirTags, simply push the metal back with your fingers and then rotate it. A bit like a child lock that would protect a bottle of risky household product. Supplied by the Japanese subcontractor Panasonics, also behind the success of Technics turntables, this component would be capable of running the AirTag for a year. Type CR2032, it is the same one found in Tesla car keys as Brownlee recalls here.
AirTags accessories
What's good to know is that AirTags come alone. And as they have neither holes nor magnets, unless you store them in a closed space, you will need to invest in an accessory to hang them wherever you want. Yes, an accessory for an accessory, which is even bigger. At Apple, prices range fromthirty-five euros(this is also the price of the AirTag) at…449 euros, for the version in partnership with Hermès. Note, however, that Belkin offers third-party models from 13.95 euros: good news for the tightest budgets.
© Apple
How are AirTags used?
Let's imagine that you have just lost your bag, in which your AirTag is stored. Then just open the appLocate, then ring the AirTag. And you found your things. The videographer points out that the sound produced is also loud enough, to “a speaker that you can't even see“. However, this does not work if the object you are looking for is far away. In this case, we can thenreport as “lost“. Someone who finds it can then approach it and, thanks to the NFC chip integrated into the AirTag, call you at a telephone number that you have provided in addition to a personalized message.Even from Android.
Another possibility: your AirTag is relatively close to you, but you cannot precisely identify its position. In this case, thanks to Bluetooth Low Energy, indications similar to the operation of Google Maps inaugmented realityor cards in video games then allow you to get closer to the AirTag. MKBHD gives a rating of “nine out of ten” to the precision of this solution. Maximum range: less than ten meters.
Finally, when you finally get your hands on the AirTag, the iPhone starts to vibrate and broadcasts a specific animation: bingo!
