Apple’s AirTag 2 will be more accurate and here’s when you can expect it

May 20, 2024 2 0

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Back in 2021, Apple decided it wanted to help you find the keys you keep losing. Rather than sending Tim, Craig, or Joz over from Cupertino, the company released AirTags. These little Bluetooth trackers can be placed on items you lose frequently, helping you find them should they be misplaced.

The moment AirTags hit the shelves, they became popular with customers. So popular, in fact, that Apple is tallying up how many AirTags it sells before considering a second generation.

When might a second-gen AirTag appear?

We first heard mumblings of an AirTag 2 back in 2022. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the second-gen tracker could be on the table, depending on the current version’s sales numbers. Kuo predicts Apple will release a second generation if AirTags continue to grow in popularity. The trackers are already outperforming Apple’s estimates, with an estimated 35 million shipments this year.

AirTag, which has not received much attention, has gradually grown in shipments since its release. Shipment estimations of AirTag reach about 20 mn & 35 mn units in 2021 & 2022, respectively. If AirTag shipments continue to grow, I believe Apple will develop the 2nd generation.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 19, 2022

Considering most Apple devices receive a second generation, this didn’t seem out of the question. Plus, Apple has now flown threw these shipment targets. So it looks like we’re set up for the second-gen to arrive. And Apple analyst Mark Gurman agrees! Recently, he shared in his newsletter for Bloomberg that we can expect the next AirTag to arrive in the middle of 2025. It’s already in production testing, apparently.

Gurman reckons Apple is going to improve the chip inside for better location tracking. But what else could Apple do with AirTag 2? There’s not all that much you can do with a Bluetooth tracker, after all. We predict Apple will work on making the device more compact, specifically thinner. The current version is thicker than alternatives at 0.31-inches, so we’d expect this would be a priority.

Whatever Apple decides to do, it sounds like we’ve got a little while to wait. For now, you can safely keep AirTagging everything in sight, so you never lose it. Or maybe just the essential stuff.