AirTag 2.0 could be incoming as Apple’s smart tracker is apparently a hit despite many controversies

The AirTag is perhaps one Apple gadget, launched in recent memory, that’s almost always in the news for the wrong reasons. On the flip side, the AirTag is apparently turning out to be quite a hit among buyers, if noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is to be believed. While Apple doesn’t explicitly mention sales figures, Kuo says the AirTag has “grown in shipments since its release.”

By how much, you ask? Well, Apple is “expected” to have sold a whopping twenty million AirTags in 2021. The numbers are particularly impressive because Apple launched the AirTag only in April 2021. This year, the AirTag is expected to do even better, with Kuo predicting shipments to increase to up to thirty-five million. The analyst adds—in his prediction— that if the AirTag sales continues to grow, a second-generation version could be on the horizon eventually.  

We don’t know what the AirTag 2.0 would look like, we don’t know its feature set, we don’t know if it even exists, or if it would ever launch, but all the controversies aside, the AirTag is still a “typical” Apple product with many good use cases. Therefore, a version 2.0 won’t be that bad if Apple could, maybe, be a little more upfront and come out with some more much-needed anti-stalking features to prevent misuse.

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

It’s been fairly well documented that someone can slip an AirTag into your personal items to keep a track of your location and stalk you. Apple has tried to fix this in two ways – by alerting iPhone users if unknown AirTags are following them (though this is limited to iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later), while for Android users, it has launched a Tracker Detect app that does the same thing except that it does not have any background scanning ability.

The puck-like device, at its core, is designed to let you locate lost items such as keys and wallets using Bluetooth and Ultra-Wideband technology— and relying on Apple’s extensive Find My network. The AirTag is one of the most affordable gadgets that Apples makes today with a single tracker available for Rs 3,190 and a pack of four for Rs 10,900.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz