AirTags 2: Apple planning new version of trackers – but release date won’t come for some time

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Apple is planning a new version of its AirTags trackers – but they might not arrive for some time, according to a new report.

The company launched its AirTags in April 2021. Since then they have attracted some criticism but also proven popular as a simple way for iPhone owners to track the location of objects such as bags and keys.

There have been few rumours about a possible new version of the trackers. But Apple is planning one, according to a report from usually reliable Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo.

But those new trackers will not arrive until late next year or even later, he reported. The company is not planning to put the second-generation AirTags into mass production until the fourth quarter of 2024, he reported.

It is unclear what features the new version could have. But Mr Kuo suggested that one change would be better integration with Apple’s upcoming augmented reality headset, the Vision Pro.

“I believe that spatial computing is a new ecosystem that Apple wants to build, using Vision Pro as the core to integrate other devices, including AirTag 2,” he wrote.

That would presumably include ways of allowing the Vision Pro to show the location of AirTags overlaid on top of the real world, for instance.

But it might also bring more deep integration. Apple has long been working on ways to allow for its devices to understand where others are in space, which might rely on some of the same technology currently found in the AirTags.

Apple’s AirTags have been met with a largely positive reception, and there are few obvious opportunities for improvement in a new generation. But they did receive some heavy criticism for enabling stalkers to track people by placing AirTags on them without their knowledge – which led to a number of changes, including more messages alerting people when a tracker appears to be moving with them.