6 ms·

Or you can load your own firmware to any other embedded device with Bluetooth and also make it totally undetectable from iPhones by changing keys frequently and

• lgats 5y ago
  Previously Discussed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26342504 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26342504
• Gigachad 5y ago
  I think the cat was out of the bag in a way on this one. Apple put in a good effort to stop abuse but the technology is in people hands now.
  • TSiege 5y ago
    They in no way put in any effort to do this. They added the bare minimum that they were told at the outset was not enough. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/13/apple-airtag-tracking-threats-abuse/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/13/apple-air...
  • gonzo41 5y ago
    They could NOT sell the tech. It's a choice.
    • stickfigure 5y ago
      It's already being sold by other companies. The cat has been out of the bag for years, you're just being notified. Don't attack the messenger.
      • gambiting 5y ago
        Other companies sold trackers which could already use every single iphone/ipad in existence to track their whereabouts???? That's complete news to me. Can you name any of them??
        • PlanckMeasure80 5y ago
          Chipolo does Samsung Trackers might have even more devices than Apple does Tile
          • gambiting 5y ago
            Tile and Chipolo added that functionality only after Apple released the AirTag and allowed 3rd parties to use their network(again, that's a concious choice, that's something they allowed and that they can be blamed for). Samsung Trackers work only with some of their phones - there is absolutely no chance in hell that Samsung sold more of those than Apple has sold iphones globally. I'll eat my own hat if they did.
      • rtpg 5y ago
        Isn't the major difference that it's built into iOS, whereas stuff like Tile requires other people to have that app installed? It's not like these devices have GPS installed, they're reliant on devices around them to do the reporting.
        • stickfigure 5y ago
          You can buy devices with GPS and cellular data.
          • rtpg 5y ago
            True! I believe the unique paring here with the Apple tags is that the device is very small and piggybacks off of iPhones, and has a year+ battery. I don't believe GPS + cell devices can get there on the battery department, but I might be wrong. Putting something in someone's car once is a lot easier than putting something in someone's car and then recharging it once every couple of days.
            • withinboredom 5y ago
              You can write firmware that puts it in a low power state (like the airtags) when it isn't broadcasting. My custom door-unlocker uses bluetooth and wifi, it has a single 18650 battery and lasts about a year (with locking/unlocking daily) before needing to be recharged. I assume if you didn't have a giant servo, you could wire up a modem and it'd easily last years on a single charge, checking in every 10-15 minutes. It wouldn't be as small and inconspicuous as an airtag though.
              • resoluteteeth 5y ago
                Having to use both gps and cellular instead of just Bluetooth uses MUCH more power
                • withinboredom 5y ago
                  You can cut power to those systems if you’re not actively using them. Especially if you don’t have any command/control.
    • Gigachad 5y ago
      The tech is simple enough that many others have released it already and it provides a lot of benefit to the world. I'm glad they put consideration in to how it could be abused and think the world is net better off with airtags.
      • isignal 5y ago
        The problematic tech is not AirTags. It is that every iPhone unwittingly participates in a global network to help “stalk” the AirTag. The ubiquitous distribution of iPhones is the part that makes this successful and scary. Tile or samsung for example wouldn’t be as accurate
        • jnwatson 5y ago
          That’s not problematic. That’s literally the value add.
          • srmarm 5y ago
            It's both
        • RF_Savage 5y ago
          So much this. AirTags are superior to alternatives due to the massive network of devices. No other similar solution out there does it. None has the same reach. It was very much a choise made by Apple to build and release it. Technology is not neutral.
      • pietrovismara 5y ago
        The tech existed already and it was cheaper. Airtags just ripped off existing technology without substantially improving it, while causing a privacy/security nightmare that none of the other devices ever caused. But hey if you want to spend 80$ for something that was already available 2 years ago for 40$ you go ahead.
        • thies226j 5y ago
    • newsclues 5y ago
      The technology already existed, and people could use it. Apple AirTags make it popular so now people will be more careful. Despite the abuse I think the education on the technology is a net benefit.
  • raxxorrax 5y ago
    I don't think that absolves Apple from selling tracking devices.
  • newaccount74 5y ago
    Apple massively restricted Tile by requiring the user to accept multiple scary GPS warnings. By requiring users to opt in (multiple times) they made sure that users are aware of what the app + trackers do, at the cost of making Tiles network less useful. Of course, now that they have their own trackers, all Apple users are not only automatically opted into the Airtag network, they also made it almost impossible to opt out! Talk about double standards.
    • hda111 5y ago
      I don’t agree on double standards. Did you take the cryptographic implementation of both systems into consideration?
• roastedpeacock 5y ago