https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/apple-airtag-2-review
It's been nearly five years since Apple first launched the AirTag. True to form, Apple arrived late to the item tracker market—but has completely dominated it ever since.
Before AirTag, Bluetooth trackers had been around for some time. Tile was essentially the only serious player, building on the first wave of BLE beacon technology like iBeacon and Eddystone. But Apple changed the game. For those who don't care about the underlying tech, what matters is that AirTag uses Ultra-Wideband (UWB) rather than Bluetooth alone. UWB is far more accurate and directional, allowing users to literally point their phone toward the exact location of an item. That's a fundamentally different experience from BLE beacons, which can only tell you something is "nearby" without indicating direction.
Of course, the real success story is coverage. The Find My network allows an AirTag to be located even when your phone isn't nearby—it quietly piggybacks on other Apple devices to report back its location. Google has attempted to compete with its Find My Device network on Android, but the same fragmentation challenges that plague Android's notification system have slowed adoption. Most budget item trackers remain BLE-only.
Now Apple, the clear market leader, has introduced an updated AirTag with improved tracking accuracy, louder speakers, and a new chip that enables Apple Watch to locate AirTags directly—a welcome addition.
But the more interesting story here is on the business side, and it's something many observers still misunderstand. Apple doesn't feel compelled to push annual updates for accessories or "non-key" products. They simply keep selling them until they have something meaningfully better. Notice that Apple doesn't even call this "AirTag 2"—it's just AirTag. They'll release new versions when they're ready, not according to an arbitrary schedule. This is the same approach they take with AirPods, HomePods, and other accessories.
This strategy makes excellent business sense. Maximise each product version, and only launch a successor when there's genuine improvement to offer. Maintaining the same form factor where possible also reduces marketing costs—no need to confuse customers with version numbers and generational branding. Yet many competitors and tech commentators still don't seem to grasp this, continuing to expect regular or even annual updates.
I've been using my Beats Studio 3 headphones since 2017, and they still work perfectly. Why upgrade? I can if I want to, but there's no pressure. This, perhaps, is what market leadership truly looks like: releasing better products when they're ready, rather than when the calendar demands it. That's how you keep customers satisfied—and ensure they return for their next purchase.
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